ONTARIO HEALTH - Key Persons
Driven by passion to end the stigma around mental illness, Andrea Schaefer uses her personal lived experiences to support, educate and bring awareness in our Health Care System. She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for Ontario Peer Development Initiative. She has been involved with the Ontario Patient Quality Improvement Network since 2020, working on a variety of issues. including postpartum depression, insomnia, naloxone use and more. She is an inaugural member of the Caregiver Advisory Committee for Open Doors Child and Youth Mental Health of Lanark County. As a Certified Mental Health Peer Supporter, she also works with individuals living with severe and chronic mental health challenges. She was diagnosed with complex PTSD and severe mental illness in her 30s. In her 40s, she was diagnosed with ADHD and suffered two major concussions, losing speech, thoughts, memories and some fine motor skills. With a lifetime of experience as a patient, a parent and a caregiver, Andrea understands the barriers to navigating our system, especially when a person is unwell.
Job Titles:
- Digital Health Leader
- Senior Vice - President, Digital Excellence in Health
Angela Tibando is a digital health leader with more than 25 years' experience in health care information management. She is responsible for the development and implementation of Ontario Health's digital strategy, ensuring it aligns with the province's Digital First for Health strategy. Angela is also responsible for delivering high-impact digital innovations to improve the patient and provider experience, as well as outcomes.
With over 25 years of experience in health care information management, Angela has dedicated her career to digitally enable the health system across many sectors. She has held leadership roles in an acute care teaching hospital and in regional health care organizations and has led provincial-level initiatives including the inception of the ColonCancerCheck program, the Medication Management system and Ontario's first paperless electronic prescribing pilot program.
Angela holds an MBA from Athabasca University, has earned the Certified Professional in Healthcare and Information Management Systems (CPHIMS-CA) designation, and completed the executive leadership program at the Richard Ivey School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Executive Vice - President
Anna is a highly regarded member of Ontario Health's senior leadership team, serving in a number of roles since the organization's beginning. She served as the inaugural Chief of Strategy and Planning and as Chief Regional Officer, Toronto and East, for over two years. She has also held the role of Executive Lead, Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Anti-Racism. She has a track record of success, excelling in each role.
Anna has led a number of strategic and corporate initiatives and was instrumental in support of Ontario's Health's system response to the COVID 19 pandemic. Her commitment to actively listening, engaging and educating has helped Ontario Health better recognize and address barriers to equity.
A former president of Health Quality Ontario, Anna championed improved performance monitoring, public reporting and clinical standards. Prior to that Anna served in policy and strategic roles in the cancer system and at the Ministry of Health.
As Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Anna serves as a strategic partner with the CEO, the Board and senior leadership counterparts, providing additional leadership support to our corporate services. She works closely with senior government officials and health system leaders to continue to shape and drive Ontario Health's vision, mission and values.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel and Executive Lead, Legal and Risk
Anne Corbett has a strong passion for and commitment to Ontario's health system and is inspired by Ontario Health's exciting mandate. She has an extensive background in advising health care organizations on a variety of issues including amalgamations, integrations, restructurings, governance, contracts, partnership agreements, risk management and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Ontario Health, Anne was a partner at a leading Canadian law firm where her areas of practice included health law and corporate law with a special emphasis on governance and integrations. She was a team lead in many health sector integration transactions, including with newly formed Ontario Health Teams. Anne received her LLB at the University of Toronto.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Marie Yaraskavitch / Durham, East Region
Job Titles:
- Chief Medical Officer, Perley Health
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair of the Ontario Renal Network Patient
Bonnie Field is currently co-chair of the Ontario Renal Network Patient and Family Advisory Council, where she has been an active member for five years. Previously she was involved in the Patient and Family Advisory Council at London Health Sciences Centre and was chair for three years. She has had a broad range of renal care experiences. She had two failed kidney transplants and has done dialysis both incentre and at home. She has done nocturnal home dialysis for the last six years and is a strong advocate for this form of treatment as it works well for her. She hopes her experiences can benefit other renal patients. She enjoys travelling, biking and spending time with her family as much as possible.
Job Titles:
- Chief Regional Officer, North East & North West
- Senior Healthcare Leader in Ontario 's North
Brian has been a senior healthcare leader in Ontario's North for many years and is highly regarded for his compassionate, inclusive, and strategic leadership approach. As the Regional Lead (Interim) for Ontario Health North Region and CEO of the North West and North East LHINs, he successfully led his teams through the dual challenges of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and transitioning the LHINs to a new governance, leadership and operating model, all while ensuring a primary focus on patient care services.
Beginning in 2009, Brian held a wide range of progressively senior roles with the North West LHIN across multiple functions, including Chief Information Officer, Chief Operating Officer, healthcare system funding and performance management, risk management, communications and engagement, quality, finance and corporate services. Previously, he served in a number of senior academic and administrative positions at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, as well as financial and administrative leadership roles in the private sector.
Born, raised and educated in Northern Ontario, Brian is passionately committed to the health and well-being of the North, including Indigenous and Francophone communities.
Job Titles:
- Financial Services Executive
Cally Hunt is a financial services executive who is currently Head, Finance Technology Transformation at the Bank of Montreal. She is responsible for modernizing process and technology to support the role of finance as a strategic partner in driving business performance. She is a member of the Chief Financial Officer's Senior Executive Team and was a member of the Bank's Leadership Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Ms. Hunt is a former Chair of the Board of Trustees of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University Health Network and the Board of the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation. She is also a current member of the Financial Services Tribunal of Ontario. Ms. Hunt received her LLB from the University of Western Ontario in 1980 and her Chartered Accountant designation in 1984. She was made a Fellow of the Ontario CPA Institute in 2013.
Job Titles:
- Founder / Executive Chair of the Board, Closing the Gap Healthcare Group
Job Titles:
- Lindsay, Ontario Health Patient and Family Advisors Network
Residing in a rural area of the City of Kawartha Lakes, Consuelo Kuettner has navigated the health system and many governmental organizations for more than 30 years as the caregiver of a family member with complex health needs. She is a strong advocate for people facing barriers or who have been silenced or excluded by the system. She is involved with several organizational boards and is a founding board member of the Home and Community Care Support Services Central East. Her work has been recognized with several awards, including a caregiver award from the Access Centre, advocate award from the Teacher Assistance Association, and a nomination for woman of the year for the City of Kawartha Lakes. While she continues to work full time during the summer, she supports seasonal farm workers from Mexico.
Job Titles:
- Toronto, Ontario Health Patient and Family Advisors Network
Crystal Chin uses her experiences as a racialized young female immigrant living with both visible and invisible disabilities to advocate for health and education issues. In addition to being an active consumer of home care service since adolescence, she serves in many capacities and for many organizations. She most recently worked with the Standards Development Committee in tertiary care services and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility. She is actively involved with the Citizenship Advocacy Group, which helps bring the patient voice and perspective to health care regulation in Ontario. She is currently a member of the Patient Family Advisory Council at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and a Patient Partner with the Ontario Brain Institute. She also volunteers with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer ( Interim )
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Professor
Dr. Catherine Zahn became Board Chair of Ontario Health in March 2024.
Dr. Zahn has a 40-year history of contributions to the Ontario health care sector, both as a practicing physician and in progressive leadership roles at the University Health Network. Prior to this appointment with Ontario Health's board, she served as Deputy Minister of Health (2021 - 2024) and as President and CEO of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (2009 - 2021).
Throughout her career, Dr. Zahn has worked to promote equitable access to health care for Ontarians, including those with mental illness. She has made numerous contributions through her leadership in hospital integration, technology assessment, chronic disease management, stroke care coordination and health care system integration.
Dr. Zahn is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto (U of T) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She received her MD (honours) from the Faculty of Medicine at U of T, where she completed her residency training in neurology. She also holds an MSc in health administration from U of T and has completed the Directors Education Program at the Rotman School of Management. Recent honours include membership in the Order of Canada, Doctor of Laws degrees (honoris causa) from Western University and Toronto Metropolitan University, the Bryden Award for Outstanding Achievement (York University) and the Faculty of Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award (U of T).
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice - President
- Executive Vice - President, Clinical Institutes and Quality Programs and Chief Medical Executive
- Executive Vice - President, Clinical Institutes and Quality Programs and Chief Medical Executive ( Clinical Dyad With Judy Linton )
A distinguished cardiologist, researcher and educator, Dr. Chris Simpson has been actively involved in health care policy throughout his career. He provides medical leadership and expertise to Ontario Health's Clinical Institutes and Quality Programs Portfolio and across the organization.
Chris has held key leadership roles in many provincial and national academic and health organizations and has been instrumental in several high-impact initiatives. A former president of the Canadian Medical Association, he advocated for a National Seniors Strategy. As the former Chair of the Wait Time Alliance, a federation of 18 national medical specialty societies, the Canadian College of Family Physicians and the Canadian Medical Association, he supported the development of wait time benchmarks for over 1000 surgeries, procedures, tests and consultations. Chris is the author of more than 350 peer-reviewed papers and abstracts-and has won multiple teaching and health system awards.
Prior to joining Ontario Health, Chris was Vice-Dean (Clinical) at the Queen's School of Medicine, while serving as an Affiliate Scientist with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES-Queen's) and as a member of the Queen's School of Policy Studies Health Policy Council. He maintains a clinical practice at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and remains on the faculty at Queen's.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice - President, Population Health & Value Based Systems
- Senior Vice President, Population Health and Value - Based Health Systems
Dr. Sacha Bhatia brings a unique mix of clinical, operational, health system and population health leadership experience to Ontario Health. He is charged with helping advance the agency's commitment to overall population health with a special focus on the equitable distribution of health care across the system. Sacha's portfolio also aims to improve outcomes-as well as the experience of patients and care providers alike.
Sacha helps lead Ontario Health's work to support the implementation of Ontario Health Teams, enabling a better-integrated health system backed by evidence-based tools and digital technology. He is also responsible for the development of new models of care, the expansion of virtual care, and Ontario Health's collaboration with primary care partners, focused on the social determinants of health.
Before joining Ontario Health, Sacha was Chief Medical Innovation Officer and Interim Executive Lead of Academics at Women's College Hospital (WCH), as well as the F. M. Hill Chair in Health Systems Solutions and the Division Head of Cardiology. He is also a staff cardiologist at University Health Network, a scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. In 2013, Sacha co-founded the WCH Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, where he served as Director until 2019. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in prestigious international journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the British Medical Journal.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Staff, Scarborough Health Network
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Senior Financial Executive
Elham Roushani is a senior financial executive with over 20 years of experience in health care and the private sector. He is strategic, an effective communicator and a team builder.
Beginning in 1997, Elham managed the financial affairs at Cancer Care Ontario as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, overseeing an annual budget of over $2.4-billion. In February 2019, he joined Ontario Health as Interim Financial Lead where he continued to demonstrate exceptional ability in fiscal management while overseeing the financial affairs of the overall Ontario Health network.
Elham is an Iranian-Canadian whose personal experiences in his country of birth inspired his humanitarian quests to work for equality and justice. He moved to Canada in 1983 after leaving Iran in 1979. Graduating with a BSc degree from the University of Guelph in 1986, Elham successfully obtained his Chartered Accountancy Professional designation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in 1990.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
- Vice Chair of the Ontario Health Board
Elyse Allan is Vice Chair of the Ontario Health Board and is an accomplished executive with experience in driving growth, technology and innovation. She is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Canada and Vice-President of the GE Company where she led a multi-billion dollar digital, manufacturing and industrial services company. Ms. Allan currently serves as a Director of Brookfield Asset Management and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (U.S.). Most recently Ms. Allan was the founding chair of Invest Ontario and a director of the Westinghouse Corporation and the Mars Discovery District. She is a Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute and member of its National Advisory Council. Previously she served on the Board of Directors of the Conference Board of Canada, The Royal Ontario Museum, the Business Council of Canada and was Chair of Providence Healthcare. Ms. Allan was appointed to the Order of Canada for her work in championing scientific literacy, particularly among girls.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Lead, General Medicine Quality Improvement Network, Ontario Health and Internist, Unity Health
George Saarinen worked as a developmental service worker in group homes for the developmentally disabled for 30 years and as a funeral director for 10 years. Now retired, he supports aging family members navigating the health care system by arranging services with various agencies as their needs change. He believes in giving back to the community when and where possible. In his role as co-chair of a Patient and Family Advisory Council in the North Region, he connects with other health system users to share experiences and perspectives with health care providers to ensure care is patient and family centred. He is also a school board trustee with Lakehead Public Schools and has been an active labour union advocate.
Gillian Kernaghan, MD, CCFP, FCFP, CCPE, began her career as a family physician, joining the medical staff of St. Joseph's, Parkwood Hospital and London Health Sciences Centre in 1984. Most recently, she served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Joseph's Health Care London from 2010 to 2021. Previously, she served for 17 years as Vice President, Medical for various hospitals in London and led the medical staff during complex restructuring in which four hospitals merged to form St. Joseph's. She has also served on numerous regional, provincial and national committees and boards. She is the recipient of the YMCA Women of Excellence Award in Health, Science and Technology (2015), the Studer Group Fire Starter Hall of Fame Award (2017), and the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders Excellence in Medical Leadership Award (2018). Dr. Kernaghan retired from her role as Associate Professor, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University in 2020. She is currently on faculty of CMA Joule providing leadership training nationally.
Job Titles:
- Provincial Emergency Department Lead, Ontario Health and Chief Medical Strategy Officer, Sinai Health System
Job Titles:
- Commissioner and Medical Officer of Health, Region of Waterloo Public Health and Paramedic Services
Jackie Moss brings to the Board both her experience as a senior bank executive and that of a hospital patient turned entrepreneur. Ms. Moss was a senior executive at CIBC for over 18 years where she ran the Global Human Resources, Strategy and Corporate Development functions and was their General Counsel in Canada. Prior to this, she was a partner at the law firm Blake, Cassels and Graydon. As the result of her previous hospital experience, Ms. Moss founded Giftgowns, a company producing unique hospital gowns for patients. Ms. Moss now serves on the Board of the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario and Minto Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust and is Chair of their Human Resources and Nominations and Governance Committees, respectively.
Janet Parr is a former educator from Guelph, Ontario. At the age of 43, she began to experience heart failure. Over the next 8 years her condition deteriorated, demanding progressively intensive interventions until she received a heart transplant at age 51. Upon learning of the need for transplant, she became a volunteer educator and advocate for organ and tissue donation with Trillium Gift of Life Network. As a volunteer with the Heart & Stroke Foundation, she has participated in both national and provincial donor campaigns, sharing her heart disease journey. The cause of Janet's heart disease was genetic, and her children now face the same diagnosis. It is with hope that she looks forward to what medical science and health care have in store for the future of diseases such as hers.
As a cisgender, racialized immigrant woman living with visible and invisible disabilities, Janet Rodriguez receives care from many health care providers who help her manage multiple chronic conditions. She volunteers as a co-creator and facilitator of education modules. She is also a co-chair of the Disability Justice working group, University of Toronto Office of Inclusion and Diversity, as well as a committee member of the Social Determinants of Health at St Michael's Hospital, and with Unity Health Toronto Patient and Family Council. Janet is committed to equity and accessibility. She is an organizer of the Toronto Annual Disability Pride march and a past producer/host of a local Spanish radio program on accessibility.
Jay Aspin recently served as the federal Member of Parliament for Nipissing-Timiskaming. Before his election to the parliament of Canada, he gained extensive senior management experience in both public and private sectors completing executive roles with the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission and navigating his own business as an International Business Consultant. Mr. Aspin holds the Corporate Director (ICD.D) designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and has served on a variety of Boards including the Civic Hospital Commission, the Certified Management Consultants of Canada, the Canadian Space Advisory Board, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Near North District School Board, which he currently chairs.
Job Titles:
- Toronto, Ontario Health Patient and Family Advisors Network
Jamaican-born Jennifer Monteith was the first Black woman featured in Eaton's catalogue, an experience that launched her modeling career and work in Black community advocacy. A single mother and sole family provider after the loss of two husbands, she was propelled into entrepreneurship. Recognizing the need for diversity in the fashion world, she began to identify and promote black youth through her business venture, Different Faces Model and Talent Agency. She also founded and operated The Exhibitor Support Centre - "The Office Away from the Office" from 1998 to 2019. In January 2010, she received a second chance at life when she became a heart transplant recipient. As a role model and spokesperson for the Trillium Gift of Life Network, she shares the story of her life-changing experience with health care professionals and gives encouragement to other patients who have received or are waiting for their own gift.
Jenny Tang has experience with the health care system as both a patient and a caregiver. She lives with post-traumatic stress disorder, the result of severe trauma dating back more than a decade. Her PTSD led her to be hospitalized and has required emergency care numerous times. She and other family members also cared for her elderly mother through surgery, stroke and rehabilitation. She volunteers with various health organizations, including as a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario Citizen Advisory Committee; as a facilitator with the University of Toronto Health Care Inter-Professional Education; and as an advisor on a UHN research project on immigrant woman's participation. She enjoys public speaking and is an executive officer of Peer Talk of Mood Disorder Association of Ontario. Jenny advocates for mental health through connection to nature, as well as workplace safety for mental health. She is an avid gardener who promotes non-artificial/chemical methods and is a garden photographer.
Joan Duke believes patient and family stories need to be heard so that their experiences can influence change in the health care system. This interest was driven by her own diagnosis of a chronic condition and by watching two families struggle to have their children's life-threatening conditions diagnosed. As a volunteer with the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital Patient Advisory Committee and co-chair of a regional Patient and Family Advisory Council, Joan has worked on issues such as virtual care, digital health, hospital operations, policy review and quality control. She is an active volunteer for many community organizations, where she listens to and carries back people's experiences and ideas. She is committed to keeping current on health matters and finds it gratifying to be part of a system that listens to the patient's voice.
Job Titles:
- Chief Nursing Officer, Timmins and District Hospital
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice - President, Clinical Institutes & Quality Programs, Chief Nursing Officer
- Executive Vice - President, Clinical Institutes & Quality Programs, Chief Nursing Officer ( Clinical Dyad With Christopher Simpson )
- Nursing Executive
Judy Linton is a seasoned nursing executive who works in partnership with Dr. Chris Simpson, Ontario Health's Executive Vice-President, Medical to advance evidence-based clinical excellence, help set standards that drive consistency, and enable the delivery of quality care and positive health outcomes.
Judy began her career as a registered nurse in critical care. She has since held key clinical care leadership positions in academic centres and community hospitals. Most recently, Judy was the Senior Vice-President, Patient Experience, and Chief Nursing Executive at Halton Healthcare. She is also former Vice-President, Clinical Services, and Chief Nursing Executive at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener. Judy has held leadership positions with provincial agencies, including Cancer Care Ontario and the Ontario Renal Network, as well as clinical operational and consulting roles at The Hospital for Sick Children, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Toronto.
Judy brings vast expertise to Ontario Health's Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence, as well as clinical programs that include palliative care and more. Her focus is on the provision of high-quality care and the best possible patient and family experience. Judy values collaborative relationships with clinicians to plan and deliver evidence-based care, and has extensive experience engaging others, particularly physicians, to work together to achieve the best care as close to home as possible for patients.
Job Titles:
- Associate Chief Medical Officer - System Integration and Clinical Operations, SickKids and Regional Pediatric Clinical Lead, Ontario Health Toronto
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor, University of Waterloo, School of Pharmacy
Lester Krames is Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, and a retired registered psychologist who maintained a private clinical practice working with caregivers. He is a cancer survivor and was caregiver for his wife who passed after fighting cancer for 27 Years. He volunteers as a patient and family advisor with many health organizations, including Juravinski Cancer Centre; Ontario Caregiver Organization- Caregiver Mental Health Working Group; Caregivers as Partners in Care Learning Collaborative; Ontario Health Rapid Response Team; and Cancer Care Ontario. He is passionate about recognizing the role of caregivers, who are willing to learn and assume the duties necessary to provide better care, and a strong advocate for building better partnerships with health care teams.
Lilian Hulme-Smith is a retired public servant who spent her career in social and supportive housing administration and risk management. Diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis in 2007, she now uses a scooter or wheelchair for mobility. She drives a modified van using hand controls, and with the help of her service dog Gavin, she continues to live an independent and active life. She is currently a Patient Partner on the Advisory Council at Mackenzie Health Richmond Hill Hospital and sits on the hospital's Complex Care, Falls Quality Aims and Rehab Committees. She is a patient advocate with several organizations, including the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health: Ontario Health Central Region, West York OHT and Collaboration Council. She is particularly interested in raising awareness about equitable access for people with disabilities.
Job Titles:
- Senior Clinical Advisor, Primary Care
Job Titles:
- Senior Executive
- Chief Communications and Engagement Officer
- Engagement Officer
Louise is an experienced senior executive with deep strategic communications, policy, advocacy, issue management and stakeholder relations expertise. She has advised CEOs and Boards of Directors in the public, regulatory and business sectors building high performing teams in each setting.
As Chief Communications and Engagement Officer, Louise maintains oversight of corporate affairs. Joining Ontario Health early on, she developed Ontario Health's corporate affairs function, providing counsel across the organization. She is passionate about supporting a strong and effective health care system and serving and supporting patients and health care providers.
Prior to joining Ontario Health, she served as Associate Registrar at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, leading several areas including policy, communications, external relations and governance. She also led policy and media relations at one of Canada's largest business advocacy associations and held a number of senior staff positions in the Ontario government.
An accomplished athlete at the national and international levels, Louise was a triple gold medalist at the Sprint Canoeing World Championships (2003).
Job Titles:
- Chartered Professional Accountant and Member of the Institute of Corporate Directors
Lynda Hawton Kitamura, a Chartered Professional Accountant and member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, is an experienced executive with extensive financial and operational expertise as well as national and international experience in the technology sector. She is currently Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, Operations, with Electronic Products Recycling Association, a not-for-profit, industry-funded organization. She is also Chair of the Board of Governors of Wilfrid Laurier University and an advisor to Bialogics Analytics. Previously, Ms. Kitamura served as Vice President, Finance, Global Technology Services, with Hewlett Packard. With expertise in mergers, acquisitions and strategy development, she is a two-time recipient of the Women's Executive Network Top 100 Women in Canada.
Job Titles:
- Nurse Practitioner, Primary Care
Marie Murphy Foran, along with her siblings, helped her parents navigate long-term care and end-of-life care with a focus on quality of life including palliative care and a dignified death. Along with her husband, she continues assisting a family member to arrange social and health services while aging in place in a group home. A long career in community care and an understanding of psychosocial needs and social determinants of health have contributed to her advocating for all persons from birth to death. She has provided training in Service Excellence in Healthcare and in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act throughout Ontario. Marie is a member on the leadership Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Ontario Older Adult and Care Partner Advisory Council and serves a s a resource to Home and Community Support Services in special projects. She is also a member of the East Algoma Health Team Leadership Council. As a member of the Citizen Advisory Group, she provides input that helps bring the patient and caregiver perspective to health care regulation in Ontario.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Medical Affairs, Sinai Health
Mary Beaucage is Anishnaabe, from Nipissing First Nation, outside of North Bay. Mary has type 2 diabetes and developed end-stage kidney disease in 2013, for which she received dialysis. In March 2015, she received a living donor kidney transplant from her cousin. She is a member of the Ontario Renal Network's Patient and Family Advisory Council and North East Patient and Family Advisory Council, the Can-SOLVE CKD Network's Patient Governance Circle and Indigenous Peoples Engagement Research Council. She has been a keynote speaker, panel member and presenter at national and international nephrology conferences. She brings a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm and passion to her work. She is interested in educating and advocating in matters of Indigenous health, patient partnership, chronic kidney disease research, and organ donation and transplantation awareness.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
Matthew Anderson, President and CEO of Ontario Health, is committed to the organization's vision of health and wellness for all. This includes a focus on equity, diversity, anti-racism and inclusion in all we do.
Matthew Maynard has lived with an inherited blood disorder since birth. He regularly accesses the health care system in Hamilton, London, Stratford, Grand Bend and infrequently Toronto. He is also a caregiver, providing home and long-term support for family and friends. Matthew has extensive experience in advocacy, co-design and community development, holding positions at the clinical, regional, provincial, national and international levels. He is excited for the opportunity to participate as a patient and caregiver partner in the development of an accessible and compassionate care model for all.
Job Titles:
- Toronto, Quality Health Ontario
Michael Low's experience in Ontario's health care system has primarily been as a caregiver. At Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, he has served as a Family Leader and has been a member of the Quality Steering Committee. He also participated in a measurement and evaluation working group with the Change Foundation and has been a co-chair of an Ontario Health Patient, Family and Public Advisors Council. He currently works as a process development engineer in the high-tech and automotive industries, where he helps improve processes and uncover efficiencies to help organizations become more cost-effective and sustainable. He is committed to sharing his personal and professional experiences to help ensure that the health care system will be sustainable, and that patients' unique health needs will be fulfilled.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Clinical Programs and Innovation, Ontario Health Central
Naomi Abrahams has a Master of Social Work and is a PhD student at the University of Ottawa. As a young individual who has lived with a chronic disease for 10 years, Naomi knows how relevant and valuable it is to incorporate patients' lived experiences in research promotion and in the design, delivery and evaluation of health care. She is passionate about participation opportunities for marginalized individuals. She is eager to use her knowledge as a patient combined with her experience as an advocate to improve the health system in a way that benefits all service users.
Natalie Del Signore is a former registered nurse who worked in acute care and research, for both adult care and pediatrics. She is a strong advocate for marginalized people who face serious challenges when accessing health care, including newcomers to Canada who experience language barriers. She is also a parent advocate, with a focus on the very under-represented pediatric voice, especially in the areas of mental health and complex care. She has past volunteer experience at the Montreal Children's Hospital, various women's shelters, and Hope's Garden Eating Disorder Support. Currently she volunteers with many organizations, including Pediatric Parents Consultation Network; Evidence in Child Health to Enhance Outcomes Research with the University of Alberta; and SickKids Family Advisory Network. She enjoys yoga and meditation and offers classes to women and children in shelters in and around Ottawa.
Neil Fraser is a former medical technology executive and officer at Medtronic where he led the implementation of innovative technologies and services in the Canadian health system. Formerly, he was industry association chair with Medtech Canada, where he led strategic planning and rebranding initiatives. He is a trusted health innovation and policy advisor at the federal level with Health and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, as well as with the ministries of Health and Economic Development in Ontario and the Ministry of Health in British Columbia. He has been an active participant in numerous health policy think-tanks and has been an academic advisor for Canadian universities in health care management and biomedical engineering. In 2022 he received the Distinguished Leader Award from the Canadian College of Health Leaders. Mr. Fraser serves as a board member or advisor to various organizations, including ICES, Diabetes Canada and University of Toronto Rotman School Health program.
Job Titles:
- Vice - President, Medical, Mental Health
Paul Kurdyak, Vice-President, Medical, Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence, Ontario Health; and Director Health Outcomes and Performance Evaluation, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Paul Tsaparis has a distinguished 30-year career in technology marked by progressively senior appointments with the global information technology company Hewlett-Packard, including 12 years as President and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Canada. Mr. Tsaparis also played a leading role with the Information Technology Association of Canada as its Chair. He was also Chair of its Board of Governors. He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Governors at York University, the culmination of two decades of service to the university. Mr. Tsaparis is also a Board member of Teranet, Metrolinx and Indspire, an education foundation dedicated to indigenous youth. He previously served as a Board member of Humber River Hospital. Prior to his retirement from Hewlett-Packard in 2012, Mr. Tsaparis was Vice-President of Technology Support, Americas.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Clinical Programs, Chief Nursing Executive and Allied Health Professionals, Bruyere Continuing Care
Job Titles:
- Provincial Medical Director, Ontario Renal Network, Ontario Health and Nephrologist, London Health Sciences Centre
Robert Little has had type 1 diabetes for 38 years, which resulted in eye complications and an amputation of his left leg below the knee. He has volunteered his time with CorHealth Ontario. He is passionate about sharing his personal experiences with the health care system.
Sangeeta Chopra-Charron has more than 30 years' experience delivering strategic initiatives for financial service organizations looking to transform their business models to adapt to a new market environment. She considers volunteering for Ontario Health as an essential cause to help give back to the wider community by leveraging both her personal and professional experiences. From 2014 to 2016, she was a member of the advisory board for RainGrid Inc., a climate adaptation start-up. Prior to that, she was on the 2010/11 Board of Directors for Peel Children's Centre and Nexus Youth Services. Her other experience includes mediator for the Region of Peel, president of a non-profit organization, as well as co-chair of parent councils in both the primary and secondary public-school systems. These personally rewarding experiences serve to ground and enlighten her outlook on life.
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy, Planning, Privacy and Analytics
Stephanie has an established track record with Ontario Health's corporate planning and strategy team, having joined the organization as Lead in June 2019. Among her many accomplishments, she led the overarching transition strategy for Ontario Health's inaugural integration, established a multi-phase strategic and business planning approach for our organization, supported regional teams to implement COVID-19 assessment centres, and developed Ontario Health's first and second Annual Business Plans.
Prior to joining Ontario Health, she was the Vice President of Health System Strategy, Planning, and Integration at the Toronto Central LHIN and previously held Senior Advisor and Team Leader positions with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Stephanie has a unique dedication to understanding how best to advance health system transformation, with a particular focus on shared accountability and governance structures. With a PhD in health policy, system accountability, integration and organizational theory from the University of Toronto's Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, she is committed to advancing health system integration with a focus on population-based health.
As Chief Strategy, Planning & Analytics, Stephanie oversees the development and implementation of Ontario Health's strategy, information management, decision support and analytics. She also supports the implementation of our Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Anti-Racism strategy.
Job Titles:
- Dean ( Health Sciences ) and Director, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen 's University
Job Titles:
- Chief Regional Officer, Central and West
- Chief Regional Officer, Central and West Region
Susan is a well-known and highly respected health care leader with extensive experience in the acute, community and home care sectors, as well as expertise in government relations and communications. She brings to Ontario Health a demonstrated capacity to identify emerging issues, opportunities and delivery models and to work with partners to enable innovative approaches to system-oriented integration and change initiatives.
Previously Susan has held progressively senior leadership positions at Lakeridge Health, as Interim President & CEO as well as Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer. During her tenure, she established strong partnerships, collaborated with government partners, and developed and executed transformative strategies to build towards a fully integrated system of care in Durham Region.
She has also served in vice presidential roles at William Osler Health System, William Osler Health System Foundation, Headwaters Health Care Centre and Central West CCAC, where she provided leadership to a regional, integrated team of multi-disciplinary professionals responsible for strategy development, service quality, community relations, patient experience, marketing and communications.
As Chief Regional Officer, Susan works with leaders, team members and system partners across the Central and West regions to advance Ontario Health's vision, mission and mandate.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Executive, the Ottawa Hospital
Job Titles:
- Provincial Surgeon Lead, Ontario Surgical Quality Improvement Network, Ontario Health and General Surgeon, University Health Network
Job Titles:
- Ottawa, Trillium Gift of Life
At the age of 19, Tina Proulx was diagnosed with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, a progressive lung disease in which blood clots and scar tissue block the arteries of the lungs, forcing the heart to work a lot harder than what it is designed to do. She received a lung transplant in 2015, giving her the gift of being able to do things that she never imagined she would be able to do. However, post-transplant, her immune system has been compromised, which comes with its own share of health care needs. With her husband, Tina currently co-chairs the Ottawa Gift of Life, a volunteer-based organ and tissue donation advocacy group. Inspired by her transplant journey, she also volunteers as a patient ambassador for StayWell Charity, a non-profit organization that provides temporary accommodations for out-of-town patients requiring health care services available only in Toronto. Motivated by her personal experiences, she is a strong advocate for patients with invisible disabilities.
Tom Flynn is a corporate director and retired as Vice-Chair of BMO Financial Group in 2022. Tom was Bank of Montreal's Chief Financial Officer from 2011 to 2020 and Chief Risk Officer from 2008 to 2011. Tom also held other leadership positions, including Executive Vice-President, Finance and Treasurer, and Head of the Financial Services Corporate and Investment Banking Group in BMO Capital Markets. Tom is a director of Telus and previously served as Chair of the Boards of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and Symcor Inc.
Tom obtained his MBA and his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Business Administration from the Ivey School of Business at Western University. Tom also holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Fellow of CPA Ontario.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director, Provincial Diagnostic Network
Job Titles:
- Provincial Clinical Lead, Vascular, Ontario Health and Site Chief of Surgery, William Osler Health Centre - Brampton Civic Hospital
Job Titles:
- Health System Planner
- Vice - President, Sector Support, Performance and Accountability
Vicky Simanovski is an experienced health system planner, with expertise in health system performance, accountability, and development and implementation of funding models. She held progressively responsible positions with Cancer Care Ontario for more than a decade, leading the performance, funding and regional engagement processes for Ontario's cancer system. Before taking on her current role with Ontario Health, she was the agency's Interim Senior Vice-President, Health System Performance and Support. In her current role, she is committed to working collaboratively with partners to advance system improvement through a focus on accountability, performance and support for various health sectors. Vicky holds an MBA in Health Services Management from McMaster University.
Job Titles:
- Partner at St. Joseph Healthcare Centre
Wendi Heal is currently a care partner at St. Joseph Healthcare Centre and Parkwood Institute in London where she takes part in presentations for psychology students and physical therapists. She is also a member of the Ontario West Patient and Family Advisory. She has cared for elderly family members and those with cancer. In late 2020, Wendi was infected with COVID-19 and admitted to an Acute Covid Care Clinic; she continues to suffer from long COVID-19 symptoms. While in hospital, she started a blog to keep people informed on her personal experience with COVID-19. She currently participates in two COVID-19 studies that are focused on the brain and respiratory systems. As a patient and family advisor, her focus is to see improvement in the health care system at several levels by having patients provide input alongside staff, professionals and government.
Job Titles:
- Chief Regional Officer, Toronto and East ( Interim )
Yves Carriere is a Francophone living in a small, rural community. He is passionate about finding solutions that will help make people's health care experience better. He is a member of the patient and family advisory committee at the Espanola Regional Hospital and is a volunteer on various committees and boards. As a previous hospital board chair for the Matheson, Iroquois Falls and Cochrane group and vice chair for the Espanola Regional Hospital, he has a good understanding of how the health care system functions and the unique challenges people experience in Northern Ontario. Yves is motivated to serve as an advisor so he can contribute to improving the quality of life for people in Ontario.