Realistic Medicine: Key People

Speaker Biographies

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Catherine Calderwood
Chief Medical Officer, Scotland

Catherine Calderwood has been the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland since 2015.

Catherine qualified from Cambridge and Glasgow Universities and continues to work as an obstetrician at a regular antenatal clinic at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. She is responsible for the Health Promoting Health Service initiative which aims to tackle health inequalities and improve health across the population of Scotland and is leading work to improve the health of those working in the public sector specifically NHS and civil service staff. She is Chair of the Taskforce for the Improvement of Services for Victims of Rape and Sexual Assault, the Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance in Scotland and the Scottish Global Health Collaborative.

Catherine has published three annual reports on Realistic Medicine. Realistic Medicine puts the person receiving health and care at the centre of decision-making and creates a personalised approach to their care. Her third report published in April 2018 will help to embed Realistic Medicine and allow the spread of good practice which is being developed throughout Scotland. All three reports have been universally well received and read by millions of people across the world. The reports also recognize the importance of valuing and supporting staff as vital to improving outcomes for the people in their care.

Speakers

Dr. Don Dick
Quality, Safety and Outcomes Executive, Alberta Health Services

Dr. Don Dick is leading the Improving Health Outcomes Together (IHOT) team, within Alberta Health Services looking at key opportunities in addressing appropriateness and priority setting in health care services delivery.

As a founding member of Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute, Don has played a significant role in establishing the institute as a catalyst for better ways to deliver public health care to Albertans suffering from bone and joint disorders.

An orthopaedic surgeon, Don is active in medical practice, teaching and professional service. He specializes in adult joint arthroplasty (repair and replacement of joints) and in general paediatric orthopaedics (treatment of musculoskeletal disorders in children). Located in Edmonton, he is Alberta Health Services’ Senior Medical Director, Health Outcomes, and prior to that was the Senior Medical Director for AHS’s Bone and Joint Health Strategic Clinical Network.

Don is also Associate Clinical Professor in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, He served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association, and is Past-President of the Alberta Orthopaedic Society.

Dr. Shawn Dowling
Physician Learning Program, University of Calgary

Dr. Shawn Dowling is an Emergency Medicine Physician and the Senior Medical Director of the Physician Learning Program at the University of Calgary and the Effectiveness lead for the Calgary Emergency departments. Shawn earned his MD and a research fellowship at the University of Ottawa, and completed an Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Calgary. His areas of interest include using audit and feedback and clinical decision supports as part of an integrated approach to identify gaps in care, improve resource stewardship, support physician learning needs with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes and health care sustainability.

Ms. Sheri Fielding
Clinical Director (Nurse Practitioner), Southside Primary Care Network

Sheri is Clinical Director with the Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network (PCN) which was established in 2005 and consists of a team of medical professionals who work with family physicians in a medical home model. The PCN has over 97 member clinics with 314 family physicians, and more than 170 PCN staff. The teams are composed of nurses, nurse practitioners, Healthy Aging nurses and social workers, behavioural health consultants, primary care dietitians, respiratory therapists, exercise specialists and administrative staff.

Dr. PG Forest
Head, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary

Pierre-Gerlier (PG) Forest is the Director of The School of Public Policy and James S. and Barbara A. Palmer Chair in public policy at the University of Calgary. Prior to joining The School of Public Policy, PG Forest was Director of the Institute for Health and Social Policy at Johns Hopkins University and Professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. From 2006 to 2013, he was president of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, a reputed Canadian institution that encourages innovation in policy research and the dissemination of original and practical solutions to social issues.

In 2003, PG Forest was appointed to the G.D.W. Cameron Visiting Chair before becoming Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Scientist (2004-2006) with Health Canada, the federal department of health. As the principal scientific advisor to the Minister of Health, PG Forest was accountable for the quality and integrity of the scientific and regulatory research conducted by the department.

In 2001, PG Forest was appointed to the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada. Chaired by Roy J. Romanow, the Royal Commission was mandated to review Canada’s publicly funded health care system and make recommendations to improve its overall performance and long-term sustainability. As Director of Research, Dr. Forest was responsible for the evidence produced and used by the Commission and contributed directly to its publications, including the final report and recommendations.

Dr. Forest spent the first part of his academic career at Université Laval, in Quebec City, where he was Professor of policy analysis and public administration with the department of political science (1990-2007). During that period, he created the first course on Aboriginal policy and politics ever offered in a francophone university in Canada and trained a generation of policy analysts and researchers in this field of study, including some leading young First Nations and Inuit scholars. He is the author of more than a hundred and fifty scientific papers and books; among others, notably: Changing Health Care in Canada (Toronto, 2004) and Paradigm Freeze (Toronto, 2013). PG Forest obtained a Master’s degree in Political Science at Université Laval (1984) and a PhD. in History and Socio-Politics of Science at Université de Montréal (1989). In the years following his post-doctoral studies (Manchester Business School), several governments and numerous organizations have called on his expertise, particularly in the areas of public policy renewal, health system reform, and knowledge management. A reputed public speaker, PG Forest is regularly invited to deliver keynote speeches at high-profile domestic and international gatherings.

PG Forest holds an appointment as Professor of Community Health Science in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. He was elected to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences in 2008 and to the Alpha Chapter of the Delta Omega public health honor society in 2015.

Dr. Tina Korownyk
Co-Director, Evidence and Continuing Professional Development Program, Alberta College of Family Physicians

Dr. Tina Korownyk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta and practices family medicine at the Northeast Community Health Centre in Edmonton. Tina works with the EBM team providing updates to Tools for Practice, roadshows, and academic detailing to pharmacists within the province. She is also the Co-Director of the third year Family Medicine Clerkship rotation at the University of Alberta. Her research interests include practical questions relating to the improvement of primary care. Tina is married with four fantastic kids and enjoys most things outdoors.

Dr. Braden Manns
Associate Chief Medical Officer, Strategic Clinical Networks - Health Care Providers as Stewards of Resources

Dr. Braden Manns is the Svare Professor in Health Economics and a Nephrologist at the University of Calgary in the Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences. Dr. Manns supervises graduate students at all levels of training. Dr. Manns is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for the Alberta Health Services’ Strategic Clinical Networks, and co-principal investigator of the Canadians Seeking Solutions and Innovations to Overcome Chronic Kidney Disease (www.Cansolveckd.ca), a national CIHR funded patient-oriented research network in chronic disease. He is also the co-lead of an Alberta Innovates funded inter-disciplinary team grant investigating chronic disease (www.ICDC.ca) and holds a CIHR Foundation grant in health system funding. He has experience in pharmaceutical priority setting, having served on provincial and national committees for drug evaluation, including a term as Chair of Canadian Expert Drug Advisory Committee from 2006-2008.

Dr. Scott McLeod
Registrar, Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons

Dr. Scott McLeod serves as the Registrar for College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. He joined the College in 2017 after serving as Deputy Surgeon General for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in Ottawa. Scott is a family physician, having received his medical training at the University of Saskatchewan. He did his family medicine residency training in Regina. As part of his military experience Scott went on to train in aviation medicine and did a 2 year residency in aerospace medicine with the United States Air Force. He has also been fortunate to have completed master degrees in public health and public administration. Scott recently received recognition as a Canadian Certified Physician Executive from the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders.

Scott’s military experience includes a variety of clinical leadership positions in Canada and around the world. In 1997, he deployed to aid the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti. In 1999 he was part of Operation Allied Force in support of the Kosovo Air Campaign and in 2008 he was the Commanding Officer for all Canadian Health services personnel and the Multinational Role 3 Hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Dr. McLeod has played, and continues to play, a key role in regulation and policy development at the provincial, national and international levels. He offers extensive governance and committee leadership experience at national and international levels. This includes work with organizations such as the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada, the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools, the Canadian Medical Forum, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, NATO Human Factors in Medicine, the Canadian Space Agency Human Space Flight Consultation Committee, the Surgeon General’s Health Research Board, and the Canadian Forces Health Services Leadership Council.

Scott is a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Alberta Medical Association, the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Society of Physician leaders.

Ms. Kathleen Ness
Alberta Health Advocate

Kathleen is an accomplished health leader with over 25 years of experience in patient care, business and operations management in the health system. She has dedicated her career, in various roles at Alberta Health and the regional health authorities, to shaping the health care system and improve health outcomes of Albertans.

In her most recent role as Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Service Delivery at Alberta Health, she was instrumental in developing a new governance framework for Primary Care Networks in Alberta, implementing the recommendations in Valuing Mental Health: Next Steps and implementing the new Continuing Care Residents and Family Council Act. This legislation requires operators to have councils in place to provide residents and families a way to lend their voice in shaping the best possible residence that they call home.

Kathleen is recognized for her work in prevention and promotion of health, and for quality improvement in a number of community based initiatives and clinical areas such as orthopedics and chronic disease management. She completed a Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota, and holds an adjunct appointment in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Alberta.

In July 2018, Kathleen was appointed as Alberta’s Health Advocate and Interim Mental Health Patient Advocate. Her passion for and dedication to patients, and families combined with experience and education are a winning combination in the pursuit of supporting Albertans to get the right care, in the right place at the right time by the right provider.

Mr. Justin Riemer
Assistant Deputy Minister, Innovation and Strategic Operations, Alberta Health

As Assistant Deputy Minister of Alberta Health’s Innovation and Strategic Operations Division, Justin leads his team to facilitate increased innovation adoption in the health care system with the goal of building the strongest health innovation ecosystem in Canada. His portfolio includes Strategic Policy, Indigenous Health, Intergovernmental Relations, and Ministry Integration.

Since 1996 the Government of Alberta has been Justin’s employer of choice. He has had the opportunity to provide leadership and drive results in a variety of areas including research and innovation, economic development, competitiveness, international marketing, strategic planning, and policy development. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Carleton University.

Ms. Troy Stooke
Co-Chair Healthcare 101, IMAGINE Citizens Collaborating for Health

Troy volunteers with Imagine Citizens Collaborating for Health as a citizen co-lead, on a project called Healthcare 101 (https://myhealth.alberta.ca/HC101). This four part educational series is being co-designed with Albertans to help Albertans understand how our healthcare systems work. Just launched online is Healthcare Basics for Albertans, with Finding My Way next – Advocating for Myself and My Rights the topics to follow. Troy Stooke newly self-identifies as Métis, and celebrates child and youth perspectives daily as a grandma. She holds a BSW and a MEDes(ES) from the University of Calgary. Her work and volunteer efforts have been across Alberta government and not-for profit sectors at the intersections of social determinants of human health in our built and natural environments. Troy believes that the co-creation of online content in Healthcare 101 is only a beginning and works with IMAGINE Citizens to connect this work to everyday conversations all Albertans are having to improve our health and healthcare experiences: http://imaginecitizens.ca/hc101/.

Dr. Lorne Tyrrell
Board Chair, Institute of Health Economics

D. Lorne Tyrrell is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Alberta. He is the Founding Director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology and has focused his research since 1986 on viral hepatitis. His work on the development of antiviral therapy was supported by CIHR and Glaxo Canada. It resulted in the licensing of the first oral antiviral agent to treat chronic hepatitis B infection – lamivudine – in 1998. Today, lamivudine is licensed in over 200 countries worldwide for the treatment of HBV. He has also been involved in the establishment of a biotech company – KMT Hepatech Inc., based on the first non-primate animal model for HCV. Dr. Tyrrell was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry from 1994-2004. Since leaving the Deanship in 2004, Dr. Tyrrell has taken on a number of important board positions in healthcare in Alberta and Canada. These include the Chair of the Board of the Institute of Health Economics, Chair of the Gairdner Foundation Board, and member of the Research Advisory Council for the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. He also has been appointed to the Science Advisory Board to Health Canada. For his studies on viral hepatitis, Dr. Tyrrell has received numerous prestigious awards including the Gold Medal of the Canadian Liver Foundation (2000), Officer of the Order of Canada (2002), Alberta Order of Excellence (2000) and Fellow of the Royal Society (2004). He was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in April 2011 and was awarded the Killam Prize Health Sciences in May 2015.