Keynote speakers

Graham Sher, MD

CEO, Canadian Blood Services

Graham Sher, a hematologist by training, is the CEO of Canadian Blood Services, the agency charged with managing Canada's national blood, plasma and stem-cell programs in all provinces and territories across Canada, excluding Quebec (FY 2010 revenues approx. $980 million; 4700 employees). He has been with Canadian Blood Services since it began operations in September 1998, when he joined as its first vice-president for medical and scientific affairs. He was appointed to the position of CEO in June 2001.

Under Dr. Sher's leadership, Canadian Blood Services has been asked by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to assume responsibility for leading the development of a national strategy for organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Dr. Sher is a recognized expert in transfusion medicine and science, and is widely sought after as a speaker nationally and internationally. He sits on a number of blood system and health care related advisory bodies, and has provided consulting support to other countries in the transformation of their health care systems. He is a founding member and the current chair of the Alliance of Blood Operators and was one of the first international directors on the board of AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks).

Dr. Sher is a keynote speaker on
From crisis to confidence: navigating change in Canada’s complex health care system
Friday, 23 April, 8:30-9:15 a.m.

Anne Doig, MD, CCFP, FCFP

President, Canadian Medical Association

Anne Doig graduated from the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine in 1976. She completed postgraduate training in Family Medicine in Saskatoon, was certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada in 1978 and granted Fellowship in 1994. She has been in full-time family practice since 1978 and is an active member of the practitioner staff of the Saskatoon Health Region.

A clinical associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Doig has been honoured twice for her commitment to teaching. In 1990 she was named "Clinical Teacher of the Year in Family Medicine" by the medical house staff at Saskatoon City Hospital. In 1996 she was the Saskatchewan recipient of the "Excellence in Teaching Award" from the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Doig is an original contributor to the ALARM (Advances in Labour and Risk Management) program of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. As a past co-chair of the ALARM Committee, she has taught ALARM courses across Canada. Dr. Doig is also the Medical Advisor to the Population Health Division of the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. She is involved in its screening and prevention programs for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer.

Dr. Doig is a keynote speaker on
The physician as an agent of change
Friday, 23 April, 9:15-10 a.m.

Rob Nickerson

Managing Director, The RNI Group

Rob Nickerson is an actor, producer, writer, and director and is widely regarded as one of the top improv teachers in North America. He has also had an extensive career working with major corporations as a freelance creative director for a number of production and communication companies. In this capacity, Rob has designed and co-produced sales meetings, conferences, and internal product launches for a number of leading corporations.

Over the past 17 years, his high-energy, interactive seminars and workshops have taught thousands of accountants, engineers, retail clerks, IT technicians, doctors, lawyers, and executives of all types how lessons from the art of improvisation can be applied (to great advantage) in their day-to-day endeavours.

His client list reads like the Fortune 500. It includes Nike, Bell, Microsoft, Novartis, Suncor, General Electric, Research in Motion, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission to name just a very few.

Rob is on the faculty of the McGill Executive Institute. He has worked regularly with Professor Nancy Adler in her Arts In Leadership program and the internationally acclaimed Global Leadership Program. He has also been part of Henry Mintzberg's Advance Leadership Program at McGill.

In November 2008, Rob hosted a World Health Organization symposium on Global Health Diplomacy in Montréal for the Gates Foundation.

Rob Nickerson will give a keynote address entitled
Take care of your partner: an improviser’s guide to patient–physician collaboration
Friday, 23 April, 1-1:50 p.m.

Gillian Kernaghan, MD, CCFP, FCFP

Integrated VP, Medical Education & Medical Affairs, London Health Sciences Centre

Gillian Kernaghan is the Integrated Vice-President of Medical Education and Medical Affairs for St. Joseph's Health Care. Over the past 10 years in this role she has had accountability for a number of areas within the hospital. Currently she is accountable for the medical/dental/midwifery staff functions, academic liaison, imaging, ethics and professional staff leadership. She also chairs the Thames Valley Chiefs of Staff Committee and is a past Chair of the Senior Medical Leaders Committee for the Ontario Council of Teaching Hospitals. Currently she serves on the OHA Wait List Advisory Committee, the Physician Hospital Care Committee and the Provincial AFP Committee. Dr. Kernaghan practices one day a week as a family physician. She received her medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1982, her CCFP from UWO in 1984 and her FCFP in 2000.

Dr. Kernaghan will be moderating the panel on
Personality split: Physician, leader and “the administration.” What 3 physician CEOs have learned from the transition to the top job
Friday, 23 April, 4-5:30 p.m.

Barry A. McLellan, MD, FRCPC

President and CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto

Barry McLellan provides leadership for one of Canada's largest academic health sciences centres with 10 000 staff and physicians, 1200 beds and an annual budget of more than $700 million. Each year, the hospital conducts more than $100 million in research, provides educational opportunities for 2000 students and cares for one million patients. The hospital provides a broad range of tertiary regional programs and services including specialities in cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, high-risk obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions, trauma and critical care, and community care. In addition, Sunnybrook is Canada's largest facility caring for the country's war veterans.

Prior to his position as president and CEO at Sunnybrook, Dr. McLellan was the chief coroner for Ontario.

Dr. McLellan graduated from the University of Toronto with a medical doctorate in 1981 and subsequently trained in emergency medicine. He was the director of the trauma program and vice president of specialty services at Sunnybrook. He was also the director of the hospital's Emergency Department, Base Hospital Program (paramedic program) and Trauma Research.

Dr. McLellan is an associate professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. He has published more than 60 scientific papers, written a textbook on trauma care and lectured extensively, including international presentations in the fields of trauma care and forensic investigation.

Dr. McLellan will be a panelist in the session
Personality split: Physician, leader and “the administration.” What 3 physician CEOs have learned from the transition to the top job
Friday, 23 April, 4-5:30 p.m.

Robert S. Bell, MD, FRCPC

CEO and President, University Health Network, Toronto

An internationally recognized orthopedic surgeon, health care executive, clinician-scientist, and educator, Robert Bell brings more than 20 years of experience in academic health care to the leadership of Canada's largest research hospital. From 2000 to 2005, he served as chief operating officer of UHN's Princess Margaret Hospital where he was responsible for leading Canada's largest comprehensive cancer centre. From 2003 to 2005, he served as regional vice president and chair of the Clinical Council of Cancer Care Ontario.

Dr. Bell earned a doctor of medicine from McGill University in 1975 and a master's of science from the University of Toronto in 1981. He completed a Fellowship in orthopaedic oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University in 1985.

During his career as a clinician-scientist at the University of Toronto, he received more than $5 million in peer-reviewed funding and published more than 170 peer-reviewed papers. He participated in the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2005. Dr. Bell is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the American College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Dr. Bell will be a panelist in the session
Personality split: Physician, leader and “the administration.” What 3 physician CEOs have learned from the transition to the top job
Friday, 23 April, 4-5:30 p.m.

Robert J. Howard, MD

President and CEO, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto

Robert Howard has played a number of key roles at Saint Michael's - as a clinician, a researcher, and member of the executive leadership team. Dr. Howard joined the Hospital as a staff cardiologist in 1982. He was appointed director of the University of Toronto Training Program in Cardiology in 1989. In 1998, Dr. Howard was named the Hospital's Chief Medical Officer. In 2002, Dr. Howard was appointed executive vice-president, Programs, Education to acknowledge the growing importance of education and academic partnerships portfolio at the Hospital. Through his thoughtful guidance, St. Michael's Fitzgerald Academy has become the first choice for University of Toronto medical students.

Dr. Howard will lead Saint Michael's Hospital to bring health sciences research and medical education together in a unique clinical setting to bring advances in health care directly to patient's bedsides faster then ever before. In 2010, Saint Michael's Hospital will officially open the doors of the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Centre in Health Care Education.

Dr. Howard has an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from the University of Toronto, a medical degree from McMaster University, and an executive MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business. An associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Dr. Howard serves on the Boards of Health Force Ontario and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Academy.

Dr. Howard will be a panelist in the session
Personality split: Physician, leader and “the administration.” What 3 physician CEOs have learned from the transition to the top job
Friday, 23 April, 4-5:30 p.m.

Brian Goldman, MD

Emergency physician, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto; and host of "White Coat, Black Art" on CBC Radio One

Dr. Brian Goldman is one of a rare breed in that he's had success in two high-adrenaline fields: emergency medicine and broadcasting. He's on staff at the Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Centre at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, and is recognized as an expert in prescription drug diversion and pain management. Since 2007, he has hosted White Coat, Black Art, an award-winning show on CBC Radio One about the culture of medicine and the inside view of the health care system.

Dr. Goldman will give a keynote address called
Is there a leader in the house? Three complex health care problems we must solve!
Saturday, 24 April, 8:30-9:15 a.m.

Vickie Kaminski

President and CEO of Eastern Regional Health Authority in Newfoundland and Labrador

Eastern Health represents an integrated authority responsible for a full spectrum of health services for the Avalon, Burin and Bonavista Peninsulas. In addition, tertiary services are provided to all residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. Eastern Health has a budget of just over $1.2 billion dollars and employs 12,850.

Ms. Kaminski brings to Eastern Health more than 35 years of senior executive leadership experience. She is a graduate in nursing from Laurentian University and holds an MBA from Northwestern University in Chicago and York University in Toronto.

Ms. Kaminski is a member of the Canadian College of Health Services Executives is a surveyor with Accreditation Canada and participates in a number of provincial and national health services related committees.

Vickie Kaminski will give a keynote address called
Leadership challenges: problems with no easy solutions
Saturday, 24 April, 9:15-10 a.m.

Graham Dickson, PhD

Professor Emeritus, Leadership Studies, Royal Roads University, affiliated with the Centre for Health Leadership and Research

Graham Dickson is Professor Emeritus at Royal Roads University and former director of the Centre for Health Leadership and Research. He was also formerly director of the School of Leadership Studies, where he provided guidance and support for graduate degree programs, executive development programs as well as graduate certificate programs in the School of Leadership Studies.

In addition to authoring numerous articles and leadership development books, Graham presents at conferences across Canada and internationally on leadership, teams, succession planning, learning organizations and systems thinking. Graham has a doctorate in educational administration, with a special focus on program evaluation and organizational performance measurement. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Certification Council for Physician Assistants. He is a faculty member of the Canadian Medical Association Physician Management Institute (PMI) and the International Foundation of Employee Benefits.

Graham has made a life of analyzing leadership and how it affects positive and negative change in any organization.

Graham Dickson will deliver the
Conference wrap-up
Saturday, 24 April, 3:30-4 p.m.