Speakers

In 2018, she was first runner up in The Great Canadian Healthcare Debate, at the National Health Leaders Conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Jan served two consecutive Ministerial Appointments on the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Board of Directors, where she also Chaired the Board’s Quality and Safety Committee. Jan just completed her term as the Chair of the Manitoba Chapter of the Canadian College of Health Leaders Board. Outside of work, Jan enjoys spending time with her two teens and their Australian Shepherd, Ace. Jan is also a classical soprano in Winnipeg’s premiere professional choir, The Winnipeg Singers.

She is a Registered Nurse and has held senior leadership positions in several academic health science centres and boards. She is cross-appointed to a number of universities and has received an honorary degree from Loyalist College. Dr. Velji is a sought-after consultant for system level projects and has led external reviews of several organizations. She is a surveyor with Health Standards Organization (HSO), Accreditation Canada.

As the former Deputy Minister of Health for Alberta, Mr. Tremblay played a pivotal role in advancing the province’s health system transformation. He led the development and implementation of health priorities and mandates, oversaw multi-billion-dollar budgets, and guided Alberta through key healthcare reforms. His extensive cross-sectoral experience provides a unique, integrated perspective on public service delivery, health system governance, and organizational change in Alberta.

Mr. Tremblay holds a Master’s degree in Economic Geography and the Professional Economic Developer (Ec.D.) designation. He has also completed advanced executive leadership programs through Cornell University, Queen’s School of Business, the Ivey Business School at Western University, and the University of Alberta. In addition, he has also earned the ICD.D designation through the Institute of Corporate Directors.

He joined McKesson Canada in 2005 following the acquisition of Phase 4 Health, a specialty and manufacturer-facing services company. That acquisition led to the creation of McKesson Specialty Health, reflecting Dimitris’s early legacy of helping to pioneer new pathways and systems in specialty care, work that has since evolved into one of Canada’s leading specialty health platforms serving manufacturers, pharmacies, and healthcare partners.

In today’s rapidly transforming healthcare landscape, shaped by technological advancement, evolving patient needs, and increasing system complexity, Dimitris is focused on positioning McKesson Canada to deliver better outcomes for patients by advancing solutions at scale and at the pace of what’s possible. His work has focused on building scalable platforms that connect the pharmaceutical supply chain, support new models of care, and translate operational scale into meaningful outcomes for patients and providers.

Over the past two decades, Dimitris has held executive leadership roles across every major business within McKesson Canada’s portfolio. He has driven transformational growth across the organization, including as part of the leadership team spearheading the modernization of pharmaceutical distribution to support the next era of care.

Dimitris holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Toronto. He is actively engaged in advancing the pharmacy profession and healthcare leadership in Canada, serving on the boards of the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada and the Canadian Pharmacists Association, where he also chairs the National Pharmacy Business Council. He has previously served in board leadership roles with the Canadian Association for Pharmacy Distribution Management, including as Chair, and has supported academic pharmacy programs at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia.

For more than 120 years, McKesson Canada has supported Canadian healthcare. Today, the company delivers approximately one-third of Canada’s medications and is a trusted partner in supporting a thriving, community-based model of care.

Prior to her current role, Melissa served as President of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, where she led a dynamic multi-site academic teaching hospital. Her leadership there was marked by innovation and a strong focus on academic collaboration with McMaster University.

Melissa’s career spans decades in the public sector, including her tenure as Assistant Deputy Minister of Acute and Emergency Health Services at the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Her work has consistently focused on improving system-wide coordination and ensuring that individuals receive the support they need across all parts of the healthcare continuum.

Melissa currently serves as a Board member and is the past Board Chair of the Ontario Hospital Association. She is also the past Board Chair of Shared Services West and serves on the Ontario Health Paediatric Partnership Table, the Ontario Health – Health System
Advisory Committee, and the Halton Region System Leadership Advisory.

Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Master’s Degree in Planning from Queen’s University. She has pursued executive education at Harvard Business School, Ivey Business School, the Rotman School of Management, and the Proximity Institute, reflecting her ongoing commitment to leadership excellence.

As the CHRO for SE Health, one of Canada’s largest not-for-profit social enterprises, Matt has the privilege of providing leadership that supports and enables 8000+ dedicated care practitioners across Canada, to provide the best care, impact lives, and bring hope and happiness to millions of people through more than 25,000 daily interactions.

His public sector experience includes three positions with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, including as Director, Planning and Support, for the Central South Region. While in the private sector, Frank served as VP, External Affairs (Canada) with Agfa HealthCare – a global leader in medical imaging and healthcare IT software.

At KDH, Frank leads with vision, strategy, and focus, enabling and thrives on empowering KDH’s high performing teams. He has an unwavering commitment to building strong collaborative partnerships in the community and region and places a high premium on people and culture.

Frank is very active at local, regional and provincial tables. Provincially, he has served as Co-Chair of the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA)’s Small, Rural & Northern Hospital Network and as a member of the OHA’s ED Strategy Advisory Group bringing advice and guidance to Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health.

Frank has a master’s degree in Health Services Administration from Dalhousie University, a master’s degree in Communication Management from McMaster University in partnership with Syracuse University, and in 2017 he was awarded The Certificate in Management Excellence from the Harvard Business School. Most recently he has been granted the Certified Health Executive (CHE) designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders.

Previously, as President of Azimuth Health Group, Dr. Zelmer was a strategic advisor to leaders who sought to advance health and healthcare at local, national, and international levels. Before that, she held senior leadership positions with Canada Health Infoway, the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Dr. Zelmer received her PhD and MA in economics from McMaster University and her B.Sc. in health information science from the University of Victoria.

She has oversight of the organizational emergency management plan and is actively engaged with the City of Mississauga and Peel Regional Police to advance regional emergency and disaster preparedness.

Komal has successfully led multiple accreditation cycles achieving Exemplary Standing and has driven measurable improvements in patient safety culture, including a 24% increase over a six-year period. She is recognized for her ability to translate strategy into system-wide impact and for building organizational capacity through initiatives such as the Quality Improvement Academy.

She brings prior governance experience as a Board Director with the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences, where she contributed to strategic planning, financial oversight, and stakeholder engagement.

Komal holds a Master of Science in Healthcare Quality from Queen’s University and a Master of Health Management from McMaster University. Clinical she is a trained Medical Radiation Technologist specializing in Nuclear Medicine from The Michener Institute. She is passionate about advancing health equity, strengthening governance, and improving outcomes for patients and communities.

She is passionate about advancing healthcare emergency management in Ontario and Canada through policy development, evidence-informed practice, mentorship, and advocacy. Moira holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Disaster and Emergency Management from York University.

Jayme holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from McMaster University and a Master’s of Disaster & Emergency Management from York University.

He previously served as Chief of Emergency Medicine at Cambridge Memorial Hospital, where he led a major departmental renewal focused on physician recruitment, performance improvement, and new models of care. He also serves as Medical Director of Downsview Long-Term Care Centre and has experience in virtual care and healthcare analytics. His work focuses on building practical, collaborative systems and the balance between quality and efficiency in patient care models.

She has led the development and implementation of an ambitious strategic plan to redefine health, placing mental health at the centre of healthcare and including social determinants as key forces in the health and wellbeing of Canadians. As co-chair of Fair and Just CAMH, Lori has engaged widely to develop an equity and inclusion plan, creating measurable actions to support patients, staff and the broader system of care. 

Lori’s advocacy for change began prior to joining CAMH, where she served as a senior advisor to Cabinet Ministers at the federal and provincial levels. It was here that she led policy and program development across a number of areas including intergovernmental relations, children and youth, skills and labour, and finance. 

Passionate about giving back to community, Lori volunteers on a number of boards in the areas of health, research and international development.

Lori graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and has completed Executive Education at Harvard University and the Directors Education Program at the Rotman School of Management.

Across these organizations, she championed initiatives that expanded service access, strengthened clinical pathways, and elevated the role of mental health within broader health systems.

At The Royal, Cara leads the organization’s SPARQ strategic plan—focusing on sustainability, access, research, and quality—while steering transformative initiatives, including implementing a regionally integrated digital health record and opening an Urgent Care Clinic to better meet community needs. Her leadership reflects an understanding that high-quality mental health care requires both innovation and strong partnerships across the continuum of care.

Cara also brings a rich academic foundation and early-career research experience, having worked at McGill University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She holds a Master of Science in Health Services Administration (MHA) from the University of St. Francis in Chicago, a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Tulane University in New Orleans, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology from McGill University.

Motivated by personal experience, Cara is deeply committed to transforming mental health systems and strengthening community partnerships that support holistic, recovery-oriented care. Her career reflects a steadfast belief that meaningful mental health reform must be grounded in compassion, evidence, and the lived realities of the people and families it serves.

Known for translating complex health, research, and system-level change into clear, compelling narratives, Andrea has played a central role in major organizational transformations, including rebrands, capital campaigns, and the integration of communications across clinical, research, and foundation partners. Her work consistently advances trust, alignment, and impact among patients, families, donors, staff, media, and community stakeholders.

An Accredited in Public Relations (APR) professional, Andrea brings a pragmatic, mission-driven approach to leadership, with deep expertise in healthcare marketing, philanthropy, and enterprise communications.

Dr. Shaikh has led work across the entire AI lifecycle rather than one slice of it: product development, clinical deployment, clinician training and change management, safety and consent standards, and measurement of real-world impact. At Heidi he leads clinical work across Canada, setting the safety and consent bar for how an AI care partner earns its place in a clinical day and working with hospital, primary care and long-term care partners on how these tools are best used in each of those settings, how they are adopted safely, and what their true clinical impact is on clinicians, patients and the health system as a whole.

Under Tini’s leadership and direction across these diverse areas, Ontario Health atHome advances a culture of high-quality, patient-centred care to continuously advance and strengthen patient experience and outcomes within a responsive, sustainable, integrated health care system.

Tini is a transformative and strategic health system leader with over 20 years of progressively senior roles in the home and community sector. Her wealth of experience encompasses an in-depth understanding of health care systems, government structures, processes and policy with a particular focus on home care strategies and quality improvement. Passionate about fostering innovative models of care, Tini is driven by the goal of achieving the best possible patient experience and outcomes. Through her role as co-chair of the Equity Inclusion Diversity Anti-Racism Table, Tini leads the organization in its commitment to equity, inclusion, diversity and anti-racism. Tini previously served as Vice President, Patient Services for Central and Toronto Central and in addition to her current role, continues to contribute significantly in her capacity as the provincial long-term care placement lead and Central Region Patient Services Lead. Her multifaceted experience positions her as a key driver in advancing our organization’s commitment to delivering exceptional care – wherever you call home.

Tini is a Registered Nurse and holds a Master of Science Nursing (MScN) degree. Tini has also focused on leadership education as a graduate of the Advanced Health Leadership program at the Rotman School of Management and holds a Masters Certificate in Healthcare Management from Schulich School of Business.

Mr. Pollard is Chief Executive Officer of Assisted Living Alberta, which has a mandate to deliver, coordinate and oversee continuing care health service in Alberta. He leads a team of over 15,000 in this pursuit. Most recently, Mr. Pollard served as Health System Executive, Clinical at Lakeridge Health in the Greater Toronto Area, where he oversaw post-acute care, regional nephrology, community services, and long-term care. His leadership contributed to significant system improvements, including reducing Alternate Level of Care (ALC) pressures, transitioning services from hospital to community settings, and stabilizing long term care operations. Previously, Mr. Pollard served as Assistant Deputy Minister, Long Term Care Capital Development Division at the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care. In that role, he led the largest long term care development program in recent provincial history, resulting in the opening of thousands of new beds across the province. He started his career at the ICF, Inc. in Washington, DC. consulting for the United States government on energy and environmental matters.

Brian holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, a Masters in Engineering Management from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., a B.Sc. Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York and is a Certified Health Executive (CHE).