Board of Directors

Elizabeth Beader is the principal consultant for AURA Inc, focused on governance excellence, risk and safety, quality, and accountability.  

Elizabeth has over 30 years of experience as a business leader in healthcare with a demonstrated track record of client focused care, employee engagement and goal achievement. She has served as a CEO at Compass CHC and  “Turnaround CEO”  at Kitchener Downtown CHC.  

Her experience within the industry has included successful Capital Plan Development of a $21million dollar LEED project, Enterprise Risk Management shared across Community Health Centres within Ontario, Co Design of Workflow, Employee Transition, and Strategic Planning.  

Elizabeth has served on several Boards including the Alliance for Healthier Communities as a treasurer, Welcome Inn Community Centre as Chair, and New Horizons as Chair. She is an accreditation peer reviewer for the Canadian Centre for Accreditation, and has participated in 8 accreditation reviews.  

Elizabeth was elected to the HIROC Board in 2015 and is currently the Chair of the Board. She has recently been elected to a Subscriber Board, Thrive Group in Hamilton, Ontario.

Elizabeth holds an undergraduate degree from McMaster University, an MBA from Athabasca University, and has various certificates in health management including from Rotman School of Business, Advanced Health Leadership and Bay Area Leadership. Elizabeth holds a Chartered Directors Designation (C.Dir, 2021) from the Directors College of the Degroote School of Business.

Jo-anne Marr is the President and CEO of Oak Valley Health, a large community hospital in the GTA. Prior to this role, Jo-anne was the CEO of the Central Community Care Access Centre. Previously, she held a number of leadership roles at Mackenzie Health including interim CEO, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Throughout her career, she has led a number of high-profile and transformational initiatives focused on patient care redesign and patient experience.

Jo-anne has extensive experience working in the healthcare sector in a number of administrative and nursing leadership positions, as well as healthcare consulting roles. Her experience spans public and private sectors, academic hospitals and community. Jo-anne holds a Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Business Administration and is a Certified Health Executive.

Maureen Adamson was appointed as the sixth president of Fleming College effective August 20, 2018. She has more than 25 years of progressive leadership experience in the postsecondary, healthcare, government and not-for-profit sectors.

Prior to joining Fleming, Maureen was the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Deputy Minister of the Status of Women for the province of Ontario. She served as President and CEO for the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, as CEO for Cystic Fibrosis Canada, and as Vice-President Corporate Services at Mohawk College.

Her volunteer work has included Chair of the Board of Directors of Research Canada, Vice-Chair and Commissioner for the Toronto Transit Commission, Director for the Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre, and Board Chair of the Scarborough Health Network. Maureen is currently the inaugural Chair of the Scarborough Health Research Institute beginning in Spring 2021.

Maureen holds a diploma in Business Administration from Fleming College, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Lakehead University, and an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. She has completed the Director’s Education Program at the Rotman School of Management and the Institute of Corporate Directors, and is a certified Director with the Institute of Corporate Directors of Canada. Maureen is a PhD candidate, currently working on her Doctor of Philosophy, Higher Education.

Bob Andrews served as HIROC Board Chair from 2020 to 2022. Bob carries on a practice in Corporate & Commercial Law, Commercial Real Estate Development and Financing and Management-side Labour Relations with McInnes Cooper from its office in St. John's. He is a member of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Canadian Bar Association, has been appointed a Master and Taxing Officer of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, and has served his profession in many other capacities over his forty years of practice. 

Bob has been very active in healthcare and charitable activities in the community including Chair of the Waterford Hospital, National President of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Finance Chair of the Healthcare Corporation of St. John's and currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Eastern Regional Health Authority based in St. John's. His other community work arises from his involvement in the Rotary Club of St. John's, the Naval Association of Canada and various sports and youth activities. His work in these and other activities has been recognized by the award of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, a Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International and a Bronze Medallion of the Naval Association of Canada.

Bob and his wife, Diana, have four children and, as of the recent count, eight grand-children.

Kenneth (Ken) Baird currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer (interim), with the Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority in St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador. Ken joined Eastern Health in 2016, bringing with him over 40 years of clinical and administrative experience within the Canadian health system, having previously worked within the healthcare systems in Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ken’s current areas of responsibility include Quality, Safety and Risk Management;  Process Improvement;  Medical Imaging;  Pathology and Laboratory medicine;  Pharmacy;  and Paramedicine and Medical Transport. Ken also serves as the executive lead for the Health Sciences Complex site.

Ken holds a Master in Business Administration and a Graduate Diploma in Management from Athabasca University; a Certificate in Health Services Administration from the University of Saskatchewan; and a Diploma of X-ray Technology from College of the North Atlantic. Ken is a certified health executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) and an EXTRA Fellow with the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation.

Tyler Bragg is the current Vice Chair of the Saskatchewan Health Authority and a former President and CEO of Pinnacle Financial Services. He has held various board positions, including Chair of eHealth Saskatchewan, Chair of Cypress Health Region, Vice-Chair of the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations, and member of the Advisory Panel on Health System Restructuring. Tyler has held several executive positions including CFO of Cypress Health Region and Director of Finance of Rolling Hills Health District. Throughout his career, Bragg has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving healthcare in the province of Saskatchewan.

In Sarah Chow’s role she is responsible for Finance, Information Technology, Decision Support, Health Records and Support Services including Supply Chain, Housekeeping, Maintenance, Security, and Food Services. Sarah joined Michael Garron Hospital in 2016. Prior to joining MGH, Sarah was VP Finance & CFO, which encompassed Supply Chain, at St. Michael’s Hospital for 15 years. Previously, Sarah held senior roles at Princess Margaret Hospital/UHN and Ernst & Young. Sarah is a CPA, CA and Chartered Director

Remi Ejiwunmi is a graduate of the inaugural class of the Midwifery Education Program at McMaster University. Since graduation in 1996 she has practiced as a member of Midwives of Mississauga, where she became a Senior Partner in 1999. She has taught as a sessional instructor within the Midwifery Education Program at Ryerson Polytechnic University. She is a member of Professional Staff with admitting privileges at Trillium Health Partners where she acts as head midwife.

She sat on the Board of Directors of the professional association (the Association of Ontario Midwives [AOM]) for more than 10 years including two terms as President which provided her the opportunity to interface with the OMA, RNAO, OHA and MOHLTC.

She currently sits as a member of the AOM's Quality, Insurance and Risk Management Program steering committee and as Trillium Health Partner's representative to the Greater Toronto Area Obstetrical Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Network.

Tina Giesbrecht was appointed General Counsel at Alberta Health Services (AHS) in July 2016. She manages the provision of all legal and privacy services for AHS and in October 2020, responsibility for the Ethics and Compliance Office was added to her portfolio and she became a member of the AHS Executive Leadership Team.  In June 2022 she took on the role of Corporate Secretary for AHS as well. Tina is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and was called to the Bar in Manitoba and in Alberta. She began her career in Winnipeg and relocated to Calgary and later became a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP.

In 2012, she joined AHS as in-house counsel specializing in labour and employment law. Tina has spoken at numerous conferences over the years and taught Employment Law at the University of Manitoba.  She serves as a Director, Provincial Health Authorities of Alberta Liability & Property Insurance Plan (LPIP), Director, Carewest, Director, Local Authorities Pension Plan Corporation (LAPP) and chairs the, Board Governance Committee of LAPP.

Michael Lam is currently Chief Program Officer, Financial Operations at Alberta Health Services (AHS) and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Finance. AHS is Canada’s first and largest province-wide, fully-integrated health system, responsible for delivering health services to the over four million people living in Alberta. 

Michael graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting, and earned his designation as a Chartered Accountant while working at a large public accounting firm in Calgary. Michael joined the Calgary Health Region in 2006, which later become a part of AHS, and has since held various senior roles in Internal Audit & Risk Management, Treasury, and Financial Reporting. Michael is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), and Certified Health Executive (CHE) with the Canadian College of Health Leaders. 

Lori Marshall is President and Chief Executive Officer of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. Lori brings to the organization over 20 years of progressive leadership experience in Ontario’s acute and community care sectors. She has a reputation as a patient-centred strategist with a track record of addressing complex issues through a shared vision and knowledge of the community and region. Lori’s previous experience as a CEO includes the Erie St. Clair Community Care Access Centre and Nipigon District Memorial Hospital. She has served as Vice President at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Oshawa General Hospital. 

Lori is a Registered Pharmacist with the Ontario College of Pharmacists and a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders. She holds a Health Leadership Certificate from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and a Masters in Health Administration from the University of Ottawa. 

Lori has a rich history of community service and has been active on many boards and committees at the provincial and local levels.

Ms. Martel has more than 25 years of expertise and experience in the delivery of services to Canadians from all channels (in-person, telephone, written and online). She has had the opportunity to work in central agencies: Treasury Board Canada and the Privy Council Office, and in departments such as Revenue Canada Agency, Service Canada, Public Works and Government Services, and Library and Archives Canada. Ms. Martel is a leader with experience in collaborating with other levels of government and other countries, in providing strategic and tactical advice, and in creating successful partnerships to deliver high-quality services.

She is a recognized Canadian Executive with a proven track record of leadership and results in business transformation and change management through technology. While she focusses on business results and budget integrity, she has a solid eye to good corporate governance and ethical behaviour. Ms. Martel is an Associate of the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service (ICCS) and she has a master’s degree in Public Administration, from l’École nationale d’administration. She is the Secretary of the Montfort Hospital Board of Directors and the Vice-President the Montfort Foundation.

Mike Nader joined the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority as the President and CEO in spring 2021. Prior to this role, he served as the Chief Transformation Officer at Ontario Health, with responsibility for leading the transition of 20 provincial agencies and local health integration networks into a single provincial agency. He had been on secondment from the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, Ontario where he had served as the Executive Vice-President, Clinical Support and Performance and Chief Operating Officer from 2016-2019.  

Mike also has experience working in British Columbia where he was Chief Operating Officer at Vancouver Coastal Health from 2012 to 2016. With 25 years of experience, Mike has held numerous leadership positions within the Lower Mainland of Vancouver.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia. In 2005, he obtained a Master of Arts in Health Care Leadership and Training from Royal Roads University. Mike has also completed his Executive Lean Leader and Executive Lean Director designation in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

Mike has been a surveyor with Accreditation Canada since 2009 and has participated in surveys across Canada and internationally.  He has served on numerous boards including the Health Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC), Plexxus, the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, the Richmond Hospital Foundation, Renfrew-Collingwood Seniors’ Society, Canadian Hemochromatosis Society, and Canadian Crossroads International.

Dr. David Pichora serves as President & Chief Executive Officer of Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), an academic tertiary care centre serving a population of over 500,000 people from across southeastern Ontario.

In 2017, Hotel Dieu Hospital and Kingston General Hospital came together to form KHSC and Dr. David Pichora was chosen as its inaugural President and CEO. Prior to that, David held the positions of Chief Executive Officer of Hotel Dieu Hospital and Chief of Staff. An orthopedic surgeon, he is also a Professor of Surgery and of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Queen’s University. He also served as Chair of orthopedic surgery at Queen’s University, Hotel Dieu and Kingston General Hospitals.      

KHSC has successfully brought together two of Canada’s oldest continually operating hospitals – a secular and Catholic site – into one corporation. In its first two years of existence, Dr. Pichora led the organization through the creation of a bold strategic plan, successfully achieved full accreditation, and added new programs, innovations and additional funding streams.  

David and research partners have received numerous research grants including Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and matching Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI), and CIHR/NSERC Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP) grants in the field of computer navigated orthopaedic surgery. He was named the Paul B. Helliwell Chair in Orthopaedic Research at Queen’s University in 2015. 

He is a Past President of the Ontario Orthopaedic Association and the International Society for the Study of Computer Assisted Surgery.

Bruce is an accomplished leader in Ontario’s and Canada’ healthcare sector and an advocate for child & youth health, patient safety and quality improvement. He serves as President of McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH) and Vice President of Women’s & Children’s Health at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS).  At MCH he oversees one of the fastest growing and largest children’s hospitals, which is also home to a busy tertiary care women’s health and obstetrics service. Prior to joining HHS he was VP, People, Strategy & Performance at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario where he led strategy development/deployment and several successful patient safety initiatives, including implementation of the hospital’s continuous quality improvement management system. Formerly, Bruce was VP, Corporate Affairs at the Canadian Medical Association and CEO at the Newfoundland & Labrador Medical Association.

Bruce is Chair of the Governing Council of the Provincial Council on Maternal & Child Health, has just completed a two-year term as Chair of the Board of Directors of Children’s Healthcare Canada and currently sits as a board member with the Ontario College of Family Physicians. Bruce also serves as Co-Chair of the Ontario Neonatal Intensive Care Advisory Committee and participates on a number of other provincial and regional committees and councils.  Bruce holds an MBA from Dalhousie University and is a doctoral candidate at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business.

Marc is the Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for the University Health Network (UHN), an academic health sciences centre and Canada’s largest research hospital comprising Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and the Michener Institute of Education. In his role, Marc has accountability for the legal, compliance, privacy, enterprise risk, security, life and fire safety, switchboard, and governance functions of UHN.

Marc has dedicated his career to the legal, risk and business issues affecting healthcare organizations. Prior to joining UHN in 2019, Marc served as the General Counsel to two other academic teaching hospitals – Sinai Health System and, prior to that, Baycrest Health Sciences. Marc began his legal career with the firm McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Toronto where his practice focused on professional negligence claims and complex commercial litigation.

Marc has a Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University, a Master of Science from McGill University (Human Genetics), and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.  Marc has been active on many boards and committees in the charitable and health sectors.