Cancer organization brings wider range of health expertise to Board of Directors

Toronto, ON (Oct. 30, 2019) – The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (the Partnership) has elected eight new board members bringing a wider range of knowledge and skills to the organization’s efforts to improve cancer care and outcomes across the country. New members include those skilled in emerging areas of focus in cancer care such as patient-centred care and digital health care, the latter being an area where Canada is taking the lead internationally.¹

The new board members will augment the diverse experience of the Partnership’s current Board of Directors in key areas including: healthcare administration, clinical and health systems-level expertise, health research, patient-centred care and digital health technology. The new members will also complete a leadership group for the national organization that reflects Canada’s geographic diversity and key stakeholders in the cancer system including representatives from patient organizations, individuals and families affected by cancer as well as Indigenous representation.

The Partnership’s new board members include:

Government members

• Ruby Brown – The Territories (Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut)
  Deputy Minister of Health for the Government of Nunavut

• Melanie Fraser – Ontario
  Associate Deputy Minister, Health Services, at Ontario’s Ministry of Health

• Ian Rongve – British Columbia
  Assistant Deputy Minister, Provincial, Hospital and Laboratory Services Division at British Columbia’s Ministry of Health

Health system experts

• André Corriveau
  Retired Chief Public Health Officer with the Department of Health and Social Services, Government of the Northwest Territories, and Health Services Delivery and Public Health Consultant

• Michael Crump
  Hematologist and Clinician Investigator at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

• Linda Dempster
  Vice President, Patient Experience at Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia

• Desirée Hao
  Medical Oncologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine

• Darren Larsen
  Chief Medical Officer for OntarioMD and Lecturer in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Institute for Health Policy Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto

These individuals will join the current Board of Directors which includes: Dr. Graham Sher (chair), Helen Mallovy Hicks, Julien Billot, Ewan Clark, Darren Dick, Karen Herd, Abby Hoffman, Dr. Eshwar Kumar, Dr. Jean Latreille, Mary O’Neill, Dr. David Sabapathy, Andrea Seale, Cheryl Smith and Jeff Zweig.

Read the full bios for all new members

Quote

Dr. Graham Sher, Chair of the Partnership’s Board of Directors

“We’re pleased to welcome the new members to our board and bring more diverse voices and a wider range of health system expertise to the table. As a pan-Canadian organization, it’s important that we have representation from all parts of the country, which we’ve now achieved with two new members representing the Territories. We’re also excited to welcome individuals with expertise on different aspects of cancer care. Their experiences and skills will be valuable as we move forward with the priorities of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control over the next decade.”

About the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer

As the steward of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control (the Strategy), the Partnership works with Canada’s cancer community to take action to ensure fewer people get cancer, more people survive cancer and those living with the disease have a better quality of life. This work is guided by the Strategy, which was refreshed for 2019 to 2029 and will help drive measurable change for all Canadians affected by cancer. The Strategy includes five priorities which will tackle the most pressing challenges in cancer control as well as distinct First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples-specific priorities and actions reflecting Canada’s commitment to reconciliation. The Partnership will oversee the implementation of the priorities in collaboration with organizations and individuals on the front lines of cancer care – the provinces and territories, health-care professionals, people living with cancer and those who care for them, First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, governments and organizations, and its funder Health Canada. Learn more about the Partnership and the refreshed Strategy at www.cancerstrategy.ca.

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For further information and interview requests, please contact:

Nick Williams, Communications Officer, Media Relations, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, 416-915-9222, x5799 (office), 647-388-9647 (mobile), nick.williams@partnershipagainstcancer.ca

Sources
1- Canadian Medical Association. The Future of Technology in Health and Health Care: A Primer. 2018. Available at: https://www.cma.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/health-advocacy/activity/2018-08-15-future-technology-health-care-e.pdf