Physician Testimonials

Alumni Program for Early Career Health Leaders

Program Design

The highly rated nine month Early Career Health Leaders Program integrates 1:1 coaching by experienced leaders, who serve as mentors, with the Health Leaders Dialogue Series.

The experience is offered to IHPME and DLSPH alumni who have graduated since 2016 and are working full or part time in health leadership. (Leadership is broadly defined to include leadership positions or roles in health organizations as well as leadership in health advocacy or community development.) Applications for the 2023 program are NOW OPEN.

The program is designed to provide a positive learning experience that includes the following:

Evidence based leadership self assessment related to the capacities of effective leaders in early career stages;
Readings, reflection and authentic conversation about contemporary leadership in health;
One to one coaching and support to progress on leadership development goals.

At successful completion of the program, participants will be issued proof of enrolment and expense receipts for continuing education and tax purposes. Physicians are eligible for continuing medical education (CME) credits from both the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Canadian College of Family Physicians. Eligibility for CCHL continuing education credits is available.

Apply Now!

2023 Leadership Mentors & Program Faculty

Kaiyan Fu, RN CHE CHRP MHSc.

Vice President, Seniors Health and Chief Clinical Executive,

St. Elizabeth Health

Kaiyan is a Registered Nurse, Certified Health Executive and Certified Human Resources Professional. As Vice President, Senior’s Health & Chief Clinical Executive at SE Health, Canada, she provides leadership to leverage best-in-class clinical approaches for defining organizational protocols, standards, and leading practices, monitor quality and safety performance, and implement continuous improvement across all clinical programs with a national scope. Kaiyan also provides executive leadership to more than 10 senior’s living facilities in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario.

Kaiyan’s career path includes Chief Executive Officer at the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care; Director of Nursing Innovation and Change Management at St. Michael’s Hospital; National Health Services Consulting Manager at Deloitte and Provincial Chief Nursing Officer with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.

Kaiyan is currently a Board of Governor and a member of the Board’s Quality Committee at North York General Hospital and has served on the Boards of Accreditation Canada, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and the Canadian College of Health Leaders GTA Executive Committee.

Dr. Jocelyn Charles

Family Physician and Medical Director,

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Mentor, Certificate Program for Early Career Leaders

Jocelyn is currently a family physician in the Sunnybrook Academic Family Health Team, the Primary Care Clinical Co-Lead for North Toronto, and the Medical Director of the Veterans Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Her previous leadership roles included Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee and Chief of the Department of Family & Community Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Her work has focused on developing patient-centred models of care to meet the needs of patients with complex needs. She was recently recognized by the College of Family Physicians of Canada as the Family Physician of the Year for Ontario in 2019.

Tatum Wilson

CEO, Children's Mental Health Ontario

Tatum Wilson is the CEO of Children’s Mental Health Ontario. He has over 20 years of experience in multiple health and social policy environments, including government, academic health science centres, and advocacy organizations. His accomplishments include overseeing the development of Ontario’s first Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy and managing the development and implementation of Ontario’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy. Tatum has an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from McMaster University and a Master of Health Science in Health Administration from the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. He is a passionate promoter of equity and social justice issues and a leader in community engagement, communications and advocacy.

Sophia Ikura

Executive Director, Health Commons Solutions Lab

Sophia is a health policy professional with over 10 years of experience in executive roles in health care. She has held senior executive roles inside government, in Crown Agencies and more recently raised 5 million in funding and have successfully started up a health policy innovation lab. As an advisor to three Ontario Health Ministers and to a Provincial Premier, Sophia has developed a strong record as a strategic thinker and problem solver. She has extensive experience in translating complex policy concepts into tangible plans and successful implementation of key health system results and initiatives as well as expert knowledge of priority provincial health care initiatives and government decision making processes. Sophia has served as Senior Director of Strategy, Community Engagement for the Toronto Central LHIN as well as Senior Advisor to the Office of the Premier and the Minister of Health and Long Term Care of Ontario.

Joy Richards

Vice-President Patient Experience and Chief of Health Professions, University Health Network

Mentor, Certificate Program for Early Career Leaders

In addition to her role at UHN, Dr. Richards is a Past-President of the Academy of Canadian Executive Nurses (ACEN) and holds academic appointments at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Nursing, and York University Faculty of Nursing. Dr. Richards graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Nursing. She went on to complete a Master of Arts in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara California. Her dissertation focused on exploring and understanding the development and practice of feminine courage in leadership. Dr. Richards has received numerous awards and honours. Most recently, in 2019, Dr. Richards was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing as a Fellow (FAAN).

Dr. Sandy Buchman

Freeman Family Chair in Palliative Care and Medical Director of The Freeman Centre for the Advancement of Palliative Care at North York General Hospital

Sandy is a palliative care physician and an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Division of Palliative Care at the University of Toronto and McMaster University. He is the Freeman Family Chair in Palliative Care and Medical Director of The Freeman Centre for the Advancement of Palliative Care at North York General. From 2019-2020, he served as President of the Canadian Medical Association and is also a past president of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario College of Family Physicians. From 2005-2019, he provided home-based palliative and end-of-life care with the Sinai Health System’s Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care and with the Palliative Care and Education for the Homeless (PEACH) Program of Inner City Health Associates in Toronto. Sandy is a founder and medical lead of a new residential hospice (Neshama Hospice) currently being built in the Toronto Area. He is the 2020 recipient of the W. Victor Johnston Award by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. This award recognizes a renowned Canadian or international family medicine leader for continuous and enduring contributions to the specialty of family medicine in Canada or abroad.

Ralph Kern, MD, MHSc

President and Chief Medical Officer, Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.

Ralph joined Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics from Biogen in March 2017 where he was Senior Vice President and led Biogen’s global medical organization. He was previously General Manager of a global biologics franchise in the Personalized Genetic Health Business Unit at Genzyme Corporation and subsequently led the US Neuroscience Medical Organization at Novartis Corporation.

Prior to joining the biotechnology industry, he was head of the academic neurology program at the University of Toronto and practiced neuromuscular neurology at Mount Sinai Hospital and the University Health Network in Toronto. He was chair of the Mount Sinai Health Information Committee and supported several Canadian health information initiatives.

Ralph completed medical school at Queens’ University in Kingston Ontario, post-graduate neurology training at McGill University and the University College London UK, is board certified in neurology and neuromuscular disease, and completed the MHSc program in Health Administration from the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto in 2003. Subsequently while at Novartis, he attended the executive education program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Wendy Nelson

Founder and Project Lead, Vernissage Health
Senior Fellow, IHPME

As a experienced executive and mentor, Wendy is founder of Vernissage Health - a leadership development initiative based at IHPME that connects emerging and established leaders together in dialogue about leadership in health. The aim is to develop emerging leaders with the skills and insights to successfully lead positive change in Canada's health system. As a Senior Fellow within IHPME, Wendy's work with Vernissage Health garnered her receipt of the Arbor Award in 2018 for outstanding service to the University of Toronto.

Bringing deep experience, Wendy has served as a senior executive in a broad range of settings in the private and public sectors including North York General Hospital in Toronto, Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga, St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton, Rx Canada and the Ontario Public Service.

Wendy is one of a handful of Canadians who are alumni of the Leadership Academy offered through Parker Palmer's Centre for Courage and Renewal in Washington. She is also a graduate of McGill University's International Masters of Health Leadership, a global leadership development initiative.

Malcolm Moffat

Vernissage Health Co-Lead
Senior Fellow, IHPME
Executive in Residence, MHSc Program, IHPME

Malcolm is a seasoned administrator, with over 30 years experience in health care. He has a Masters of Health Science in Health Administration, from the University of Toronto.

Malcolm has held various positions in health care starting his leadership career at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Toronto Bayview Regional Cancer Centre. Malcolm was the Vice President, Planning/Facilities & Chief Planning Officer at St. Michael’s Hospital where he completed an $80 Million addition to the Hospital to accommodate the programs and services of the Wellesley Central Hospital.

Malcolm was President and Chief Executive Officer of St. John’s Rehabilitation Hospital, a Regional Rehabilitation Teaching Hospital, from 2003-2012. He spearheaded the Hospital’s development into a premier rehabilitation facility for complex patients and led the merger of St. John’s Rehabilitation Hospital with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Malcolm served Executive Vice President, Programs, at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre from 2012 until his retirement in 2018.

Malcolm is the Vice Chair of the SPRINT Seniors Care Board of Directors, and a member of the Board of Directors of CorHealth.

How to Apply to the Alumni Program!

Applications for the 2023 series are now OPEN.

Applicants should please submit the following documentation to Vernissage@utoronto.ca.

An up to date CV or resume
Completion of the registration survey

If you have questions, please contact Wendy Nelson, Project Lead at wendy.nelson@utoronto.ca.

Register for an Information Session

To learn more about the 2023 programme, join the Project Team for a one-hour online information session on one of the following dates:

No Information Sessions Currently Scheduled
Individuals should contact wnelson@rogers.com for more information.

Please register at https://www.vernissagehealth.com/event-details/2023-applications-now-open-early-career-health-leaders-program.