President & Board of Directors
Cathy Fooks, President & CEO
The Change Foundation
Cathy Fooks joined The Change Foundation as President and Chief Executive Officer in January 2007, bringing with her proven leadership skills at a national level and more than 20 years experience in health policy research.
Ms. Fooks took on the task of working with the Board of Directors to implement its ambitious strategic plan and transform the Foundation from a granting agency into a respected health policy think tank focused on health integration and patient outcomes.
Prior to her position at the Foundation, Cathy was the first Executive Director of the Health Council of Canada where she was responsible for implementing the Council's mandate of reporting to Canadians about health-care renewal.
Ms. Fooks has also served as the Director of the Health Network with the Canadian Policy Research Networks, and in senior roles with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), the Premier's Council of Health, Well-Being and Social Justice, and the Premier's Council on Economic Renewal. She was a senior policy advisor to two Ministers of Health and has served on a number of government health-care committees.
The author of numerous articles and reports on the Canadian health system, Ms. Fooks holds a masters degree in political science from Queen's University and an undergraduate degree in political science and economics from Trent University. She has also completed an Executive Program in Change Management at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. In 2010, she also completed the Executive Program in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management at the Harvard Business School.
Larry Chambers, PhD
(appointed 2009)
Larry Chambers brings longstanding and recognized research leadership in seniors' health to the Foundation's board. He is President and Chief Scientist of the Élisabeth Bruyère Research Institute, (a partnership of the University of Ottawa and Bruyère Continuing Care). He is also VP Research of the Bruyère Continuing Care. Dr. Chambers is professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, and the School of Nursing, U of O. His research, education and consultation focus on epidemiology and program evaluation issues related to healthy aging, community health, and local-level health policy development. Dr. Chambers' recent research has focused on building cardiovascular health awareness and interprofessional patient-centred collaborative health care.
He is one of the founders of the Ontario Seniors' Health Research Transfer Network which brings together researchers, caregivers and policy makers in long-term and community care. He is a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology and Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, United Kingdom.
Tom Closson, MBA, P. Eng.
(appointed 2008)
Tom Closson was appointed President & CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association in January 2008, bringing with him a wealth of senior leadership experience in Canadian health care. Prior to taking on this position, Tom worked as a health-care management consultant. He has served as President & CEO for University Health Network (UHN), Capital Health Region in Victoria BC, and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. He also has extensive government experience including a stint as Chief Information Officer for the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services. Tom holds an MBA from York University in Toronto and graduated from U of T with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering.
TREASURER
Jim Elliott, CA, BSc
(appointed 2011)
Jim Elliott joined The Change Foundation Board as treasurer in June, 2011 adding vast and valuable financial acumen to the 12-member team. He is a semi-retired senior healthcare administrator and consultant with 24 years of direct experience with Ontario teaching hospitals in senior financial, planning and management positions; the majority of this time as Vice President, Finance and Support Services at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and VP Finance for The Toronto Hospital and Toronto General Hospital. He also spent 10 years as a senior manager with Ernst and Young’s and Deloitte’s Canadian healthcare consulting practices.
Jim’s specialty lies in hospital reengineering and restructuring, strategic alliances, regional planning, financial management, funding reform, benchmarking and operational improvements in administration and support services.
Jim holds a BSc from U of T and is a Chartered Accountant.
Vivek Goel, MD, MHA, Master’s Biostatistics
(appointed 2010)
Vivek Goel, president and chief executive officer of the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (OAHPP), joined The Change Foundation Board June 10, 2010. The arms-length government agency is dedicated to protecting and promoting the health of all Ontarians and reducing inequities in health.
A respected public health physician and health services researcher, Vivek has led a broad range of research activities related to emerging public health issues, particularly in chronic disease prevention and control. He has served on numerous local, provincial and federal committees and the international Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). He is a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at U of T. Prior to joining OAHPP in 2008, Vivek served for five years as vice-president and provost at U of T.
He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and earned his medical degree at McGill University. He also completed postgraduate medical training in community medicine. He holds a master’s degree in health administration from U of T and another in biostatistics from Harvard University.
Vivek also serves on the board of the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the National Statistics Council and is senior scientist emeritus at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).
CHAIR
Sheila Jarvis, BSc.PT., MHSA
(appointed 2007)
Sheila K. Jarvis is President and Chief Executive Officer of Bloorview Kids Rehab - Canada's largest children's rehabilitation centre, academically affiliated with the University of Toronto.
She is the Chair of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network and on the Executive of the Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario. Sheila is past chair of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Hospital Association, and past chair of the Child Health Network of the Greater Toronto Area.
Before joining Bloorview Kids Rehab in 1996, Sheila was vice-president, Programs and Services, at Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta. She has also served in administrative positions at other academic hospitals in Toronto.
Earlier in her career, Sheila sat on the board of directors of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, serving as Chair of the Board, and Treasurer.
Louise Lemieux-Charles, PhD
(appointed 2008)
Louise Lemieux-Charles, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (HPME), University of Toronto. In addition to her role as Chair, she is Program Director of the Hospital Management Research Unit and an adjunct scientist with the Institute for Work and Health. Prior to her appointment in HPME, she held positions in senior management in the acute care system, in teaching and in consulting.
She is actively involved in both the MHSc and the MSc/PhD programs as teacher, preceptor and thesis supervisor. Current research projects include examining the relationship of performance indicators to an organization's strategic performance; the role of evidence in major system change; and the role of pay-for-performance incentives in quality of care. Presently she chairs the Accreditation Committee of the Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Management Programs and is a member of the Health Canada Scientific Advisory Board. She joined The Change Foundation board in June 2008.
CHAIR-ELECT
Susan Pigott
(appointed 2009)
Susan Pigott adds valued and varied experience in community service, community engagement and public affairs to the Foundation's board. She is the Vice President, Communications and Community Engagement at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
Trained as a nurse and a social worker, she has worked in the non-profit human services field in Toronto for over 25 years. She also gained international experience working as a nurse and educator in Australia and Papua New Guinea. For nine years, Susan was the Chief Executive Officer of St. Christopher House, a community-based multi-service agency. Before this, she spent seven years at United Way of Greater Toronto, first as Allocations Director and then as Vice President of Fundraising. In 2006/7 Susan took a leave of absence from St. Christopher House to serve as the Executive Lead for Citizen Engagement, supporting the Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.
Susan is an active and passionate volunteer, currently serving on the Board of Tides Canada, the Soulpepper Theatre Company and the Toronto City Summit Alliance.
Ron Sapsford, BSc, MHA
(appointed 2010)
Ron Sapsford brings a wealth of health-care leadership experience to The Change Foundation Board when he became a Director June 2010. Ron has had a long career in health services management, culminating in his appointment as Ontario Deputy Minister of Health and Long-Term Care which he held from 2005 to 2009.
When he completed his term, he was publicly praised for his dedicated commitment to improving the health care of Ontario families.
Before that appointment, Ron had served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Institutional and Community Services, Executive Director of the Institutional Division, Director of Community Hospitals, Director of Nursing Homes, and Area Planning Coordinator. Ron’s executive leadership also includes stints as the executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation and the Chief Operating Officer with the Ontario Hospital Association.
He holds a bachelor of science from the University of Toronto and a master’s of health administration from the University of Ottawa. His contributions through teaching and committee work continue.
Kevin P. D. Smith, D. Phil.
(appointed 2007)
Kevin Smith is President and CEO of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and St. Joseph's Lifecare Centre Brantford as well as CEO of St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener —all members of the St Joseph's Health System. An Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Faculty of Health Sciences of McMaster University, Kevin remains active in the MD Programme, Postgraduate Medical Programme and the DeGroote School of Business.
Educated in Canada, the United States and Great Britain, Kevin's experience embraces medical curricula development, management training for academic health professionals, and performance and incentives models for enhanced creativity and productivity.
Douglas Sinclair, MD
(appointed 2011)
Douglas Sinclair joined The Change Foundation Board in June, 2011 adding senior clinical and executive leadership perspectives to inform the implementation of our strategic work. Since 2010, he has been Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto with a part-time practice in Emergency Medicine. Douglas spent the last two decades in Halifax where he was founding Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine, Vice President of Medical Services at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, and most recently, Associate Dean of Continuing Education in the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications on emergency medicine and its impact on the rest of the system. Douglas is the recipient of many awards and honours, including the 2010 Lea C. Steeves Award for Continuing Medical Education from Dalhousie University.
Douglas completed a residency in Family Medicine at Dalhousie University and a second in Emergency Medicine at U of T. He completed his medical degree at the University of Toronto (CCCFP-EM, FRCPC).
Neil Stuart, PhD
(appointed 2008)
Neil Stuart joined The Change Foundation board in June 2008. He is an experienced health-care consultant with particular experience in health services restructuring and strategic change in health-care organizations. He has worked for Price Waterhouse, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and most recently IBM. He has published widely, and has served on the editorial board of the Healthcare Management Forum. He has an adjunct appointment in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine and also taught in the University of Ottawa's Masters of Health Administration program. Neil is a member the Advisory Board of the Health Industry Management Program at the Schulich School of Business, York University. He serves on the boards of VON Canada, and the Patients’ Association of Canada and in June 2010, he was appointed chair of Cancer Care Ontario's board. He has a Ph.D. from Brandeis University where he was a fellow in the University's Health Policy Centre.
Marcia Visser, BSc, MHSA
(appointed 2011)
Marcia Visser joined The Change Foundation board in June, 2011 bringing along more than 20 years of diverse experience from the Canadian and U.S healthcare sectors. She adds valued expertise from the insurance, human resources, and healthcare delivery fields. As the Foundation rolls out its patient-focused work, Marcia's experience chairing the Quality of Care and Academic Committee at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC) where she serves on the Board of Directors, will add depth and perspective to our work.
Marcia has been a member of the OHA Region 3 Regional Executive Committee since 2008 and was elected to the OHA Board in 2009. She is an active community member, serving on the Regent Park Community Health Centre Board of Directors and the City of Toronto Midtown Public Health Committee.
Marcia has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Michigan State University and a Masters in Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
View a picture of the board of directors.
