Governance

Having spent his early years in rural Manitoba, Chris graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelors of Commerce degree (1980) and subsequently from Queen’s University in Kingston (1981) with an MBA in Finance. He went on to enjoy a career spanning almost four decades with the TD Bank Financial Group and as a member of the Senior Management Team was, in his last several roles, responsible for the Business Banking operations in the four western Provinces, the three northern Territories, Ontario District, and Quebec. He earned the ICD.D designation in 2009. Chris has been actively involved in charitable work his entire adult life and is currently is the Chair of the CHEO Research Institute board, a Member of the Investment Committee of the CHEO Foundation, a member of the joint Governance Committee between CHEO Research Institute and CHEO, a member of the Investment Committee at Carleton University and a member of the Finance Committee at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Additionally, Chris is a twenty year board member of First Nations Bank of Canada, a chartered bank with offices across the country with a major focus in the far north, that caters to the needs of Indigenous peoples, First Nations, and various Indigenous enterprises. Chris and his wife Karen split their time between their home in Ottawa and their lake home outside of Perth, Ontario. They have three adult sons each with wonderful partners.

Margo Crawford is a Canadian thought leader on small and mid-sized businesses (SMB), including SMB leadership, succession and strategy. She values knowledge sharing and often speaks both as a key note speaker and panelist for national events. As the Founder and CEO of the Business Sherpa Group (BSG), a business management solutions company, she has grown BSG over the past 14 years to support over 400 small and mid-sized businesses throughout Canada and internationally. Prior to BSG, Margo was co-founder of Meriton Networks, an optical telecom start-up, and was instrumental in raising over $75M in equity financing and M&A expansion strategies. She currently sits on the board of the Ottawa Network for Education (Chair of Governance/HR Committee) and CHEO Research Institute and previously served on the boards of Digital Opportunity Trust and the Canadian Museum of Nature Foundation. She is also a member of the ICD Executive Committee – Ottawa Chapter, the Venture Development Committee of Invest Ottawa and the Ottawa Board of Trade SME Council. She mentors several business peer groups as well as individual CEOs. Margo was named Businesswoman of the Year, Women’s Business Network and HR Professional of the Year by the HR Vision Awards.

Catherine Eckenswiller is a lawyer with over 20 years of experience advancing commercialization of technology in the public and private sectors. She is currently legal counsel with Queen’s University. Prior to joining Queen’s in 2021, Catherine established and led the legal group of an Ottawa-based vaccines company (VBI Vaccines Inc.) from its early stage in discovery research to regulatory approval of its first commercial product. Prior to joining VBI, Catherine spent 6 years with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), where she was leader of the Intellectual Property Portfolio Management group. Prior to NRC, Catherine was in private practice with two national law firms, focussing on business, financing and intellectual property transactions. She is a fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) and former chair of the IPIC Technology Transfer Committee. She has extensive experience working with non-profit organizations and has served as a member of the Board and Corporate Secretary of UNICEF Canada and as a member of the Board and Corporate Secretary of the Caring and Sharing Exchange. Catherine is a graduate of the University of Waterloo (B. Sc. Hons. Co-op, M. Sc.) and received her law degree from Western University. She is called to the Bar of the Province of Ontario and is a registered patent and trade-mark agent.

Currently working as a Fractional CFO supporting multiple organizations, Lisa Mayhew is a CPA with more than 20 years of experience in the Finance and HR fields. Lisa specializes in budgeting and forecasting, strategic planning and support, risk management, contract negotiation, mergers and acquisitions, securing financing (debt and equity), and treasury management. Lisa has a history of working with not-for-profit and charitable organizations, both in a CFO capacity and as a Board member. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Centre for Sexual Abuse and Childhood Trauma. As a parent, Lisa is passionate about the work being done by the CHEO RI in helping to enhance the lives of children in our community and beyond.

Mr. Parm Gill is a serial entrepreneur with a myriad of start-up experience having launched several technology businesses over his career. As Managing Partner of the Gill Group, he acts as a strategic advisor, mentor, investor, and connector for start-up companies. He brings with him the experience and expertise of guiding the growth and development of numerous startup companies, with a focus on strategic planning, business development, fundraising, and intellectual property development and commercialization. His passion for entrepreneurship is equally matched by his passion for giving back to the community through active involvement with a number of charitable and non-profit organizations. You can find out more about him at LinkedIn.com/in/ParmGill, where he can also be contacted, and he can be found on Twitter @ParmSGill

Justin Ferrabee is an experienced entrepreneur, having co-founded several businesses, including Fieldless Farms (which grows produce indoors in Ontario) and Ollie Quinn (an in-store and online glasses/sunglasses retailer). He is also a transformational leader having driven challenging, large scale change in dynamic, complex, multi-stakeholder environments across geographies and cultures, including his previous role as Chief Operating Officer at Payments Canada. Mr. Ferrabee is a leading expert on large-scale organizational transformation with over 25 years of experience in the field, as both an executive and a consultant. He has worked with complex and sophisticated global companies (e.g. British Telecom, Unilever, Philips) and has been involved in many advanced and challenging public sector transformations, working across the political, executive and operational levels in federal, regional and municipal governments. Previously, Mr. Ferrabee was the President and Managing Partner of TotemHill Consulting, an international management consulting firm focused exclusively on large-scale transformation projects. He also held vice-president and senior vice-president positions with CapGemini and Calian Technologies. Mr. Ferrabee’s family, including children Lincoln and Levi, have been strongly supported by CHEO. Lincoln, who was born with cerebral palsy, has been a CHEO patient since birth and was also a student at CHEO’s school.

Heidi Elmoazzen, PhD, is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare sector, holding multiple senior leadership roles throughout her career. She has expertise in cell therapy manufacturing, stem cell transplantation, and biopreservation. Heidi currently serves as the Regional Director of International Operations, Client and Global Assessment Services at the Health Standards Organization (HSO) and Accreditation Canada (AC). Prior to joining HSO and AC, Heidi spent a decade with Canadian Blood Services, where she was instrumental in establishing Canada’s National Public Cord Blood Bank. As Director of Stem Cells, she led initiatives in cord blood banking, stem cell registry, manufacturing, and research. Following her tenure there, she transitioned to a private biotechnology firm, overseeing cell therapy manufacturing for novel personalized cancer treatments. Heidi holds a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the University of Alberta, where she focused on cryobiology. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital and later became an instructor at Harvard Medical School and Assistant in Bioengineering within the Departments of Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology. Heidi is an active member of several national and international committees and has made significant academic contributions, with over 60 journal publications, two book chapters on stem cell preservation, and numerous presentations at national and international conferences.

Natalie Evans is a Partner and Head of Assurance at the Ottawa accounting firm GGFL and is a member of the firm’s Partner Executive Committee. She joined GGFL in 2001 and during the past 20 years has worked with clients and families in a wide range of industries, to provide tailored advisory services to owner-managed businesses. She was named a GGFL partner in 2016 and the firm’s Head of Assurance two years later. Natalie also served for seven years as Treasurer and executive board member of The Ottawa Food Bank. As a Partner in a public accounting firm and a business owner, she brings extensive business and accounting expertise to the CHEO Research Institute’s diverse governance team. A mother of two, Natalie is proud to be contributing to the CHEO RI mission and the opportunities in medical advancements it brings to families for both life-changing and life-saving opportunities.

Sapna Mahajan is an executive leader with more than 15 years of national and international experience in the health field, specifically leading public affairs, research, policy, and program implementation. She is currently the Director of Genomics in Society at Genome Canada responsible for providing strategic leadership to enhance awareness of genomics across the country and bridge the research-policy nexus. For more than a decade, she was Director of Programs and Priorities at the Mental Health Commission of Canada, where she led ground-breaking work in the areas of workplace mental health, peer support, e-mental health, and suicide prevention. In 2018, she was recruited to spend two years at Treasury Board Secretariat leading government-wide efforts in the areas of diversity, inclusion, mental health, and wellness. Prior to joining the Commission, Sapna worked at the Queen’s Center for Health Services and Policy Research, as well as the William J Clinton Foundation and the Centre for International Health and Development. Sapna holds a Masters in International Public Health – Health Policy and Management from Boston University. She is a Canadian Healthcare Executive and a Project Management Professional. In 2015, she was chosen to participate in the Governor General Canadian Leadership Conference. She is an active community member volunteering with several charities and not for profit organizations, including as a Board member of the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre and Mindful Employer, founding member of the Guardian Council for the United Kingdom based organization Togetherall, and as an International Expert Advisory Committee member for Aga Khan University’s Brain and Mind Institute.

Steve Read is the Acting President & CEO at the CHEO Foundation, bringing to the role over 25 years of executive leadership in healthcare and private industry. Prior to his current role, Steve was the Vice President Finance & Administration at CHEO Foundation, and held executive roles in the hospital sector, including Vice President Corporate Services & Chief Financial Officer of Brockville General Hospital, and Deputy Chief Financial Officer at CHEO. He joined the world of healthcare after holding CFO and Vice President of Operations roles for a large international manufacturing firm. Steve has served on many volunteer governance boards and advisory boards in the healthcare sector (hospitals, community care and long-term care), education and financial sectors. He is currently a Trustee and Treasurer for the CHEO School Authority, and sits on the advisory board for a junior golf tour. Steve’s community volunteer work also includes several years as head coach or assistant coach for minor hockey, minor soccer, and junior golf. He is a Rotarian and past president of the Rotary Club of the 1000 Islands. Steve is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Advanced Health Leadership Program, and the Ivey Business School’s CommunityShiftTM program. He is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA), holds a Bachelor of Accounting (BAcc, Honours) from Brock University, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Athabasca University in Alberta. He is currently enrolled in a certificate program in Fundraising Management.

Dr. Lindy Samson is the Chief of Staff and Chief Medical Officer at CHEO. Appointed in April 2016, she is responsible for organizing the activities of the medical staff and for ensuring the quality of clinical care and patient safety. In addition, she is a staff physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases, she holds an academic appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine and is a Clinical investigator at the CHEO Research Institute. Her academic and research work is focused on pediatric HIV, the impact of social on the health of children and youth and teaching/evaluating the Health Advocate and Leadership Roles across the continuum of learners.

Lucie Thibault, PhD, is professor and dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. She has worked at Brock University, at The University of British Columbia, and has been a visiting scholar at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and at the RheinAhr Campus of Koblenz University of Applied Sciences. In 30 years of teaching, Lucie has taught organizational theory, ethics in sport, globalization of sport, governance and policy, and social issues in sport. Lucie serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics as well as the European Sport Management Quarterly. She has previously held the role of editor of the Journal of Sport Management. She is a member of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and was named a NASSM research fellow in 2001. In 2008, Lucie was awarded the Earle F. Zeigler Award from NASSM for her scholarly and leadership contributions to the field. Her research interests lie in the formation, management, and evaluation of cross-sectoral partnerships in sport organizations. She also investigates the role of the Canadian government in sport excellence and sport participation and government involvement in developing sport policy. She has been an invited speaker featuring her research in many conferences around the world. Her research has appeared in numerous scholarly journals such as the Journal of Sport Management, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Human Relations, Leisure Studies, European Sport Management Quarterly, International Journal for Sport Policy and Politics, and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. She is co-editor of Contemporary Sport Management (2018, Human Kinetics) and Sport Policy in Canada (2013, University of Ottawa Press).

Jason is a beneficiary of the Labrador Inuit Land Claim Agreement and is of Inuit and Acadian heritages. He has dedicated his professional life to intensive and focused efforts towards the empowerment of Indigenous communities. Jason’s life has represented a mix of traditions and modern for Inuit in urban Canada. Growing up, Jason spent summers with his grandparents in their homelands, while graduating from Acadia University with an English degree and later Algonquin College with a Project Management certification. He is an experienced executive and leader with a proven track record in organizational design and development. Leading Tungasuvvingat Inuit as the Executive Director and then delivering executive service as a consultant with Big Bay Consulting led to an opportunity with the Federal Government spanning 20+ years of progressive executive experience. Currently a senior policy advisor to the Deputy Minister of CIRNAC, Jason has a reputation of achieving results with integrity and professionalism and being an effective communicator. He is an experienced advocate who has worked with all levels of government to support collaborative systemic change.

Vera Etches assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer at CHEO on March 3, 2025. With over two decades of leadership in public health, Vera brings a steadfast commitment to enhancing community well-being and improving access to health services for populations facing barriers. Before joining CHEO, Vera served as Ottawa’s Medical Officer of Health since 2018, where she led Ottawa Public Health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her guidance, Ottawa Public Health was recognized for its innovative approaches and community engagement, particularly in communications across multiple channels in diverse languages. Growing clinical services in neighbourhood health and well-being hubs, and collaborating with organizations providing culturally appropriate settings, help to support populations who have experienced racism in the healthcare system. Vera holds a Bachelor of Science from Simon Fraser University, a Medical Doctorate from the University of British Columbia, and a Master of Health Science from the University of Toronto, where she also completed a Fellowship in Community Medicine. She began her career at the Sudbury & District Health Unit in 2005, holding various leadership roles, including Associate Medical Officer of Health, Acting Medical Officer of Health, and Director of Clinical Services. In 2009, she joined Ottawa Public Health as Associate Medical Officer of Health, later becoming Deputy Medical Officer of Health in 2014, and Medical Officer of Health in 2018. An advocate for integrating research into clinical practice, Vera has been published in peer-reviewed journals and has presented at numerous provincial and national conferences. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa, where she supervises medical residents in Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Family Medicine. Vera’s leadership has been acknowledged through various accolades, including the Key to the City of Ottawa in June 2022 for her exceptional service during the COVID-19 pandemic. As CHEO’s President and CEO, Vera is poised to lead the organization into a new era of pediatric health care, reinforcing its vision of providing the best life for every child and youth.

Dr. Doug Manuel holds the position of Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and is a distinguished professor at uOttawa’s Department of Family Medicine and School of Epidemiology and Public Health, holding a Tier 1 Clinical Research Chair in Precision Medicine for Disease Prevention. Dr. Manuel holds an additional appointment as a senior investigator at Bruyère Research Institute. He has served as a primary care physician in rural, remote and underserviced communities for over 30 years. Dr. Manuel’s research combines expertise in public health, healthcare systems, and primary care, focusing on understanding factors contributing to differences in population health outcomes across societies. This research involves developing and using advanced predictive algorithms and microsimulation models to assess the potential impact of health interventions and policy strategies. Dr. Manuel collaborates on Project Big Life, a website with disease risk calculators, helping millions globally to understand their health and contribute to evidence-based public health decisions.

Dr. Jocelyn Côté was appointed Vice-Dean of Research and Innovation in 2019 and reappointed for a second term in January 2025. Dr. Côté completed his PhD in microbiology at the Université de Sherbrooke in 1998. Following a postdoctoral fellowship with the Department of Paediatrics at Washington University, he went on to complete a senior postdoctoral fellowship at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research at McGill University. A full professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Dr. Côté has been a member of our faculty over 15 years. He was Assistant Dean of Research and Special Projects from 2014 to 2019, during which time he led a number of large-scale space expansion and infrastructure projects. His leadership in promoting research space and resource optimization, as well as continued expansion and improvements to the Faculty of Medicine’s Core Facilities, have ensured that researchers across the Faculty of Medicine and affiliated hospital research institutes have access to state-of-the-art facilities, technical expertise and training to enable them to perform leading-edge research and remain competitive on the world stage. Dr. Côté leads a highly productive research program focusing on the role of arginine methylation, a post-translational modification often harbored by RNA binding proteins, in the regulation of post-transcriptional mechanisms and how these novel molecular pathways are misregulated in human pathologies such as spinal muscular atrophy (a motor neuron disease), myotonic dystrophy, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and cancer. His research interests are currently divided between three broad axes: (i) investigating how arginine methylation of various RNA binding proteins regulates their function in physiological and pathological settings, (ii) the normal function and role in disease of Tudor domain-containing proteins, which serve as ‘readers’ and effectors of the arginine methylation mark, and (iii) the contribution of arginine methylation to cancer development and progression. His previous work has demonstrated that the Tudor domain of survival motor neuron (SMN) protein, the causative gene for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), serves as a methyl-binding protein-protein interface involved in the assembly of various RNA-protein complexes, including so-called axonal RNA granules. This work has led to his laboratory’s discovery of several novel roles for SMN in motoneurons, with crucial implications for understanding SMA pathophysiology and the development of new therapeutic approaches. Their study of another Tudor-containing protein called TDRD3 led to the discovery that this protein uses methyl-binding properties to regulate selective protein translation and promote progression of breast cancer toward a more aggressive state. Dr. Côté also leads several projects on the role of specific protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMT1v2, PRMT6 and PRMT7) in breast cancer. Targeting these various novel regulatory pathways represents promising avenues for the development of new therapies to reduce progression to metastatic breast cancer, improve response to existing therapeutic regiments and overall favour better survival outcomes. Dr. Côté was selected for a highly competitive Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award in 2005, received a Distinguished Young Professor Award in 2008, and held the Canada Research Chair in RNA Metabolism in Health and Disease from 2005 to 2015. He has made outstanding contributions to research excellence at the University, including the discovery of novel regulatory pathways and key insights into various disease mechanisms, opening new avenues for the development of future therapeutic approaches for neuromuscular diseases and cancer. Dr. Côté’s research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Cancer Research Society, and CureSMA.

Dr. Jason Berman is the CEO and Scientific Director of the CHEO Research Institute and the Vice-President Research at CHEO. He is also a Full Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Previously he served as Associate Chair, Research, Department of Pediatrics, and Professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology & Immunology and Pathology at Dalhousie University and interim Vice President Research, Innovation and Knowledge Translation for the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist and internationally recognized for pioneering research using zebrafish to study childhood cancers and rare inherited diseases. His laboratory has served as the Atlantic node of the Centre for Drug Research and Development and a national hub for zebrafish modeling of orphan diseases. He has served as president of the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation, president of the Canadian Hematology Society and is a founding member of the Canadian Rare Disease Models and Mechanisms Network. He is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the national Maternal Infant Child and Youth Research Network and a member of the board of the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Cancer Research.