Vice President, Research, Innovation & Discovery and Chief Nurse Executive Health 
Nova Scotia Health
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy is an internationally recognized expert in population needs-based approaches to health systems strengthening, workforce planning, evaluation, capacity-building and a leading expert in healthcare innovations.

Since 2005, Gail has served as an Expert Advisor on health workforce planning to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and is Director of the Dalhousie University’s PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre on Health Workforce Planning and Research. Dr. Tomblin Murphy’s research involves leading and co-leading multidisciplinary teams with national and international partners. Her work has been widely funded and published, garnering significant interest from governments and stakeholders due to its substantial impact on health policy and practice and citizens worldwide.

As a champion of innovations and innovative partnerships in healthcare, Dr. Tomblin Murphy has been instrumental in the conception and launch and operationalization of the Health Innovation Hub in Nova Scotia. Under her leadership and working with global experts, industry, health system and academic partners, several key innovations such as the Care Coordination Centre, VirtualCareNS, and the Robotics Centre of Excellence have been successfully implemented, expanding access to care across the province.

Currently, Dr. Tomblin Murphy is focused on advancing Innovation Partnerships and leads the development of the AI Centre in Applied Health in Nova Scotia in addition to contributing to global planning and strengthening of workforce and health systems.

Senior Vice President, Health Partnerships & Transformation, Home Health Services
CBI Health
Calgary, Alberta

Feisal Keshavjee is the Senior Vice President, Health Partnerships & Transformation, Home Health Services. He is an accomplished healthcare leader who has worked in all facets of the healthcare system – policy, public, private, corporate, and early stage. He has worked in the healthcare system in Calgary where he was greatly involved in the restructuring and regionalization efforts throughout the nineties. He was also a Principal for Ernst & Young in the Asia Pacific region, carrying out numerous post-merger integration efforts in New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia. 

Feisal has held the position of Director of Business Development for the University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine, General Manager for GE Healthcare, CEO of a large radiology practice in Calgary, and CEO of a health technology start-up.

For the past few years, Feisal has been involved in the health technology sector in Alberta and is a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary on New Venture Finance. Prior to joining CBI Health, he led a boutique consulting practice in the healthcare space and has been involved in a number of engagements involving strategic planning, business growth, due diligence, negotiation, project planning, and operational excellence.

Feisal has just finished a term as Chair of the Canadian College of Health Leaders, the professional association for Canada’s 4,000+ health leaders and industry executives. He currently sits on the Board of an artificial intelligence (AI) company in the imaging space, and is also a Board member of a not-for-profit, long-term care provider. 

President and CEO
Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) de Québec - Université Laval
Québec, Québec

Since January 21, 2019, Martin Beaumont has been the President and CEO of the Québec-Université Laval CHU. From April 2015 to January 2019, he was President and CEO of the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Mauricie et du Centre-du-Québec (integrated university health and social services centre of Mauricie and Central Québec).

In recent years he has held various executive director positions in Sept-Îles, in Basse-Côte-Nord and until just recently, at the Centre de santé et des services sociaux du Nord de Lanaudière (Northern Lanaudière health and social services centre). He holds a Ph.D. in public health from the Faculty of Medicine at Université de Montréal, specializing in health service administration; since 2010, he has been teaching there in the capacity of associate clinical professor. He is a member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders and an affiliated member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

In June 2015, Dr. Beaumont was awarded the title of Fellow by the Canadian College of Health Leaders; this is the highest professional award granted by that organization. Dr. Beaumont also serves as an inspector and visitor for the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQUa) and for Accreditation Canada. He is also a member of the Ordre professionnel des inhalothérapeutes du Québec (professional order of respiratory therapists of Quebec).

Executive Director
Société Santé en français
Ottawa, Ontario

Antoine Désilets, Executive Director of the Société Santé en français since 2021, has worked close to 15 years in French-language health. A trained political scientist, he started his career working for the federal government and the University of Ottawa. In 2018, his passion for public policy led him into active politics at the local level, where he took on the role of campaign manager during the Ottawa municipal elections. He maintains an active commitment to his community, as a member of the board of directors of the Vanier Community Service Centre and the Centre d’appui et de prevention, two organizations that provide services to Ottawa’s Francophone community. He now hopes to bring his experience in advancing equity in healthcare to help advance Healthcare Excellence Canada’s mission.

Past Board Chair
Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety 
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Jeanette Edwards chaired the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety board prior to its merger with Shared Health in June 2021. She remains active with Accreditation Canada and the Health Services organization, and serves on the Board of the Rehabilitation Centre for Children.

Prior to her recent retirement Jeanette was the Strategic Lead for Community Health, Quality and Learning and the Interim Provincial Lead for Indigenous Health with the Shared Health in Manitoba. Jeanette led the provincial quality, patient safety and accreditation project as a part of the provincial health transformation work. This work has formalized a provincial quality and learning framework which will support the implementation of the provincial clinical and preventive services plan. 

Prior to this, Jeanette was Regional Director of Primary Health Care and Chronic Disease with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. In addressing broader primary health care principles Jeanette's portfolio supported public and patient engagement and intersectoral collaboration. Jeanette also led the Specialized Services for Children and Youth (SSCY) initiative. Jeanette also served as Special Advisor to the Deputy Minister on Primary Care providing support for primary care renewal policy development and strategic action planning.

Family Physician, Clinique Maizerets
Full Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Laval
Québec, Québec

A physician and manager by training, Antoine Groulx has held various union, associative, and administrative roles, including that of Assistant Deputy Minister in Québec’s Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. While there, he also worked on integrating local services and democratizing data. As a full professor at Université Laval, he currently combines his work as a family physician and entrepreneur at Clinique Maizerets with his roles as scientific director of the Unité de soutien SSA Québec and researcher at VITAM. An avid proponent of patient partnership, he strives to improve our healthcare system to make it more learning-oriented and sustainable for all.

Anesthesiologist
Alberta, Canada

Named Maclean’s Top Healthcare Innovator of 2023 and the first Indigenous physician on The Medical Post’s 50 Most Powerful Doctors, Dr. Alika Lafontaine made history in 2022 as the first Indigenous and youngest doctor to serve as President of the Canadian Medical Association in its 154-year history.

A mixed Indigenous Anesthesiologist (Métis, Oji-Cree, Pacific Islander), Dr. Lafontaine trained in medicine and anesthesiology at the University of Saskatchewan before relocating to northern Alberta, where he has practiced for most of his clinical career.

For nearly two decades, Dr. Lafontaine has worked at the intersection of health systems, policy, and social justice. From 2013 to 2017, he co-led the Indigenous Health Alliance, one of the most ambitious Indigenous-led health transformation initiatives in Canadian history and in 2019 he founded Safespace Networks, an anonymous reporting and learning platform that addresses racism and harm in healthcare. His work has raised tens of millions of dollars in Provincial and Federal funding, with the Public Policy Forum recognizing his work in 2017 with an award presented by then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

During his tenure as CMA President, the Federal government invested its largest healthcare investment since 2004, advanced landmark reforms in physician credential recognition and laid the groundwork for greater national collaboration on health data and workforce planning. The CMA also adopted adoption a long-term Indigenous health goal as well as apologized for its role in the mistreatment of Indigenous patients in Canada’s healthcare systems, a process Dr. Lafontaine led over two years. He continues to support the CMA’s reconciliation work as its Indigenous Advisor in Residence.

Co-founder, Qualified Health
President IHI Lucian Leape Institute and Faculty Member, Weill Cornell Medical College
Boston, Massachusetts

Kedar Mate, MD, is the co-Founder of Qualified Health and the former President and Chief Executive Officer at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). A member of the faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College, his scholarly work has focused on health care quality, strategies for achieving large-scale change, and approaches to improving health equity and value. Previously he worked at Partners In Health, the World Health Organization, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and served as IHI’s Chief Innovation and Education Officer. He is widely published, serves on multiple health system and healthcare technology Boards, and has received multiple honors including serving as a Soros Fellow, a Fulbright Specialist, and an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in American History and from Harvard Medical School with a medical degree.

Former Health Industry Executive
Past Board Chair, William Osler Health System
Brampton, Ontario

Jane McMullan is an executive with over 35 years experience in senior corporate and consulting roles in the private and public sector. Jane’s corporate career was primarily spent with Baxter Corporation, a global Fortune 500 medical technology company where she was Vice President of the Canadian Renal and Biomedical Divisions and a member of the Global Renal Management Council.

Jane’s public sector experience includes a senior level consultant role in the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.  As a Principal/ Senior Manager at Blackstone Partners and KPMG LLP, she has led numerous consulting projects for community hospitals, academic health science centres, provincial governments and other agencies.

Jane has recently completed her third term serving on the Board of Directors of William Osler Health System, most recently as Board Chair.  Jane is also an active member of her community and has previously served on the boards of the Toronto and Ontario Restaurant and Food Service Associations.

Jane holds a BScA (Honours, Microbiology) from the University of Guelph and an MBA from The University of Western Ontario.

Owner/Director
Mother Earth Whispers
Nanaimo, British Columbia

Tammie Myles is Stz'uminus First Nations and Danish. Bridging the two cultures within her work and life has enhanced opportunities for learning and development in both western society and Aboriginal traditions. She has a Master of Arts in Leadership and Training and 30 years of experience nationally in First Nations communities in the areas of training, organizational and community development. Additionally, Tammie's background includes instructing trauma, abuse and addictions counselling courses.

Currently, she is the Owner/Director of Mother Earth Whispers, an organizational wellness and leadership development company focusing on positive change. She is pursuing a doctorate degree in Relationship Dynamics and Metaphysical Science and has instructed at the University of Toronto in the Master of Social Work – Indigenous Trauma Resiliency Program. Currently, she is a sessional instructor at Royal Roads University and Vancouver Island University. Historically, Tammie's significant management experience with Aboriginal Friendship Centres provided opportunities to implement organizational culture philosophies, wellness and development. Moreover, addressing the intergenerational effects of colonization in residential schools in communities and in the workplaces requires an Indigenous approach. These experiences provided an ability to incorporate Indigenous methods to implementing organizational wellness. Personal awareness and development are the keys for leaders in organizations. As a hobby, she also enjoys project management in real estate/construction.

Patient Partner Health Standards Organization and Accreditation Canada
Past Co-Chair, Saskatchewan Health Authority
Independent Patient Partner

Heather has extensive and ongoing lived experience as a person living with two chronic neurological conditions, has had multiple hospitalizations and ongoing interactions and treatments in the health system. She was part of the historic Patient First Review of Saskatchewan, a landmark document in both Saskatchewan and Canadian history, where they were provincially mandated to shift from a system-centred health system to a patient and family-centred health system. Heather is one of the first patient partners to explore how the patient voice could be authentically incorporated into how healthcare was delivered and experienced.  

Heather is a passionate patient partner with over a decade of experience, serving on numerous committees and working groups at the local, regional, provincial, and national levels. She has been involved in the education of health science students at the University of Saskatchewan and is on the Partnership Program planning team for first year medical students. In 2021, she was recognized for her work with nursing students and was awarded an Honorary Membership Award by the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association.

Currently, Heather serves as a Patient Partner at Health Standards Organization and Accreditation Canada where she supports patient partners across Canada and internally within HSO for People-Centric work. She has also been trained as a patient surveyor with Accreditation Canada. Heather has co-authored a chapter in the book "Bringing leadership to life in health: LEADS in a caring environment" that focuses on leadership and people-centred care.

As part of the former-CFHI's extensive network of patient partners, Heather was an active patient partner on CFHI collaboratives as a coach, and on numerous working groups, including the co-development of CFHI's guiding principles for engagement. Most recently she was an active member of CFHI’s Better Together programming (now HEC’s Essential Together program) and has shared these experiences in a blog post. 

Heather has a strong understanding of the healthcare system. She is honoured to bring her lived experiences as both a patient and patient partner within healthcare, and her insight as a passionate patient partner and a strong contributor to the future vision of Healthcare Excellence Canada.

Director General, Health Care Strategies
Health Canada
Ottawa, Canada

Elizabeth Toller is seasoned policy and public sector leader within the Government of Canada with a passion for health issues. As the Director General of Health Care Strategies at Health Canada, she facilitates pan-Canadian collaboration on shared health priorities, including the Government’s Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians Plan.

Previously, as Executive Director of Digital Health and Primary Care within the Health Care Strategies Directorate, Elizabeth and her team worked with provinces and territories to improve access to family health services and modernize the health system with health data and digital tools. Her team was key in advancing collaboration on connected care through better health data interoperability.

Elizabeth has also led initiatives at Health Canada’s Health Product and Food Branch, driving regulatory changes for food and drugs to support innovation and safety. She has held policy roles in various federal departments, including Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, and the Privy Council Office. Outside of work, she is a mother of two and enjoys exercise and gardening.