Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Alika Lafontaine, Dr. Colleen M. Flood

Panel Speakers:
We will continue to update our list of panel speakers. Stay tuned.
Dr. Alexandra T. Greenhill, Dr. Andrew Boozary, Carla Velastegui, Dylan Marando, Frank Baylis, Dr. Gillian Strudwick, Helen Angus, Dr. Karima Velji, Dr. Kate Mulligan , Dr. Naheed Dosani, Paul Woods, Dr. Payal Agarwal, Sherri Torjman, Stephen Lucas and Dr. Zayna Khayat

Moderators:
Heather Russek, Olga Morawczynski, Sunil Johal and Will Falk

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Alika Lafontaine

Indigenous Physician, Healthcare Leader and Changemaker

Named Maclean’s top Healthcare Innovator of 2023, Dr. Alika Lafontaine has been at the epicentre of healthcare system change for almost two decades. He is the first Indigenous physician and the youngest doctor to lead the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) in its 156-year history, and the first Indigenous physician to be listed on The Medical Post’s 50 Most Powerful Doctors. As an experienced health leader, Lafontaine speaks eloquently and passionately on the politics of health care, implementing and scaling equity, effective advocacy, and redesigning health systems. Working at the intersection of advocacy and implementation, Lafontaine has held both provincial and national medical leadership positions. From 2013-2017, he co-led the Indigenous Health Alliance, growing it into one of the most ambitious Indigenous health transformation projects in Canadian history. At its peak, the Alliance represented more than 150 First Nations and successfully advocated for $68 million in funding. In 2017, the Alliance was recognized by the Public Policy Forum, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presenting Lafontaine with the inaugural Emerging Indigenous Leader award. Grounded in a mixed Indigenous ancestry of Metis, Oji-Cree and Pacific Islander, Lafontaine completed his medical degree and anesthesia fellowship training at the University of Saskatchewan before moving to northern Alberta where he has spent most of his clinical career. He was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40” and is the youngest recipient of an Indspire Award.

Dr. Colleen M. Flood, SJD, LLM, LLB

Dean of the Faculty of Law, Queen’s University

Colleen M. Flood is the Dean of the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University. She served as a professor and the Canada Research Chair for the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law from 2000-2014 and was the inaugural director of the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics and University of Ottawa Research Chair in Health Law & Policy from 2014-2023. Dr. Flood holds a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) and Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Honours from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research informed national and global debates over privatization, health system design, accountability, governance, and the role of courts in defending rights in health care. Her latest research focuses on the governance of health-related artificial intelligence. She holds many honours and accomplishments, including being named a Justice Emmet Hall Laureate in 2022, a member of the Canadian Council of Academies Scientific Advisory Committee in 2021, and a member of the Royal Society Taskforce on COVID-19 in 2021. She has over 100 publications and over 1200 citations, including publications on implementing digital passports for COVID-19 immunizations, vaccine ins and outs, the legal issues that have been raised in the presence of COVID-19, and accounts of what our country could look like post-pandemic.

Panel Speakers

Dr. Alexandra T. Greenhill

Founder, CEO and Chief Medical Officer, Careteam Technologies

Dr. Alexandra T. Greenhill is one of the leading physicians in digital health innovation, TEDx speaker and one of the co-editors of the “AI in Clinical Medicine” book (Wiley, 2023). She is an ER and family medicine doctor, and has practiced in Quebec, Ontario and BC. Dr. Greenhill is the Founder CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Careteam Technologies, a next-generation care platform enabling health teams to support patients with complex health issues along the journey from symptoms to diagnosis to treatment. She is also on the Board of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Cancer Research Society, as well as the Board Chair of Physician Innovators. Dr. Greenhill is adept at translating digital developments into meaningful advancements to help people live life well. She believes entrepreneurship and technology hold the answers to the greatest issues we face today, including in health care – where the increasing complexity leads to confusion and costs and a huge and growing gap between what is possible and what is happening. After having implemented health innovation at scale, she now leads and advises Canada’s most promising technology companies. Dr.Greenhill’s work has received many recognitions, including Top 40 under 40, Startup Canada’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award, WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal of Service. Dr. Greenhill’s work has not only benefited the medical community but has also positively impacted the lives of countless patients. Her profound expertise continues to drive transformative change in the healthcare sector, fostering a brighter, more technologically-empowered future for health.

Dr. Andrew Boozary

Details coming soon.

Carla Velastegui

Healthcare Technologist, Caregiver Advocate and Advisor

Carla is a healthcare technologist with a diverse background spanning private and public sectors, including early-stage companies. Since 2010, she has been the primary caregiver for her mother, who has early-onset Parkinson’s Disease. This personal experience fuels Carla’s dedication to advocating for caregiver awareness and addressing the multifaceted challenges caregivers face in their communities, workplaces, and healthcare systems. Carla serves on the boards of Acclaim Health and YWCA Hamilton and holds committee and advisory roles with various healthcare and research organizations across Canada and the US. She combines her professional expertise with her advocacy to drive systemic improvements in how caregivers are recognized, valued, and supported. Her passion is leveraging technology to enhance collaboration and ensure a seamless continuum of care among patients, caregivers, and healthcare teams.

Dylan Marando

Details coming soon.

Frank Baylis, P. Eng

Executive Chairman, Baylis Medical Technologies

Frank Baylis is a professional engineer, businessman, philanthropist, and former politician. He currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Baylis Medical Technologies, a leading medical device company focused in the areas of interventional radiology. Frank was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1962 to an English father and a Barbadian mother. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 1986. In 1989, Frank joined Baylis Medical, a company founded by his mother Gloria Baylis three years earlier. Under Baylis’ leadership, the company grew into a world leader in the development and manufacturing of medical devices in the areas of interventional cardiology and pain management. Baylis Medical Company was sold to Boston Scientific in 2021 for $1.75 billion US dollars. Baylis is also a successful entrepreneur in other fields. He is a co-founder of Walk of Fame Entertainment, a film production company. He has also written and produced several feature films, including “Transit” (2008) “Generation Wolf” (2016) and “Undocumented” (2023). From 2015 to 2019, Frank was the Liberal Member of Parliament for the federal riding of Pierrefonds-Dollard. During that time, he sat on the Industry Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Ethics & Privacy Committee. He was also a founding member of the Black Caucus and the chair of the Canada-UK Parliamentary Association. In 2004, Frank launched the charity For the Children (FTC) which is committed to improving access to education for underprivileged children both in Canada and internationally. This charity has since grown into the Gloria Baylis Foundation, in honour of Frank’s mother.

Dr. Gillian Strudwick

Senior Scientist, Chief Clinical Informatics Officer, CAMH

Gillian Strudwick is a Registered Nurse, holding the positions of Chief Clinical Informatics Officer and Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She was previously the Chief Nursing Executive. Dr. Strudwick is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. She serves as a board member for AMS Healthcare and the Village Family Health Team. She is also a Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing.

Helen Angus

Details coming soon.

Dr. Karima Velji

Chief of Nursing and Professional Practice and Assistant Deputy Minister for the Province of Ontario

Karima Velji is a healthcare leader with a proven track record in fostering patient and system partner engagement to drive innovative models of care, integrating research and care, and creating cultures to unleash the potential of high performing teams. She has implemented innovative health workforce solutions to ensure optimal scope of practice for all clinicians. She is currently the Chief of Nursing and Professional Practice and Assistant Deputy Minister for the Province of Ontario. She has held senior leadership positions in several academic health science centers and has operated a successful consulting company. She is a sought-after consultant for system level projects and has led external reviews of several organizations. She is a surveyor with Health Standards Organization (HSO), Accreditation Canada. Her responsibilities extend to provincial and national leadership. She has held the roles of Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Accreditation Canada and member of Board of Directors or HSO (2012-2018), United Way Campaign Chair for London Middlesex (2016) and as President and Chair of the Board of Directors of Canadian Nurses Association (2014-16). She has cross-appointments to the University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario, University of Ontario Tech University and Nipissing University. She has won several outstanding achievement awards including the Sigma Theta Tau Excellence in Administration award, University of Toronto Distinguished Alumni award, Ontario Hospital Association’s Margaret Comack Award of Excellence in Nursing Leadership, and the Award of Excellence in Teaching from the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at University of Toronto. At the system and global level, she is a consultant to global sites, including East Africa, the Middle East and Asia, for development of policy, credentialing, training and academic plans.

Dr. Kate Mulligan

Assistant Professor, University of Toronto and Scientific Director, Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing

Dr. Kate Mulligan is a health geographer and the founder and Scientific Director of the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing, and an Assistant Professor in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Her work focuses on the role of community-scale leadership in producing health and improving health systems.

Dr. Naheed Dosani, MSC, MD, CCFP(PC), BSc

Palliative Care Physician and Health Justice Advocate

As a palliative care physician and health justice activist, Dr. Naheed Dosani is dedicated to advancing equitable access to healthcare for people experiencing structural vulnerabilities like poverty and homelessness. These efforts include founding & leading the Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless (PEACH) Program at the Inner-City Health Associates in downtown Toronto, serving as the Medical Director of Kensington Hospice (Kensington Health), a Health Equity Expert Advisor at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and as a palliative care physician at St. Michael’s Hospital (Unity Health Toronto). Dr. Dosani shares his passion for palliative care and health equity with learners as an Assistant Professor with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. As a researcher, he is appointed as an Investigator with the St Michael’s Hospital Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, with a special interest in health system innovation & advancing access to equity-oriented care for structurally vulnerable populations. As a health systems leader, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Medical Association. Dr. Dosani has received many prestigious honours for his trailblazing work. These awards include the Meritorious Service Cross for Humanitarianism from Canada’s Governor General (2018), the Award for Humanitarianism from the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians (2019) and the Early Career Leader Award from the Canadian Medical Association (2020). Most recently, Dr. Dosani received an Honorary Doctorate Degree (Doctor of Laws) from Ontario Tech University (2022), the Dr. Earl Dunn Award [for advancing primary care] from the University of Toronto Department of Family & Community Medicine (2024), and the Dr. S. Lawrence Librach Award [for excellence and leadership in Palliative Care] from Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (2024).

Paul Woods

Details coming soon.

Dr. Payal Agarwal

Details coming soon.

Sherri Torjman

Social Policy Consultant

Currently a social policy consultant, from 1992 to 2017 Sherri Torjman was Vice President of the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, one of Canada’s leading social policy think tanks. In this role, she helped to propose and design the Canada Child Benefit and other income security and tax measures. From 2018 to 2022, Sherri served as Vice-Chair of the Disability Advisory Committee reporting to the Minister of National Revenue. She Co-Chaired the Technical Advisory Committee on Tax Measures for Persons with Disabilities in 2004 to 2005, reporting to the Minister of Finance and Minister of National Revenue. In 1987, Sherri wrote Welfare in Canada, developing the methodology still used today by Maytree for calculating social assistance incomes across Canada. Sherri worked for the House of Commons Committee on the Disabled in 1981 and wrote four books on disability policy for the Roeher Institute. She was a founding partner of the Vibrant Communities initiative focused on local solutions to reducing poverty. She is a Board member of Prosper Canada, an organization that works to expand economic opportunity for people living in poverty. In recognition of her policy work, Sherri was awarded the 2017 Senate 150 Anniversary Medal, 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2011 Champion of Human Services Award from the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association and 2010 Top 25 Canadians Award from the Canadian Association of Retired Persons.

Stephen Lucas

Details coming soon.

Dr. Zayna Khayat

Health Futurist at Deloitte Canada and Adjunct Faculty at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Zayna is the in-house health futurist with Deloitte Canada’s Healthcare and Life Sciences practice. She is an adjunct faculty in the Health Sector Strategy stream at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto where she instructs courses in healthcare innovation and partnerships in the health MBA program. Zayna is a Growth Advisor at Teladoc Health in Canada and advises a few emerging health startups. Zayna previously led the Futures team with national home healthcare and aging social enterprise, SE Health, as their Future Strategist. Dr. Khayat was previously the lead of health system innovation at MaRS Discovery District, a health innovation hub in Toronto, Canada. In 2017 she was seconded to the REshape Innovation Centre at Radboud university medical centre in the Netherlands. Zayna completed her Ph.D. in diabetes research from the University of Toronto (2001), followed by a career in strategy consulting, including as a Principal in the healthcare practice of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). She currently resides in Toronto with her husband and three children and is proficient in French and Arabic languages (and a bit of Dutch!).

Moderators

Heather Russek

Co-President of Creative Futures Studio Inc.

Heather Russek helps organizations navigate complex environments to identify resilient and practical future-focused solutions. Heather is a strategist, researcher, designer and innovation expert. She is currently exploring the future of health and health care, future of cities, future of work and skills, and the future of arts and creativity. Heather was named a Next Generation Foresight Practitioner Fellow in 2021. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science from Queen’s University, an MBA from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, and a Master’s of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University.

Olga Morawczynski

Details coming soon.

Sunil Johal

Vice President, Public Policy, CSA Group

Sunil has held senior executive and policy roles at all levels of government. Most recently, he led transition activities for Employment and Social Development Canada in an Assistant Deputy Minister-level role. Previously, Sunil was Policy Director at the University of Toronto’s Mowat Centre from 2012 to 2019, where he established himself as a thought leader on issues such as the future of work and the implications of disruptive technologies. In 2019 he chaired the Expert Panel on Modern Labour Standards for the federal Minister of Labour. In 2022, he was invited to an expert panel advising the Ontario government on the development of a portable benefits scheme for non-standard workers. Sunil currently serves as the David and Ann Wilson Professor in Public Policy and Society at Victoria College, University of Toronto. He is also a Fellow at the Public Policy Forum. He has contributed expert commentary and advice to a range of organizations and media outlets, including the G-20, World Economic Forum, Brookings Institution, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CBC, The Washington Post, The Guardian and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Will Falk, B.Sc. MPPM

Executive-in-Residence, Rotman School of Management

Will Falk has spent 25 years as a strategist and advisor in New York and Toronto advising top academic centres, governments, and innovative companies in health care. Since retiring from the PwC partnership in 2017, Will has had several roles. He is an Executive in Residence at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto where he has taught since 2008. He is a Senior Fellow at the CD Howe Institute and an Innovation Fellow at Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care. He invests in and has worked with several startups focused on health care. Will has had several formal and informal advisory roles in public service including First Ministers’ meetings, ministerial reviews, expert panels, national reports and bargaining teams. He is an active philanthropist, and his not-for-profit boards include West Neighbourhood House, AMS Foundation, Children’s Aid Foundation, William Osler Health System and the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences. His corporate Boards include Verto, Alayacare, FirstHx, Home Capital, Medseek, and StrataHealth. He received his B.Sc. from the University of Toronto (Trinity College) and his M.P.P.M. from Yale University’s School of Management where he was later a Visiting Research Fellow.