Experience.
Leadership. Clinical. Academic.
I am a senior healthcare sector leader with nearly 30 years of experience and a strong track record of high-performance.
The road to where I am now.
Military leadership qualities are formed in a progressive and sequential series of carefully planned training, educational, and experiential events...military leaders tend to hold high levels of responsibility and authority at low levels of our organizations. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, military leadership is based on a concept of duty, service, and self-sacrifice
- Why the Military Produces Great Leaders, by Tom Kolditz (HBR, 2009)
Even though I have only spent a portion of my career in military service, the quote above very much embodies the philosophy that has guided my career development. I have actively sought out diverse opportunities to challenge myself to grow both professionally and personally to develop the skills and experience required to become a well-rounded leader. Although my path has been neither linear nor traditional, I believe following my passion, working hard and being willing to take risks in accepting challenging roles and moving countries has allowed me to amass a significant amount of experience across several different organizations and health care settings.
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I have served in a diverse range of roles, including health care executive and leadership roles such as Chief Medical Officer, Chief Safety Officer, Director (Founding Board) of Public Health Ontario, as well as Specialist Medical Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. However, in almost all cases, success in these roles has relied heavily upon influential leadership. I have spent the past five years working in, learning from, and leading high-performance pre-hospital critical care teams in the United Kingdom.
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Clinically my specialisms include critical care, infectious diseases, military, aviation, and pre-hospital medicine.
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I have a strong academic medicine background, including research, guideline development, simulation, and teaching critical care medicine, human factors, leadership, psychological resilience, disaster/outbreak management, and emergency preparedness. Notably, in 2018 I was named one of the top 3 most influential authors in disaster medicine. My teaching activities have received recognition at both the local and International society levels and through my appointment to the Critical Care Medicine Examination Board of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada.
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Full details of my roles & experiences are available in my CV. Below I highlight some of my key leadership, clinical and academic experiences. My deliverables from these experiences are detailed on the results page.
Leadership experiences.
Advisor & Project Lead (2004-2008)
Working with the Ministry's Emergency Management Unit, I served as an advisor on the Scientific Advisory Committee and CBRN Reference Group. I sat on the Provincial Pandemic Planning Operations committee executive. I was Project Lead for the Adult Hospital Admission/Treatment/Discharge Criteria and Adult Critical Care Admission/Discharge/Triage Working Groups.
Board Director/Secretary (2005-2008)
Following on from the recommendations of The SARS Commission, served on the Public Health Agency Implementation Task Force to design and develop a Public Health Agency for Ontario to strengthen the response to public health emergencies and subsequently received an Order in Council appointment to serve on the Executive of the founding Board as Secretary.
Chair Acute Resuscitation & Medical Director CCRT (2010-2015)
Reporting to the Medical Advisory Board, I was responsible for ensuring that all adult or post-neonatal (> 1 month old) patients within Mount Sinai & Princes Margaret Hospital receive acute resuscitation and support from the Critical Care Response Team (CCRT) when needed in accordance with best known practice, establishing educational and training standards for the CCRT as well as all hospital staff providing basic and advanced life support, determining and meeting staff educational needs related to resuscitation, develop and revise policies/procedures related to resuscitation practice, make recommendations and ensure standardization of equipment and supplies related to resuscitation, maintain continuing patient safety & quality improvement programs related to resuscitation practice (including prevention), provide expert advice and service where appropriate regarding resuscitation across all departments with the hospitals.
Chief Safety Officer (CSO) & Medical Director CCRT (2015-2016)
Serving as a member of the executive leadership team at the largest multi-site hospital in Ontario, as the CSO, I was tasked with establishing strategic alignment of all safety-sensitive portfolios, including; Quality & Risk Management, Infection Control & Prevention, Antibiotic Stewardship, Medication Administration, Emergency Preparedness and Occupational Health in addition to implementing a Critical Care Response Team (CCRT).
Medical Advisor & Company Director (2016-Present)
I am a member of the Get Ready Board of Directors, and I work with the leadership of Get Ready, providing advice and guidance on the development of our products as well as delivery of services to clients.
Clinical Lead - Safety, Education & Development (2017-2018)
Accountable to the Medical Director and responsible for clinical safety, education, team development, and administration for HEMS consultants and doctors. Included leadership of 5 direct reports (Consultants and Ph.D.) and an overall team of approximately 30 physicians.
Research & Clinical Effectiveness Lead (2018-2021)
Employed by Bart's Health, NHS Trust and appointed to the senior team of LAA to lead on delivering key objectives within LAA's research and quality strategy. This role is intended to help LAA deliver on developing the infrastructure, team, and culture that will bring about a step-change in capability by motivating and inspiring the consultant team, paramedics, nurses, non-consultant grade doctors at LAA to pursue opportunities for research and quality improvement as well as developing collaborations with external organizations.
Clinical Governance Advisor - Honorary Contract (2021-present)
An honorary (volunteer) position to provide strategic advice and mentorship for the HEMS leadership to support the delivery of clinical governance activities in particular related to research, clinical effectiveness and data management.
Provincial Medical Director, Trauma Services BC (2021-present)
Working in a dyad leadership model with the Executive Director, the Provincial Medical Director is jointly responsible for delivering on Trauma Services BC’s long-term vision to create an integrated system of injury care, control and prevention strategies that result in B.C. having the lowest burden of injury in North America.
Chief Medical Officer, BCEHS (2021-2024)
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is the most senior clinical leader in BCEHS and ensures all programs and services are of the highest quality and standard of medical care. The CMO, in a dyad partnership with the Chief Operating Officer, provides leadership to all staff by encouraging an atmosphere which stimulates, guides, and encourages the staff (6,000+) to realize their maximum potential.
Professional Societies & Community Organizations Leadership Roles
I have held numerous leadership roles within both professional societies and community organizations serving on steering committees, executive leadership roles, and on boards.
Senior/Special Advisor Roles
I have been engaged as a special or senior advisor to over a dozen governments and government departments within Canada and internationally to provide operational and policy advice regarding emergency management, pandemic preparedness and critical care services delivery, including pre-hospital care and patient transport.
Clinical experiences.
Paramedic (1989-1995)
I began my professional career in healthcare as a paramedic working in Ontario, Canada. This provided the foundation of my clinical, communication and interpersonal skills I still draw upon to this day.
Locum Consultant - Critical Care Medicine (2003-Present)
Evers since qualifying as a consultant physician, I have provided locum services to rural, remote and under-serviced communities in Ontario. My interest in working in these settings began during a medical school elective in Thunder Bay Ontario as well as aligning with my overall interest in providing care in austere environments (see also my pre-hospital and military experiences). My continued work in these communities is motivated by both the importance I place on health equality as well as the richly rewarding professional and personal experiences I have enjoyed serving these communities over the past 20 years.
Critical Care Medicine/ID/Internal Medicine (2003-Present)*
I began my career as a specialist physician working at Toronto General Hospital, where I had undertaken the bulk of my residency training, as a Clinical Associate in Internal Medicine & HIV. Subsequently, after completing my sub-specialty fellowships, I came on staff as a Consultant in Critical Care Medicine & Infectious Diseases working in the quaternary care academic Intensive Care units at Toronto General & Toronto Western Hospitals where I led multi-disciplinary clinical teams providing general medical-surgical critical care in addition to specialty care in neuro-critical care, complex repiratory failure, ECMO. *I retain my clinical privileges but have not actively practiced here since 2015.
Consultant, Critical Care Medicine Medicine (2007-Present)*
In addition to my leadership roles in resuscitation and with the critical care response team, I led multi-disciplinary clinical teams in the ICU, providing general medical-surgical critical care and specialty care in advanced ventilation for respiratory failure, oncology and obstetrics. *I retain my clinical privileges but have not actively practiced here since 2015.
Specialist Medical Officer (IM/Critical Care) & Flight Surgeon (2009-Present)*
Responsible for leading a team of highly-trained, multi-disciplinary professionals in the provision of medical care whilst promoting health protection and education, providing expert advice to the military leadership regarding CBRN, critical care, aeromedical evacuation, public health and infectious diseases, maximizing skills and capabilities of physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and paramedics by participating in the development/delivery of primary and continuing medical education. *Reserve Officer since 2015.
Consultant, Critical Care Medicine Medicine (2015-2016)
In addition to my leadership roles as CSO and Medical Director of the CCRT, I led multi-disciplinary clinical teams in the ICU at St Catharine's Site providing general medical-surgical critical care.
Pre-hospital Critical Care Medicine (2016-2019)*
In addition to my leadership roles at LAA & EHAAT, as a pre-hospital critical care doctor, I provided a range of advanced interventions and expert medical assessment to patients, focusing on the highest standards of care and minimizing the delay between injury and definitive interventions.
* 2016-2017, 2018- present Barts Health NHS Trust, 2017-2018 Mid Essex Health NHS Trust.
Critical Care Medicine (2021-present)
Consultant Intensivist working in the Intensive Care Units and Critical Care Outreach (MET) within Fraser Health as well as locums in Interior Health.
Academic experiences.
formal appointments
Lecturer, Department of Medicine (2003-2009)
Besides undertaking my own research projects, I participated in teaching undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students within the Faculty of Medicine.
Assistant Professor - Clinician Investigator (2010-2015)*
50% protected time for research with remaining time divided towards clinical duties (30%), undergraduate and postgraduate teaching (10%) and administration (10%).
* Primary appointment to the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, an Adjunct appointment to The Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine (2015-2016)
60% protected time for research with remaining of time divided towards administrative duties as CSO in Niagara (20%) clinical care, (20%) research & teaching
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Senior Clinical Scientist (Honorary) (2019-2021)
The purpose of awarding honorary status is to encourage collaboration on research and clinical audit with ICNARC in the pre-hospital arena.
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Professor (Clinical) (2021-present)
Appointed following an external review by peers and a review of evidence that my research and academic contributions that have had a measurable impact at an international level.​
collaborations & consortia
Member (2006-2017)
The Canadian Critical Care Trials Group (CCCTG) is a highly collegial group that is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement of critical care research in Canada. As a member of the CCCTG I had the opportunity to participate in the first and one of the world's most successful investigator-led research collaboratives where I learned from some of the best in the field and had the opportunity to collaborate on a number of projects. The CCCTG remains my 'home,' and I look forward to rejoining the group when I return to Canada.
Executive Member & Lead Author (2007-present)
As a member of the executive steering committee on the Task Force for Mass Critical Care, I have led this collaboration since its inception in 2007 and was the lead author on the most recent (2014) guidelines. This collaboration involves over 150 leading international experts on critical care, pandemics and disasters.
Member (2011-2018)
InFACT – the International Forum for Acute Care Trialists – is a forum, a platform to promote international collaboration in acute care research. I have participated as a member (via the CCCTG) since the inception of InFACT, and in addition to participating in projects I served on the conference organizing committee.
Member (2011-present)
SARIC’s purpose is to prevent illness and deaths from infectious disease outbreaks. I have served as a special advisor to the executive as well as a working Group 4 Member and Sprint SARI Co-Investigator/Canadian Co-PI/Member of the Global Steering Committee. SPRINT-SARI is an international, multi-centre, prospective, short period incidence observational study of patients in participating hospitals and intensive care units (ICUs) with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). The primary aim of this study is to establish a research response capability for a future epidemic/pandemic through a global SARI observational study and has proved critical in the global response to COVID-19.