Speakers

Maria has dedicated her career to transforming research into clinical action and systems improvement while promoting a patient-centred approach in rehabilitation and healthcare. Her portfolio includes cross cutting priority areas such as patient partnerships, health policy, innovation and rapid response programming, Indigenous and northern health, and digital health and care.

A physiotherapist and epidemiologist by background, and NHS Quality and Safety Fellow, Maria brings a passion for healthcare improvement, and a patient-first perspective, that has evolved from her diverse roles within the health system as a community health centre board member, clinician, program manager and researcher. She was previously CFHI’s Vice-President, Programs. In this capacity, Maria played a key role in CFHI’s evolution, including strategic planning, partnership development and the creation and implementation of new programs.

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.

Bio coming soon…

Currently, he also serves as Vice-President of Quality at Ontario Health.  A pioneer in digital health integration, he led the creation of Ontario’s guidance for virtual primary care and the Evidence2Practice program in primary and acute care. His work focuses on leveraging data-driven insights to enhance patient safety, clinical outcomes, and the sustainability of health care across Canada.

Before joining HSO and AC, Frédéric led the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, where he introduced a population-based care model for 450,000 residents, integrating acute, primary, mental health, and community services. As CEO of the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), he positioned the hospital among the world’s best through precision medicine, digital modernization and strategic patient experience improvements. At Santé Québec, as Executive Vice President, Operations and Transformation, he coordinated a $37 billion provincial health and social services network serving nine million people.

Frédéric is known for his results-oriented, collaborative, and empowering leadership, consistently advancing governance, quality of care, and large-scale transformation. He is passionate about improving patient experience and population health through system redesign and people-centred care.

An Adjunct Clinical Professor at Université de Montréal School of Public Health, Frédéric has also served on boards such as Medteq+, Montreal InVivo, and the Nantes University Strategic Council in France. Bilingual in English and French, he is an active member of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) and holds a Ph.D. in public health, a master’s in health administration, and a bachelor’s in occupational therapy.

 John has significant expertise in strategy, sales, marketing, licensing, acquisitions, and product launches as a senior executive at Canadian health services providers and medical device companies. His strategic guidance extends from academia to major pharmaceutical firms, augmented by extensive diagnostic-imaging experience in the device sector. John’s academic foundation is neuroscience, with an MSc and PhD in Applied Animal Biology from the University of British Columbia, where he had extensive hands-on laboratory research experience, reinforcing his ability to drive innovation and excellence from benchtop to the health care market.

Bio coming soon…

Bio coming soon…

Bio coming soon…

Bio coming soon…

She is currently one of the co-leads of the Mackenzie Health Seniors Strategy and co-chair of the Corporate Falls Quality Aim Committee, over the past three years,  she has also led Mackenzie Health’s NICHE partnership and the implementation of the corporate Seniors Strategy, advancing organization-wide initiatives aimed at improving the quality and experience of care for older adults. 

As a longstanding leader with a passion in advancing excellence in seniors care by supporting older adults and their caregivers through compassionate, dignified, and person-centred approaches, Teresa would be honored to present this work on delirium prevention and management.

She provides leadership and supports teams at Lakeridge Health in the areas of Peoples Services, Organizational Learning and Leadership, Inclusion Diversity Equity, Accessibility and AntiRacism, Patient and Team Member Safety, Wellness, Volunteer Services, Spiritual Care Quality, Strategy, Risk, Patient Experience and Interprofessional Practice.

Prior to joining Lakeridge Health, Petrina served as the Executive Director of Quality and Safety for the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Vice President- People, Practice & Quality & Chief Nurse Executive at Saskatoon Health Region.

Petrina has worked with the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in Boston supporting the design and delivery of the inaugural Chief Quality Officer Program and Served on the Board of Health Excellence Canada and the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation.

She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan, her Master of Nursing at the University of Toronto, and her PhD in Human and Organizational Systems from the Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California.

A Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean Healthcare Black Belt, Christopher has worked across public health, acute care, mental health, long-term care, and service industries, helping organizations build sustainable improvement cultures through practical application of Lean principles. His career includes leadership roles at Lakeridge Health, Scarborough Health Network, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, and Lear Corporation, where he developed expertise in operational excellence, process redesign, performance management, and coaching leaders at every level of an organization.

Christopher is also a certified Prosci Change Management practitioner and has mentored more than 250 Lean Black Belt candidates and 2,500 Green Belt students globally through his work with the Leading Edge Group over the last 14 years. He is passionate about developing people, strengthening leadership capability, and helping teams navigate change through structured daily management practices.

Previous presentations and co-author at Health Quality Ontario and Institute for Healthcare Improvement conferences, Christopher brings practical insights and real-world experience in designing and sustaining Daily Management Systems that engage frontline teams, support leaders, and drive measurable results across healthcare organizations.

Prior to joining Lakeridge Health in 2018, Annette worked at the Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada where she was instrumental in the development of a patient safety culture bundle for senior leaders and a governance tool about questions healthcare boards should ask about risk. Prior to that Annette worked at North York General Hospital and Halton Healthcare where she held roles in quality, patient safety, risk management and patient experience.

Annette holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Health Administration. Annette has completed the Canadian Patient Safety Officer course, is a Certified Health Executive, and has her Green Belt. Annette is a Leading Practices Reviewer for the Health Standards Organization. Annette has completed the LEADS Leadership Foundations program through the Canadian College of Health Leaders. Annette is also a Community Representative on the Priorities & Performance Committee of Grandview Kids.

He has published over 80 peer-reviewed publications and presented his academic work a few hundred times in various forms around the country and internationally. With training at McGill (MD CM), University of Toronto (FRCPC), Harvard (MPH) and the Rotman School of Management (MBA), his work primarily focuses on ensuring that the operational and clinical aspects of healthcare align to enable providers to deliver value for patients.

Bio coming soon…

With a career spanning cybersecurity, network and infrastructure operations, and enterprise IT leadership, Skerdi has held key roles across healthcare and provincial organizations, leading security-focused teams and overseeing complex environments. He champions Zero-Trust principles, robust cyber governance, and business continuity in high-acuity clinical settings, ensuring rapid and effective responses to evolving threat landscapes while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and compliance.

A recognized leader in healthcare cybersecurity and digital transformation, Skerdi is committed to advancing innovation that enhances patient care while strengthening cyber resilience. Through close collaboration with clinical, enabling, and executive teams, he drives the adoption of secure digital solutions that empower clinicians, improve operational performance, and position Trillium Health Partners as a leader in safe, technology-enabled healthcare.

Her experience spans a wide range of clinical domains, where her work has consistently focused on advancing health service transformation and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. A Registered Nurse by training, Tiffany brings broad clinical experience to her leadership, spanning various care settings and patient populations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master’s in Health Studies with a focus on Leadership. She is certified in quality and patient safety and holds additional credentials in change management.

Tiffany is passionate about enabling care excellence and is recognized for her ability to build trust and engagement through thoughtful dialogue and collaborative leadership.

Bio coming soon…

Bio coming soon…

Bio coming soon…