MUHC Board of Directors

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC

Dale MacCandlish-Weil has over 35 years of industry experience, including positions at John Labatt, Ault Foods and McKesson Canada, where she has held executive roles for the last 18 years. She brings a blend of business and board experience to tackle the challenges of innovation, organizational evolution, change management, stakeholder engagement and performance.

In May 2018, Ms. MacCandlish-Weil was appointed managing director, Montreal Institute for the Palliative Care (a new branch of the West Island Palliative Care Residence). Prior to that, she served in an advisory capacity at McKesson Canada, after leading various business units since 1999, including the company’s Pharmaceutical Distribution-Eastern Canada, Specialty Pharmaceutical Services, Integrated Healthcare Solutions, Retail Banner Services, and Corporate Strategy and Business Development. Her career path leading healthcare businesses has involved building and executing strategies supporting new care models, financial/operational performance, partnership and stakeholder collaboration, mergers and acquisitions, as well as integration and change management.

Since 1995, Ms. MacCandlish-Weil has had various board assignments, mainly in the not-for-profit sector of health care. She is the past president of the Quebec Chapter of Kids Help Phone and the West Island Palliative Care Residence Foundation and the past vice-president of the West Island Palliative Care Operations Board. Ms. MacCandlish-Weil has also been a director for National Kids Help Phone, l’Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires, as well as a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Strategic Analysis and Innovation of the MUHC and Advisory Council of the Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation.  In addition to her MUHC Board role, she is a board member of  Theratechnologies Inc. 

Ms. MacCandlish-Weil is a certified director with the Institute of Corporate Directors and holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters in Business Administration from McGill University. She is fluent in French and English.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC

James Cherry worked in the Aerospace, Defence and Rail sectors for 40 years, during which his executive positions called upon him to lead strategic and tactical operations, complex multi-year capital expansion and modernization programmes, and the marketing of products throughout the world.

Between 2001 and 2016, Mr. Cherry served as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aéroports de Montréal. Previously, he also served as President of Alstom Transport Canada (1999-2001; Vice-President for N. America), CAE Electronics (1996-1998), Bombardier (1993-1996) and Oerlikon Aerospace (1986-1993), amongst other companies.

He is currently a Director of Logistec Corporation, Cogeco Inc., PSP AviAlliance GmbH, the Canada Infrastructure Bank, and Centraide United Way Canada, as well as Co-chair of the 2017 campaign for Centraide of Greater Montréal. Past Board roles in both public and private not-for-profit sectors and for-profit publicly-traded companies include, amongst others, St. Mary’s Hospital Centre, Concordia University, Conference Board of Canada, World Governing Board of Airports Council International, Montreal Board of Trade, Mitec Telecom, and Talisman Energy.

A Montréal native, James Cherry earned a Bachelor of Commerce and Graduate Diploma in Public Accountancy from McGill University.  He then completed an Advanced Management Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan Business School and an Advanced Management Seminar at the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD).  A Chartered Professional Accountant, he was honoured in 2002 with an Award of Distinction from Concordia University, became a Fellow of the Order of Chartered Professional Accountants of Québec in 2003, and was bestowed a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Governor General of Canada in 2012. He is fluent in English and French.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC

Thomas Pitfield is currently Chief Executive Officer of Data Sciences, a group of experts who work with organizations to produce measurable results by leveraging data. He is also the President and Co-founder of Canada 2020, an independent and progressive think tank.    

Previously, Mr. Pitfield served as Chief Digital Strategist for Canada’s Prime Minister, the Right Hon. Justin Trudeau, first during his campaign for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada and then for his election campaign. Prior to these demanding roles, he served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Hon. Jack Austin. Additionally, he worked in China on behalf of the Canada-China Business Council and as a consultant specializing in corporate governance for IBM Canada. 

A Montrealer with family members who have faced – and succumbed to – chronic and terminal illnesses, Mr. Pitfield has an appreciation of the ethical and emotional issues that patients and their loved ones grapple with during treatment,. His personal experiences have also given him an understanding of the McGill University Health Centre’s challenges, of the importance of encouraging access to the right care at the right time, and of developing learning organizations.

Civic-minded, Mr. Pitfield is Co-founder of the RPM tech workspace, which hosts regular hack-a-thons and meetings of the technology community; a Board Member and volunteer at Selwyn House School and Parkinson’s Society Canada; a Board Member of Pointe-à-Callière Museum and the Westmount-Ville-Marie Liberal Riding Association; a volunteer for the Gainey Foundation and the Montreal Neuro; and a coach of Westmount Boys Soccer (2014-2017).

Thomas Pitfield earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Honours from Queen’s University’s John Smith School of Business and a Master’s degree in Political Philosophy from the London School of Economics. He is fluent in English and French.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC

Michal Kuzmicki is currently Senior Partner of Brookfield Financial in Montréal, which he joined in January 2008. During his 40-year-long career, he has participated in a wide range of real-estate investment transactions on behalf of major Canadian lending, brokerage and investment banking institutions.

Prior to joining Brookfield Financial, Mr. Kuzmicki was Managing Director at CIBC World Markets, which he joined in 2002 after serving eight years with Colliers International and most recently as Senior Vice-President, Investment. Prior to 1994, he worked within the real-estate financial sector with a major Canadian bank, trust company and mortgage insurer.

Mr. Kuzmicki possesses in-depth valuation, marketing and negotiation expertise, which has supported the completion of a wide range of disposition, acquisition, leasing and financing transactions involving both portfolio and single-asset office, commercial, industrial and multi-residential properties. He is always pleased to share his expertise with various organizations, which he has done in the past as a Director of the Urban Development Institute (Québec) and currently as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the McCord Museum.  

Michal Kuzmicki holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from McGill University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola College.  He earned the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and the CRE designation from the Counselors of Real Estate, which reflects his commitment to ethical practice and his track record of successful experience within the Canadian real-estate industry. In addition, he earned the FICB designation from the Institute of Canadian Bankers.  He is fluent in English and French.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC

The career background of Kevin O’Farrell includes experience as an organizational research director, national partner and human capital consulting practice leader, as well as a corporate executive in several international firms. In 2014, he launched a boutique management consultancy, Crekof Inc., specializing in strategy, culture, restructuring, organizational effectiveness and employee engagement.

Mr. O’Farrell was a Research Director at The Conference Board of Canada and the Institut de recherche et d’information sur la rémunération, which was responsible for conducting data-based comparisons of total compensation in Quebec’s public and private sectors. He was a Senior Consultant and Practice Leader at Wyatt and Mercer, two global human-resource (HR) firms serving public- and private-sector clients. He then held positions as director of organizational effectiveness and talent management and later, as Vice-President of Business Effectiveness at Pfizer Canada, with responsibility for strategic planning, business technology, business intelligence, training and development, and marketing services.  At Hewitt Équipement, a Caterpillar dealer serving five provinces, he was Vice-President of People and Organization, with responsibility for leadership development, organizational development, talent management, total rewards, employee communications, health and safety, HR business partnerships, technical training and apprenticeship programmes.

His involvement in the community includes a number of pro-bono strategic planning and organizational reviews with the boards and management of West Island Palliative Care Residence, Community Shares and other non-governmental organizations. Mr. O’Farrell is an ongoing business mentor to McGill’s MBA programme, social entrepreneurship programme (Centre Magnétique, Lac Mégantic) and BDC/Futurpreneur. He also raises funds for various community and health-related organizations as a member of a rock and roll garage band.

Mr. O’Farrell studied Industrial Relations at McGill and Laval universities, and has since completed executive leadership programmes in change management (Queen’s University), innovation (York University) and business strategy (University of North Carolina).  He was born in St-Malachie, Québec and is fluent in English and French.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC

Mary-Anne Carignan has been serving since 2008 as Co-president of Purkinje Inc., a pioneer in the design, development and marketing of solutions supporting clinical decision-making and healthcare information technology.  She is convinced that the patient should be at the core of a progressive healthcare system and that technology facilitates the collaboration needed for optimal health outcomes

Between 2001 and 2007, Ms. Carignan was General Manager at Fusion MD and The Catalyst Group, two organizations focused on health care and technology in the North American marketplace. Prior to that, Ms. Carignan worked for Philip Morris (part of the Kraft and Nabisco family of companies), where she was the first woman named to its international budget department and spent a decade working in Lausanne (Switzerland), Zagreb (Croatia) and Antwerp (Belgium). She also established the Nursefinders operations in New York City, serving hospitals and long-term care facilities.

A founder of the Québec chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada, Ms. Carignan served on its board from 2006 to 2016. In 2010, Ms. Carignan was appointed by the Canadian Minister of International Trade to the SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) Advisory Board.  A socially engaged lecturer promoting the advancement of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), she also serves as a mentor for the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada. 

Mary-Anne Carignan earned her honors MBA from Business School Lausanne. She is fluent in English and French.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC

Samira Sakhia is the President and Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Knight Therapeutics Inc., a leading Canadian specialty pharmaceutical company.

Prior to joining Knight, Ms. Sakhia served from 2001 to 2015 as Chief Financial Officer at Paladin Labs Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company. At Paladin, Ms. Sakhia was responsible for finance, operations, human resources and investor relations.  She was instrumental in executing in-licensing and acquisition transactions of Canadian and international pharmaceutical products and businesses, leading several mergers and acquisitions as well as strategic lending transactions, equity rounds on the TSX and the sale of Paladin to Endo International for over $3 billion. Before Paladin Labs, Ms. Sakhia held various senior finance positions with Discreet Logic, a digital video effects and editing software tools maker acquired by AutoDesk in 1999. 

Ms. Sakhia serves on the board of Montreal’s SPCA, the Board of Governors of McGill University, and the International Advisory Board of McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management.

Ms. Sakhia holds a MBA and Bachelors of Commerce degree from McGill University. She is fluent in English and French.

Vice-Chair

Dr. Sarah Prichard has enjoyed an academic career at McGill University and a career in industry at Baxter, an innovative healthcare enterprise with two global lines of business in hospital products and renal products.

Dr. Prichard joined the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University in 1979 and remained there until 2005, serving as Professor of Medicine and as the Associate Dean of Inter-Hospital Affairs for the Faculty of Medicine from 1993-1998. She also chaired the Clinical Integration Committee for the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in the 1990s. In addition, Dr. Prichard was President of the Canadian Society for Nephrology and the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis.

In 2005, Dr. Prichard was recruited to Baxter as the Global Vice-President for Medical and Scientific Affairs in the renal line of business. During a nine-year term at Baxter, she held a number of senior leadership roles within renal as well as with specialty therapeutic pharmaceutical areas. Responsibilities included global medical affairs, clinical development, health economics, exploratory research, as well as scientific and clinical input for product development.

Between 1991-1997 and 2001-2005, Dr. Prichard served on the Queen’s University Board of Trustees. Previously, she served on the St. Mary’s Hospital Center Board from 1996-2001, including three years as its chair. She was also a member of the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research from 2002-2005. Currently, Dr. Prichard serves on corporate boards, on scientific advisory boards and as a consultant.

Dr. Prichard received her Medical degree from Queen’s University and then completed her training in Internal Medicine and Nephrology at McGill University. She speaks English and French.  

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC
Appointed University-Affiliated Representative by the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services

Suzanne Fortier has served as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University since September 2013. Prior to her appointment as Principal, Professor Fortier was President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) from 2006 to 2013, and held the position of Vice-Principal (Academic) from 2000 to 2005 and Vice-Principal (Research) from 1995 to 2000 at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where she was a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and in the School of Computing. 

A native of St-Timothée, Québec, Professor Fortier graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Science (1972) and a Ph.D in Crystallography (1976). Her research work has focused on the development of mathematical and artificial intelligence methodologies for protein structure determination. She has also made contributions to the development of novel techniques in crystallographic data mining to gain new insights from the large structural databases.

She has received the Clara Benson Award for distinguished contributions to chemistry by a woman (1997), the Entrepreneurship Award from Communications and Information Technology Ontario (1997), the Queen's University Distinguished Service Award (2005), honorary doctorates from Thompson Rivers and Carleton Universities (2006 and 2014, respectively) and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). She is an Officer of France’s National Order of Merit and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Professor Fortier is currently a Member and the Vice-Chair of the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC). She is also a member of the International Jury of France’s Investissements d’Avenir IDEX/I-SITE 2014, the Strategic Committee of Investissements d’Excellence Bordeaux and the Canadian Business-Higher Education Roundtable. She also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Montreal International, Conference Board of Canada, and Universities Canada. Previously, she has served as a member of the federal government's Council of Science and Technology Advisors (CSTA), the Board of Directors of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Steering Committee of the Networks of Centres of Excellence, the Ontario Task Force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress, and the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. Suzanne Fortier is fluent in English and French.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC
Appointed University-Affiliated Representative by the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services

Dr. Laurie Snider is currently Associate Dean and Director of the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy,  Faculty of Medicine, McGill University. As a member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC, she brings a strong interest in the academic mission of the Hospital.

Following her training at McGill University, Dr. Snider spent 20 years in clinical practice as a paediatric occupational therapist, in Vancouver at the Health Centre for Children (now BC Children’s Hospital), the Vancouver Neurological Centre (now the BC Centre for Ability) and in Toronto, at The Hospital for Sick Children. As Director of the Occupational Therapy program at McGill (1995-2001), she brought academic leadership to the School. A chercheur-boursier clinicienne Junior II of the FRQ-S, she became an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in 2001 and in 2007, was promoted to Associate Professor.

Dr. Snider is a Fellow of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, a member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, a member of the Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec and a membre régulier of the Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation du Montréal métropolitain (CRIR). Her teaching interests involve occupational therapy approaches to neonatology, developmental paediatrics, global health, and research methods. Her research interests lie in the areas of childhood disability and early detection and intervention for children at most risk for compromised motor, functional and cognitive outcomes.

Dr. Snider earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from McGill, a Master in Educational Psychology from the University of British Columbia, and a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Toronto. She also completed post-doctoral training in the Neonatal Follow-up Program at the Montreal Children's Hospital.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC
Designated by the Regional Department of General Medicine

Anita Brown-Johnson has a solid understanding of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and Quebec health system due to her professional background; active work on hospital-based committees; and collaborative initiatives with social services, long-term-care centres, regional health authorities (CIUSSSs/CISSSs and former Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Montréal) and Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), including the revamping of the training programs for PABs, reform of Quebec’s primary care towards population-based healthcare services delivery and the transformation of long-term and other post hospital care services in Montreal and surrounding area. In joining the Board of Directors of the MUHC, Dr. Brown-Johnson is pleased to share her vast experience in quality assurance, accreditation, ethics, education and collaborative care for patients with complex care needs throughout the continuum, to help optimize access to "the right care, at the right time, in the right place".

Dr. Brown-Johnson began her career as the sole physician providing medical services to the Cree population of Waskaganish in James Bay from 1990 to 1992. In 1992, she was appointed to the CPDP at the CHSLD de Gaspé, where she provided medical services to elderly patients for eight years and assumed administrative responsibilities, including Chief of Medicine. In 1997, she received the Royal Canadian Legion Fellowship Award, which facilitated focused training at the University of Toronto’s Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in 1998. 

In 1999, Dr. Brown-Johnson was recruited by McGill University, where she holds academic appointments of Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and cross-appointment in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics. Her teaching contributions have included developing the Transition Care Course/Workshop for final-year medical students during their Geriatrics rotation at the MUHC; supervising foreign medical graduates during observerships; supervising Family Medicine residents and third-year Family Medicine fellows; serving as Course Director for the Annual McGill Interdisciplinary Geriatric Seminar, attended by up to 150 interdisciplinary healthcare professionals across the health system, as facilitator for  Clinical Method I sessions and Formation of the Healer and Professional Course, and as OSCE examiner, etc.

In addition, Dr. Brown-Johnson helped develop and enhance clinical services in Transitional and Long-Term Care at the Montreal General (MGH) and Royal Victoria hospitals, in partnership with Transition Care interdisciplinary teams and the Division of Geriatrics. In 2001, she was appointed Medical Director of MUHC Transition Care Services and, in 2002, Director of the Secondary Care Division of the MUHC Department of Family Medicine. In 2008, she was appointed Medical Director of the Office of Post Hospital Care and Community Support at the MUHC. In 2012, Dr. Brown-Johnson and her team implemented an innovative model of care at the MUHC to optimize quality-of-care transitions, cost-effectiveness and patient flow between the MUHC and the community, which exceeded all quality and performance indicators. In collaboration with the MUHC Family Medicine Executive and McGill Family Medicine Residency Training Program Directors, she also helped re-establish the family medicine training program at the MUHC, and works with network partners on program development (ex.: McGill Enhanced Skills Program in Hospital Medicine).

Appointed Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada in 2005, Dr. Brown-Johnson has lectured and published widely. The first graduate of Concordia University’s Science College, she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Honours Biology with Distinction in 1983. She then completed one year of doctorate studies in Molecular Biology and Genetics at McGill University before enrolling in Medicine in 1984 and participating in the Canadian Forces Medical Officer Training Program in 1985. In 1988, she earned her Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degree, completed residency training in Family Medicine at the MGH and obtained Certification from the College of Family Physicians of Canada in 1990. Dr Brown-Johnson is a passionate volunteer, mentoring students and sponsoring two annual academic scholarships. She has chaired or served on numerous committees and/or boards of directors, such as the Montreal Community Cares Foundation, and is fluent in English and French.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC
Designated by the Council of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists

Olivier Court has been the Director of Bariatric Surgery at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) since 2012, and Director of the Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery Fellowship at the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) of the MUHC since 2010. In addition, he has been an Attending Surgeon in Bariatric and General Surgery at the RVH, an Attending Intensivist at the RVH and Montreal General Hospital (MGH), and Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University since 2005. His research efforts focus on outcomes of bariatric surgery, as well as on metabolism and energy expenditure in morbidly obese patients.

Previously, Dr. Court held a number of positions at the MUHC, including those of Site Director for the ICU Fellowship and Surgery Clerkship as well as Director of the Blue Surgery Clinical Teaching Unit at the RVH. Between 2005 and 2012, he also served as Director of Undergraduate Surgical Education at McGill University. 

Immediately before joining the MUHC, Dr. Court was an Attending Surgeon in Critical Care and a Lecturer in Surgery at Inova Fairfax Hospital, an 833-bed, nationally recognized regional medical centre serving the metro area of Washington (DC). Prior to that position, he was as an Attending Surgeon in Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at the University of Manitoba-affiliated Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg, the largest health centre in Manitoba serving the province as well as northwestern Ontario and Nunavut. 

In addition to his clinical activities, Olivier Court serves as Course Director for the Canadian Surgery Forum’s Review in General Surgery and teaches ICU residents and fellows. A published researcher and regular speaker at conferences, Dr. Court’s work has been recognized with awards and fellowships, notably the H. Sigman Award for excellence in undergraduate surgical education (2013), the Tomlinson Fellowship at McGill University (2005-2008), the Molson Brothers Fellowship (2006-2008), the MGH 175^th Anniversary Fellowship (2005), the First Prize from Wyeth-Ayerst General Resident Research Symposium (University of Manitoba, 2000) and the J. W. McConnell Entrance Award for McGill University Medicine (1989). 

Dr. Court also serves on a number of committees and boards, including but not limited to: the Examining Board in General Surgery for the Royal College of Canada; Membership Committee of the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons; McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine Admissions Committee and Executive Committee for General Surgery; the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec’s Parity Committee; the Canadian Association of General Surgeons’ Board of Directors, Bariatric Working Group and Continuing Professional Development Committee (chair); and the Planning Committee of the Canadian Undergraduate Surgical Education Committee. He is also the current elected President of the MUHC Council of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists.  

Dr. Court earned his Medical degree from McGill University in 1995 and then completed his training in general surgery at the University of Manitoba. In 2001, he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and completed subsequent fellowships in critical care (University of Manitoba) and in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery (Inova Health System, Virginia). He is fluent in English and French. 

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC
Designated by the Regional Committee for Pharmaceutical Services 

André Bonnici is currently Pharmacist-in-Chief of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), a position he has held since April 2010. He has been a practicing pharmacist in Québec since 1991 and a clinical pharmacist at the Montreal General Hospital (MGH) since 1992.  During his time at the MUHC, he has worked mainly in the ICU of the MGH while simultaneously occupying various administrative functions (Clinical Coordinator, Coordinator of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, Associate Pharmacist-in-Chief). Over the last 5 years, Mr. Bonnici was also responsible for planning the new state-of-the art pharmacy department at the Glen site, including services across the MUHC’s sites.  The MUHC pharmacy offers services to the Glen site (Montreal Children’s Hospital, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal Chest Institute and Shriners Hospital for Children-Canada), the MGH, the Neuro and the Lachine Hospital.

Mr Bonnici serves as an elected board member of the Québec Order of Pharmacists, sharing his experience and expertise on many professional committees such as those responsible for pharmacy prioritization, deontology, technology, and workforce ratios. He is also a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the Association of Québec Hospital Pharmacists and the Québec government’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Pharmacy Services and Workforce Prioritization. This ministerial committee has the mandate to publish recommendations and orientations with regards to pharmacist professional workforce deployment in hospitals; the recommendations are due out in April 2016.

A regular speaker at conferences, a researcher with numerous publications and a member of the Editorial Board for the bi-annual Hospital Pharmacy in Canada report, Mr. Bonnici is the main author of the chapter on human resources. Mr. Bonnici earned a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the Université de Montréal, followed by a Master of Science (Pharmacy practice; hospital option). Since 2000, he is also cross-appointed with the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Pharmacy. Mr. Bonnici is fluent in English and French.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC
Designated by the Council of Nurses 

Alain Biron has worked in the field of nursing, performance and research for 25 years.  His extensive experience in the health and social services sector led him to hold various nursing positions, notably at the Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, the Hôpital du Haut-Richelieu and the Parc-Extension CLSC.  In 2009, he joined the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) as a senior performance evaluation consultant.  He was subsequently appointed Assistant to Director of Quality, Risk Management and Performance.  Since 2016, he has served as Associate Director of Nursing at the MUHC and Associate Professor at McGill University's Ingram School of Nursing.

Mr. Biron's career has also been marked by his ongoing involvement in research in the areas of healthcare safety and quality improvement.  He has over 30 scientific publications to his credit, and has participated in numerous funded studies as a researcher or co-investigator.  He also participates regularly in local and international events as an invited speaker. His work has been recognized by the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (Philip Hassen Bursary for Patient Safety), amongst others.

Mr. Biron values professional engagement in his community.  As such, he has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (Montreal: 2009-2016 and Quebec City: 2010-2012).  Since 2016, he chairs the Advisory Council on Quality Care and Patient Safety of the Secrétariat international des infirmières et infirmiers de l'espace francophone (SIDIIEF).

Mr. Biron holds a Bachelor of Nursing degree from McGill University, a Master of Nursing degree from the Université de Montréal, and a Doctorate of Nursing, also from McGill.  He also completed training at Harvard University School of Public Health as part of a Fellowship on the use of measurement as a lever for change in health.  He is fluent in English and French.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC
Designated by the Multidisciplinary Council

Patricia Noël began her career as a medical technologist at the Royal Victoria Hospital.  Specializing initially in cytology and pathology, and later in management, Ms. Noël has over 15 years of experience in the health and social services sector to her credit.

Currently an inspector of private cytology laboratories for the Institut national de santé publique du Québec’s, Ms. Noël’s responsibilities include assuring laboratory compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, as well as good laboratory practice standards. She also serves as a clinical instructor for stagiaires of Rosemont College and as a cytologist in the cytopathology laboratory at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). In 2013, she was a member of the Health and Safety Committee, helping the organization prepare for Accreditation Canada’s assessment of pathology. She assumed the same responsibilities as a cytologist and clinical instructor at the Jewish General Hospital.     

Actively involved in her community, Ms. Noël served as the Quebec representative on the Nomination Committee of the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (2012-2017); as internal auditor for the APTS at the MUHC (2014-2018); as vice-chair of the Jeune réseau des diplômés HEC Montréal (2013-2014); as a member of the Board of Directors of Maison de la Famille LeMoyne (2012-2014); as project director on the HEC Tandem Mentoring Committee (2012-2013); and as a member of the Board of Directors of HEC Montréal's Association des étudiants aux programmes de certificat (AEPC) (2011-2012).  Since May 2017, she has been an executive member of the MUHC’s Multidisciplinary Council, including its Communication Committee.

Ms. Noël public service also extends to volunteer activities, including fundraising for a Back to School community program and coordinating volunteer teams (Pharmaprix Weekend to End Women's Cancer for the Segal Cancer Centre at the Jewish General Hospital and the CIBC Run for the Cure for the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation).  She also participated in the Fahra Foundation's AIDS Walk. 

For Mrs. Noël, it is important to offer quality services to patients and to contribute to the Board of Directors of the MUHC in order to improve the care offered and to properly represent the members of the Multidisciplinary Council. She says, "We are ambassadors for the MUHC. We strive for excellence, quality and innovation.”

Ms. Noël holds a Bachelor of Management degree from HEC Montréal, as well as Canadian Medical Laboratory and Diagnostic Cytology certification. A member of the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science, she is fluent in English and French.

Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC
Designated by the Patients’ Committee

Seeta Ramdass has a solid understanding of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill teaching hospitals, as well as the needs of patients and their families, thanks to a career spanning over 25 years in the public relations and communications field, most recently as Director of Public Relations and Communications for St. Mary’s Hospital Center, and patient advocacy roles in the Montreal community.

Ms. Ramdass is currently Co-chair of the MUHC Users’ Committee, a longstanding member of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Forum, a member of the Conseil de la protection des malades and a Board member of the Just for Kids Foundation. She is also a leader of Community Health Montreal, a new patient and clinician initiative that is working with marginalized communities to tailor the delivery of healthcare services to the needs of each community. The initiative is an outgrowth of the patient- and clinician-engagement movement of the North American Primary Care Research Group, which has brought together doctors, researchers, healthcare workers, and patients to empower patients as equal partners in decisions about healthcare delivery.

Throughout her career, Ms. Ramdass has promoted the clinical, teaching and research successes of the hospitals, universities and foundations with which she has worked. She has been instrumental in producing medical reports, news stories and documentaries, including over 100 broadcasts on a variety of health topics, medical features with Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Doctor*ology medical series starring Leslie Nielsen for the Discovery and Learning channels. She also supported documentaries on the 2006 Dawson College shooting in Montreal, managed the media for the Montreal General Hospital’s Trauma Centre and assisted families, patients and authorities at the time of the tragedy.

Ms. Ramdass is known for her dedication to the advancement of equitable health care for patients and families, in particular for encouraging cultural sensitivity with respect to ethnicity, race, religion, language, disability, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic factors. To that end, she has served on task forces for the McGill University Faculty of Medicine as well as for other local and international hospitals and university networks.

An alumna of McGill in the field of Clinical Psychology, Seeta Ramdass has also completed training programs in patient safety. She has been honoured for her work in the community with an Award of Recognition from the City of Montreal and as Spokesperson of the Year by the Indo-Canadian Cultural Association, amongst other awards. She is fluent in English and French, and speaks several other languages. 

Observing Member of the Board of Directors of the MUHC (non-voting)
Designated the Foundations’ Representatives by the Foundations of the MUHC

Bruce Shadeed has an impressive track record as a business and community leader, as well as a philanthropist.

After starting his career in business, Mr. Shadeed joined the Ministry of Foreign Trade at the Government of Portugal, where he was responsible for fostering international business development.  Following that mandate, in the late 1970s, he founded Travelway Group International with several family members and for the past forty years he has been a driving force behind the remarkable growth of the company.  Today, Travelway Group is a global leader in the design, manufacturing, distribution, licencing and sale of luggage, sports bags, as well as travel and business accessories.  

In addition, Mr. Shadeed is a founding partner and the Chairman of Helix Global Solutions, a leader in global reward management programs. He also served in 2002 as Chairman of TGM, a joint venture of the Royal Canadian Mint and Travelway Group specializing in numismatic packaging and distribution.

As a volunteer, Mr. Shadeed has played pivotal roles in support of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), Cedars Home for the Elderly and the Cedars Cancer Centre. While Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cedars Cancer Foundation, he spearheaded key growth initiatives including the launch of the 50th Anniversary $50M Capital Campaign, the development of the Cedars Oncology Supportive Care Centre and the purchase of the Da Vinci Surgical Robot. He also played an instrumental in assuring the Foundation honoured its fundraising commitment for The Best Care for LifeCampaign of the MUHC. As Co-chair of Cedars, he continues to encourage collaboration and community support for excellence and innovations in cancer care and services. 

Bruce Shadeed earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University. He is fluent in English and French.