HEALTH QUALITY ALBERTA - Key Persons
Clyde, AB With over 35 years dedicated to healthcare as an RN, Allyson brings a unique perspective from both professional and personal experiences. Allyson's career spans rural healthcare, teaching, and troubleshooting across Alberta's North Zone. She has navigated healthcare challenges as a rural resident firsthand, from surgeries to supporting loved ones through end-of-life journeys, as well as supporting aging parents through the continuing care system. Now retired and living on an acreage in Clyde, Allyson remains committed to improving healthcare access and quality for all Albertans, with a focus on the rural experience.
Job Titles:
- Acting Chair
- Senior Wealth Advisor
Angus Watt was appointed to Health Quality Alberta's Board of Directors in June 2024.
Angus is a Senior Wealth Advisor, National Bank Financial, and Founding Partner of the Angus Watt Advisory Group. He holds a degree in Political Science from York University.
A dedicated and passionate community builder, Angus has founded, led or co-led dozens of major community initiatives, including the most recent Cross Cancer Institute fundraising campaign that raised over $30 million for this Edmonton facility.
In addition, Angus was past Treasurer for the Lieutenant Governor's Circle of Mental Health, past board member of University of Alberta Senate, and past Co-Chair of the University of Alberta Senate Student Mental Health Endowment. He also served as Chair to The Support Network and The Support Network Foundation.
In 2023, Angus was inducted as a member into the Alberta Order of Excellence and inducted as a laureate into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame. He is a past recipient of the "Paul Harris Fellow," awarded by the Rotary Club of Canada. In 2012, Angus received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and in 2023 he received the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Improvement
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Improvement
Job Titles:
- Senior Analyst, Health Systems Analytics
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Analytics
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the CEO & Corporate Secretary
Clifford A. LeMoal was appointed to Health Quality Alberta's Board of Directors in June 2024. Cliff is a practising Advanced Care Paramedic of 40 years and a recipient of the Federal Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Award. He holds a Master of Arts in Learning and Technology from Royal Roads University.
Clifford D. Johnson, Q.C., ICD.D, was appointed to Health Quality Alberta's Board of Directors in April 2021. Mr. Johnson is a seasoned lawyer, board director and senior executive. He holds Bachelor of Commerce and Juris Doctor (law) degrees from the University of Calgary. He retired from law practice on Dec. 31, 2020. He was a past member of the Law Societies of Alberta and England and Wales. He was awarded the Queen's Counsel designation on Jan. 1, 2002, and achieved the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors on Feb. 26, 2008. He has authored more than 70 research papers and articles many of which he presented at professional seminars. Two were published in the Alberta Law Review and have been referenced in court decisions.
Mr. Johnson worked at a major oil company in business management and legal positions before moving to private practice. He spent 20 years at a major national law firm holding leadership positions including Practise Group Leader, National Management Committee member and Managing Partner, Calgary office. He moved to business for six years before returning to private practice in 2012. He has extensive board and management experience with for-profit and non-profit organizations. Positions held have included Director, Chairman, CEO, President, Executive Vice-President and Vice-President.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Team at the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan
Dr. Carlyn Volume-Smith was appointed to Health Quality Alberta's Board of Directors in April 2021. She is a licensed clinical pharmacist with a B.Sc. in Pharmacy, a M.Sc. in Health Promotion, and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Alberta. Her doctoral thesis was a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the impact of drug policy changes on healthcare providers and patients.
Dr. Volume-Smith has spent more than two decades in the pharmaceutical policy and the health benefit sectors. She has managed complex scientific advisory processes that support Government of Alberta sponsored drug programs. Additionally, while working with a private health benefit provider, she managed departments charged with the adjudication of more than $2 billion annually of extended health, travel, dental, and drug claims for health benefit plans. During her tenure within Alberta Health, she established and maintained strategic relationships with other provincial and federal government departments. This included specialty drug programs, Alberta Health Services-Pharmacy Services, and research/academic communities to develop, advance and communicate evidence-informed and outcome-based drug program policies.
Dr. Volume-Smith also had the opportunity to collaborate and consult with healthcare and allied healthcare providers, vendor associations, professional associations and colleges, as well as the general public, to refine the government sponsored drug and supplementary health benefit programs. Additionally, she served on several pan-Canadian committees including the Provincial Advisory Group for the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review, the Provincial/Territorial Working Group on Rare Diseases and the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Working Group on Pharmaceuticals.
Currently, Dr. Volume-Smith is a member of the executive team at the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan, a not-for-profit organization that provides health and disability benefits to more than 60,000 employees of Alberta's public education sector and their families.
Job Titles:
- Acting Chief Executive Officer
- Professor and past First Chair of the Department of Critical Care Medicine
Dr. Zygun is a professor and past first chair of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta. He practises neurocritical care medicine at the University of Alberta Hospital.
In his most recent leadership role, Dr. Zygun served as the Zone Medical Director, Edmonton Zone, for Alberta Health Services. In this role, his responsibilities included oversight of the Edmonton Zone's approximately 3,000 physicians, including quality and safety, physician workforce planning, recruitment, appointments and credentialling, and physician leadership development. As part of a dyad, he also shared decision-making and accountability for the Edmonton Zone's overall health system planning, operations, and performance.
Dr. Zygun previously held other leadership roles with AHS including the Acting Associate Chief Medical Officer (ACMO), Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs), where he had co-leadership of the continued development, support, and oversight of all SCNs. His responsibilities included integration between SCNs, provincial programs, and clinical operations, and strategic and outcome measures planning per the AHS mandate and the AHS Health and Business Plan.
Dr. Zygun has also served as the Senior Medical Director of the Critical Care SCN, and Adult Critical Care Edmonton Zone Clinical Department Head. Prior to his roles in Edmonton, he practised in Calgary for almost a decade, primarily at Foothills Medical Centre, and served as the Medical Director, Foothills Multisystem Intensive Care Unit and Associate Professor in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Emmanuel Gye was appointed to Health Quality Alberta's Board of Directors in June 2024. He brings over 25 years of leadership experience in healthcare systems across three continents, including Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Since 2010, he has lived and worked in Alberta, actively contributing to various healthcare organizations. His board and committee memberships include the Primary Care Alliance of Alberta, the Coalition for Primary Health Care of Alberta, and the Section of Family Medicine of the Alberta Medical Association.
Dr. Hawranik has held a variety of clinical and senior leadership roles within health care and in higher education. She worked in community health, in tertiary care hospitals, and as a policy analyst. She held positions as Associate Dean in the Faculty of Nursing and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Manitoba. She moved to Alberta to assume the role as inaugural Dean for the newly created Faculty of Graduate Studies at Athabasca University. Most recently, she held the interim positions of Associate Vice President Research for more than two years, followed by the role of interim Dean for the Faculty of Health Disciplines at Athabasca University. She is currently Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca University.
Dr. Hawranik has a wide range of board membership experience. She has been a board member and president of national and provincial boards of directors which included long term care facilities, community non-profit organizations, and post-secondary national and western Canadian boards. Her program of research examines the effectiveness of community services for informal caregivers who care for an older adult with cognitive impairment. A component of this research has examined the adequacy of vision care services for older adults living in long term care facilities for fall prevention.
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Improvement
Jamie retired in 2014 as City of Cranbrook Director of Engineering Services, completing 40 years of municipal engineering in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. He, and his wife of 33 years, Katie then set to fulfill a lifetime dream as full-time RVers. Their adventure was cut short in 2015 when Katie was diagnosed with stage 3 vaginal cancer which claimed her life in 2016. Jamie subsequently re-located to live with a daughter and family in Calgary later in 2016. He quickly became involved in healthcare activities as a way to "give back" after experiencing the care given and compassion shown by doctors, nurses, and all the other clinicians who tried so hard to preserve Katie's life and ease her suffering.
Jamie has volunteered at South Campus; and later, Rockyview General Hospital, serving on the Alberta Health Research Ethics Board's Community Health Committee; as a Food Bank volunteer; and participating in the Primary Health Care Integration Network through Alberta Health Service's Strategic Care Network. Most recently, Jamie was sponsored by the Strategic Care Network to complete in PaCER training, which educates patients on becoming research-informed voices to benefit health system research, planning, and policy.
Jamie remarried Cathie in 2019 and they live quietly with new puppy Molly. They attend St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Calgary where they are both active on various church committees.
In his spare time, Jamie enjoys gardening, fly fishing, reading and building models of old-time sailing ships. Pre-COVID-19, Jamie has also volunteered as a timekeeper for numerous jumping events at Spruce Meadows. He hopes to continue his volunteer role when the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
PFAC provides Jamie with another opportunity to both "give back" to the healthcare system in general, as well as the privilege of working with wonderful, dedicated folks who are striving to improve the health outcomes of Albertans.
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Improvement
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant, Health System Improvement
Calgary, AB Jenny has lived in Calgary since she moved to Canada over twenty years ago. As the primary caregiver to her ageing parents, who have some complex healthcare issues, Jenny understands very well the challenges Albertans are facing navigating the healthcare system. Being a first-generation immigrant whose native language is not English, and through her experience of getting medical help and supporting family members and friends with their healthcare needs, Jenny has also gained insights into the language and cultural barriers many immigrants experience trying to access healthcare services. Jenny is inspired by Health Quality Alberta's mission of patient safety, person-centred care, and health service quality on a province-wide basis. She appreciates the opportunity to join the PFAC team and to inform and support Health Quality Alberta's work. Professionally, Jenny has comprehensive experience in information technology, data management, and data engineering. She currently works as the Director of Data Engineering at the Canada Energy Regulator. She has a strong interest in seeing how patient health care information can move seamlessly between providers and the patients themselves, with the goal to put the focus on the patient/family and remove barriers to continuity of care.
Job Titles:
- Director, Financial Services With
- Lead, Health System Analytics
Jessica is Director, Financial Services with Health Quality Alberta, and has accountability for all financial systems and controls within the organization. She is a Chartered Accountant with more than 10 years of work experience in a variety of industries. Prior to joining Health Quality Alberta, Jessica spent seven years with an oil and gas service company working in a variety of financial roles and for a number of different projects. Her career also includes time with Ernst & Young providing assurance and advisory services to both public and private sector enterprises.
Job Titles:
- Senior Analyst, Health System Analytics
Job Titles:
- Senior Data Manager & Lead
Job Titles:
- Specialist, Human Factors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Medicine Strategic Clinical Network
Karen believes that all individuals and families using the healthcare system need to have their voices heard in all aspects of their care. As a patient advisor, Karen shares her lived experiences with chronic pain, depression, and M-GUS with the hope that a seed is planted and will grow into effective changes being made in the delivery of patient-centered care.
Karen joined Health Quality Alberta's Patient and Family Advisory Committee in November 2023. She graduated in 2022 from the University of Calgary's Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) program and is now involved in several research projects as a Patient Researcher. She is also working with AHS on several initiatives, including the Home to Hospital to Home Transitions Guidelines as part of the Patient Resources Team within the Primary Health Care Strategic Clinical Network. (SCN).
Karen is also a member of the Medicine Strategic Clinical Network, the Mental Health Strategic Clinical Network, the Patient Engagement Reference Group (PERG), the Virtual Patient Engagement Network (VPEN), and the Alberta Health Services Patient and Family Council.
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Analytics
Calgary, AB I am a person who has lived experience with mental health and addictions. I found the obstacles these experiences created to be extremely difficult to overcome in my youth. I was always heavily involved with the social work system, mental healthcare system, addictions system, and foster care system. I now use these experiences as a source of strength and perspective in my role as a Youth Peer Support worker. Authentically connecting with people and reducing stigma is my passion. I love bringing humor, fun, and creativity to my work in councils, research, consulting, knowledge translation, and beyond! I am proud to be a part of communities working so hard to reduce these obstacles for other young people who are going through what I once did. There is still a lot of work to be done. I believe caring authentically for people and their health will change healthcare outcomes in a beautiful way!
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Analytics
Job Titles:
- Lead Visual Analyst, Health System Analytics
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor, Engagement
Job Titles:
- Senior Analyst, Health System Analytics
Larissa originates from Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement in northern Alberta. She recently obtained a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and graduated from MacEwan University. She is currently working within her community as a recreation and youth activities facilitator. With a love for her community, Larissa also has four years of guiding, interpreting, and outdoor education experience within the Indigenous tourism industry. She enjoys the forests and lakelands via hiking and kayaking and has a special interest in traditional Indigenous plant relationships.
A long-time student of both science and history, Larissa has always had a curiosity about natural ancestral knowledge and kinship to the land. She shares her passion by connecting with others through land-based learning and storytelling.
Larissa joined the Patient and Family Advisory Committee in November 2023. Her experience with healthcare includes assisting her mother in navigating the healthcare system to seek treatment for her trigeminal neuralgia. Larissa strongly believes in giving the patient a voice in their course of treatment and thinks that by considering a diverse number of experiences and testimonies, the healthcare system can work towards more effective and informed policy and procedure.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Health System Analytics
As Executive Director, Health System Analytics, Markus oversees Health Quality Alberta's measurement and analytical functions, as well as many of the monitoring and reporting functions such as population-level surveys and health system performance reporting. This involves survey and administrative data analytics, and survey development, methodology, and reporting. Markus plays a key role in Health Quality Alberta's use of objective information to drive actionable improvement that enhances quality healthcare.
Markus joined the Health Quality Alberta in 2009 following a career with Statistics Canada's Research Data Centre at the University of Calgary where he was responsible for managing and coordinating daily operations, and conducting population research. He collaborated with other multidisciplinary teams from across Canada to identify and implement strategic and systematic changes to the program.
Markus holds a PhD in sociology with a specialization in health research from the University of Calgary and a Master of Arts from Lakehead University. He has training in both quantitative and qualitative methods.
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Improvement
Over the years, Medgine has been diagnosed with Lupus (SLE), CIDP, Polymyositis and Raynaud's, all of which has fueled her desire to merge her storytelling into patient advocacy especially those living with chronic illnesses. Medgine is currently an Improvement Facilitator, working in Primary Care and constantly brings her patient-lens when supporting family physicians and clinics. Medgine is passionate about providing tools and resources to equip discouraged dreamers living with chronic health conditions, so that they can live their most fulfilling lives. She is currently working on her first collection of poetry.
As Executive Director, Health System Improvement, Mollie oversees a team focused on improving the quality of Alberta's health system. This involves developing and implementing new initiatives using innovative approaches to enhance health system quality and patient safety.
Job Titles:
- Senior Analyst, Health System Analytics
Rashmi Joshee is a retired federal civil servant whose career was largely focussed in public health and working with vulnerable communities. In her volunteer life she has served on local school councils, immigrant aid agencies, social service organization and today serves on the board of the Indo-Canadian Women's Association and the Education Sub-Committee of the Edmonton Community Foundation. For her work in the community she received the Queen's Jubilee Award on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary in 2012.Rashmi came to Canada with her parents and siblings and first settled in Spirit River where her father was a school teacher. Later they all moved to Edmonton where she has done most of her schooling, including attending the University of Alberta, where she graduated with a degree in Foods and Nutrition.As a retiree as well as volunteering she enjoys time with her husband travelling, on the golf course and in her kitchen. Rashmi has three adult children who live and work in Edmonton.
Rick Lundy was appointed to Health Quality Alberta's Board of Directors in June 2024. Rick has served on 21 different boards and has been president of eight of them. Most recently, Rick was the president of the board for Mothers Against Drunk Driving Calgary (MADD) where he served for three years.
He is the founder of Minds Over Matter Mental Health Society and Open Arms Patient Advocacy Society. Open Arms was formulated in 2007 due to an adverse medical event that almost cost his wife her life. The Open Arms organization investigates adverse medical events, offers support to patients and their families, assists patients when navigating through the medical system and works with Government and Alberta Health Services to facilitate systemic changes in healthcare. The Minds Over Matter Mental Health Society was formulated in 2015 and works with seniors, children/youth, cultural groups, and businesses/organizations to ensure the best possible mental health through prevention, education, and community.
Rick has been employed in the sports/recreation industry in the capacity of general manager/executive director for the last 30 years. He also consults for non-profit organizations on various topics including governance, board policies, board bylaws, and mentorship programs for leadership.
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Analytics
Sturgeon County, AB Grounded in a strong belief in universal healthcare, Ross is a strong believer in accessible and affordable healthcare for everyone. He believes that timely access to care and preventative services can help control the spread of diseases, reduce complications from chronic conditions, and improve overall public health. Ross has lived through the remarkable advancements in diabetes management since his Type 1 diagnosis over 40 years ago, gaining deep personal insight into the impact of service providers, medications, lifestyle adjustments, and technological innovations. His background as an Occupational Therapist offers a valuable service provider's perspective on the healthcare system, further enriched by his current role within a large urban school board, where he leads teams of professionals that support students with complex educational and medical needs. Ross's personal journey also includes navigating the complexities of long-term care as a caregiver for a parent. This multifaceted experience fuels his commitment as a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Committee, where he believes in the value of providing recommendations for enhancement as a catalyst for continuous improvement, highlighting specific areas for change and enhancing performance. He believes that constructive criticism, when delivered appropriately, offers significant benefits for system improvement, fostering learning, growth, and collaboration.
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Improvement
Job Titles:
- Payroll & Benefits Administrator
Job Titles:
- Lead, Health System Analytics
Job Titles:
- Senior Lead, Health System Analytics
Fort McMurray, AB Todd is a paramedic by trade and currently working in the oilsands under emergency and security management. As a lifelong resident of Fort McMurray, he has a deep knowledge of the pros and cons of healthcare programs in a remote northern community, as well as what's required to be successful within the region itself. A former Chair of the AHS Wood Buffalo Health Advisory Council, Todd has been deeply involved in the communication and improvement of our healthcare system. With his experience as a patient after having gastric bypass surgery through AHS, participation in the adult Weight Management program and mental health system navigation stemming from the 2016 wildfire, Todd is a valuable resource for patient-driven care. Todd believes healthcare is one of the most prominent issues facing Albertans today, and that to solve its issues requires a communal effort from a diverse group of individuals, which is why he is passionate about being part of the solution as a member of Health Quality Alberta's Patient and Family Advisory Committee.
Job Titles:
- Analyst, Health System Analytics