Steering Committee

Mary Ferguson-Paré is Vice-President, Professional Affairs and Chief Nursing Executive at University Health Network, and Associate Professor, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. She has held senior nursing management and executive positions in the acute care and long-term care sectors and has extensive institutional and community nursing experience. Dr. Ferguson-Paré has focused her professional and academic activities on organization and management development within health care and the development of leaders who promote autonomous professional practice and a client-centred approach to service. She holds a BScN (UofT); MPH (University of Minnesota); and an MA in Organization Development and Ph.D. in Human and Organizational Systems (Fielding Institute).

Mary Gospodarowicz is Medical Director of the Cancer Program at University Health Network and Regional Vice President of Cancer Care Ontario. She is also Professor and Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto and Chief of the Radiation Medicine Program at Princess Margaret Hospital. Dr. Gospodarowicz has a major interest in cancer staging and prognostic factor classification and currently chairs the Task Force on Prognostic Factors for the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) TNM Committee. In the past 10 years she has co-edited three books in this area. She holds an MD (UofT) and specialty certifications in internal medicine, medical oncology and radiation oncology.

Esther Green is Provincial Head, Nursing and Psychosocial Oncology at Cancer Care Ontario and holds faculty appointments at the University of Toronto and McMaster University. Her areas of interest include care delivery models, oncology nursing, health human resource planning, patient satisfaction and safety, and advanced practice nursing. Ms. Green is currently co-investigator on studies focusing on the recruitment and retention of oncology nurses (nationally) and on evaluating role implementation of APN positions in cancer centres in Ontario. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care.

Members

Paul Alofs is President and CEO of The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. He also has extensive experience in the private sector, previously holding executive positions with HMV Music Stores, BMG Music Canada, The Walt Disney Company and MP3.com. Mr. Alofs was named one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40TM business leaders in 1995, and in 2005 was an inaugural inductee into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends. He has been elected to the International Cancer Foundation (ICF) in Geneva and serves on the Board of Equitable Trust (TSE:ETC). A graduate of the University of Windsor, Mr. Alofs holds an MBA from York University.

Denise Bryant-Lukosius is Assistant Professor in the McMaster University School of Nursing and Senior Researcher for the CHSRF/CIHR Chair in Advanced Practice Nursing. An academic clinician, she also practices as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Juravinski Cancer Centre. She has held a Clinical Research Fellowship in Malignant Urology at the Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre and a CHSRF/CIHR Post-doctoral Fellowship. Her post-doctoral research focused on advance practice nursing roles in cancer care delivery. Dr. Bryant-Lukosius holds a BScN (McMaster University), a Masters of Community Health Nursing and Education (D’Youville College of Buffalo) and a PhD in Nursing (McMaster University).

Vanessa Burkoski is Provincial Chief Nursing Officer with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. She has practiced nursing for 24 years in Windsor in both the community and hospital sector and held a variety of clinical and administrative positions including: Director of Emergency and Critical Care Services; Community Health Nurse; Health Promotion Coordinator; Primary Care Nurse Practitioner; Clinical/Theoretical Instructor- Nurse Practitioner Program; and Program Manager. Ms. Burkoski holds a BScN, MScN and Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate (University of Windsor). She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Health Administration. Her dissertation work involves a quantitative causal-comparative study of the effect of non-urgent and less urgent emergency department visits on overcrowding.

Pamela Catton, MD MHPE FRCPC, is a practicing radiation oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and a professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. She has an interest in health education for both patients and providers and has been involved in the design, implementation and delivery of a wide range of education programs at the hospital and university level. She holds a number of leadership positions including Director Oncology Education at PMH, and Vice Chair Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto. She is the Drew-Butterfield Chair in Breast Cancer Survivorship, and the Medical Director, PMH Breast Cancer Survivorship Program, which has an academic focus on increasing patient self-care competencies.

Barbara Fitzgerald is Director of Nursing at Princess Margaret Hospital and a Clinical Nurse Specialist in locally advanced breast cancer. She has taught at the University of Alberta, University of British Columbia and University of Toronto and is committed to integrating research into the care of the patient/family. Ms. Fitzgerald applies a broad range of theories and relevant research to her clinical practice in caring for women diagnosed with breast cancer. She holds an MScN from the University of Pennsylvania.

Doris Howell is RBC Chair, Oncology Nursing Research, University Health Network; Scientist, Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Ontario Cancer Institute/Princess Margaret Hospital; Adjunct Scientist, Cancer Care Ontario and Assistant Professor, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. Dr. Howell leads an academic program of research regarding outcomes and effectiveness of care delivery models and complex symptom interventions, particularly the role of beliefs and meaning on symptom outcomes. She holds her PhD from the University of Toronto.

Pam Hubley is the Associate Chief of Nursing Practice at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. She has been a nurse for over 20 years. Always learning and keen to take on new leadership experiences, she is an active advocate for family centred care and collaborative practice. In addition to her leadership responsibilities, she maintains an active clinical & research appointment as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Burn Program at SickKids. She is cross-appointed to the University of Toronto, Faculty of Nursing and has a keen interest in graduate nursing education, fostering Advanced Practice Nursing roles, and building interdisciplinary collaborations that contribute to evidence based practice. Pam has previously held positions such as Recruitment and Retention Specialist, Policy Advisor & Project Consultant at the Ministry of Health in Ontario and Clinical Director of the Post Masters Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program at the University of Toronto. She has taught courses and been an invited guest lecturer at both Ryerson University and the University of Toronto. She has been an active member of several Boards and professional organizations. Pam obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Western Ontario (1987), a Master of Science from the University of Toronto (1993), and an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner diploma from the University of Toronto (1995). In addition, she has taken several courses in the Nurse Anaesthesia Program from the State University of New York (1997-99). Pam is a nursing leader who is known for her commitment to professional nursing and for building collaborative practices that advance child & family health.

Nancy Lefebre is Chief Clinical Executive and Senior Vice President Knowledge & Practice for Saint Elizabeth Health Care. She recently became one of the first nursing leaders in Canada to complete the Executive Training for Research Application (EXTRA) Fellowship program and is now leading the integration of evidence into management decision making throughout the organization. Ms. Lefebre has more than 20 years of experience in the North American health care sector. Her focus has been on community care, from front-line practice to management, as well as the development of new business and clinical leadership. She holds a BScN and MScN.

Claire Mallette is Director of Nursing Education, Placement and Development at University Health Network. Her portfolio focuses on fostering lifelong learning through leading and developing professional development initiatives and opportunities for staff across the learning continuum. Dr. Mallette’s career is diverse, with roles in administration, academia, research and clinical practice. She has adjunct appointments at York University and the University of Toronto and has had the opportunity to practice and teach nursing in Quebec, Alberta and Ontario. She holds her BScN (McGill University), and her Masters and PhD in Nursing (University of Toronto).

Sioban Nelson is Dean and Professor of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. A leading international nursing scholar, she is author of two books and four edited collection including ‘Say little do much’: nursing, nuns and hospitals in the nineteenth century, (2001) and coeditor of Complexities of Care: Nursing Reconsidered, (2006), a work on the challenges facing contemporary nursing. Dr. Nelson is also Editor-in-Chief of Nursing Inquiry, a leading international journal. Her current research interests include the investigation of the impact of the Rockefeller Foundation on global nursing in the mid-twentieth century; the assessment of competency in professional practice; the regulation of health professionals; and skilled migration issues and healthcare.