Board of Directors

Dr. Calvin Stiller

Calvin Stiller, Professor Emeritus, The University of Western Ontario (UWO)

Dr. Calvin Stiller is a lifelong innovator whose work encompasses science, business and public service. As a scientist, Stiller was principal investigator on the Canadian multi-centre study that established the effectiveness of Cyclosporine in transplantation, which led to its worldwide use as first-line therapy for transplant rejection. He has published 265 scientific and medical papers, co-edited five books and is the author of Lifegifts, a book about organ transplantation.

In 1985 Stiller established the Multi-Organ Transplant Service in London and served as its chief for over a decade. He has been president of the Canadian Society of Nephrology and co-founded the MaRS Centre, the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine and the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. Dr. Stiller is also an entrepreneur and businessperson. He founded two firms that eventually employed 4,000 people in health care and technology services, which were later sold and taken public. He established four venture capital funds to invest in innovation, including the largest life sciences fund in Canada. He has also founded three companies that have provided seed funding for 50 technologies and created over a quarter of a billion dollars in economic activity.

Stiller received his medical degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1965 and his fellowship in the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCPC) in 1972 following seven years of post-graduate studies in Edmonton and London, Ontario. He is a member of the Order of Ontario and officer of the Order of Canada. He is the recipient of four Honorary Degrees and the Canada Wightman Gairdner Award.

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Ms. Janet Davidson

Janet Davidson, Canadian Head of the Global Healthcare Center of Excellence, KPMG

Ms. Janet Davidson is currently the Canadian Head of KPMG's Global Healthcare Center of Excellence. She was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of the Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga. She is a nurse and has a BScN from the University of Windsor and a MHSA from the University of Alberta. With over 30 years health care management experience in the voluntary, hospital and government sectors in Alberta, BC and Ontario, Janet is also a strong supporter of volunteerism and has spent over 30 years as a volunteer with the Red Cross/Red Crescent, including 10 years on the Boards of the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement.

She is an Officer of the Order of Canada and received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Windsor. In 2009 and 2010 she was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and in 2011 was named one of Canada's Top 25 most influential women.

Davidson serves on the Boards of Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC) and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). She was also recently elected as Chair of the Board of the Ontario Hospital Association.

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Mr. Peter Fullerton

Mr. Peter Fullerton is with Grant Thornton, a leading Canadian accounting, auditing and business advisory firm. He has a strong audit background that crosses several sectors.

Fullerton is very involved in community organizations. He is the convenor of the board of governors of Knox College, University of Toronto. He is the former chair and board member of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and currently is a member of the Hospital’s Business and Audit Committee. He is a board member of the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation and the Huron University College Foundation and is a member of The Presbyterian Church in Canada Audit Committee.

Fullerton received a BA from Huron University College, University of Western Ontario. He has been a chartered accountant since 1974 and became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in 2003. He is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

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Mr. Mark Lievonen

Mark Lievonen, President, Sanofi Pasteur Limited

Mr. Mark Lievonen is president of Aventis Pasteur Limited, the leading provider of vaccines in Canada. He has been with the company since 1983.

Prior to his appointment as president, Lievonen served as senior vice-president and general manager of the oncology business unit. In 2004, he was appointed to the board of directors of Calgary-based Oncolytics Biotech Inc., a research firm. He is also a member of the board of directors of BIOTECanada and served as Chair from 2000 to 2003.

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Mr. John Morrison

John Morrison, Former Group President, MDS Inc

Mr. John Morrison is a retired chief executive and an active corporate director of leading companies and voluntary organizations. He has been responsible for operations in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia, and for customers in over 60 countries. He has experience dealing with Health Canada and equivalent regulators in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

Morrison served as group president, health care at MDS Inc. from 2003-2005, and in other positions at MDS from 1991. He previously served as president and CEO of Laidlaw Waste Systems and for two divisions of Toronto-based CCL Industries, and prior to that in a variety of roles at Continental Can Canada leading up to terms as chair, president and CEO.

Morrison graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. His volunteer experience includes membership and chair of the board of directors of Shad International, which operates a science program for gifted children, and a member of the International Expert Committee of Accreditation Canada. He is the former vice-chair of the University of Guelph board of governors.

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Dr. Benjamin G. Neel

Benjamin G. Neel, Director and Senior Scientist, Ontario Cancer Institute

Dr. Benjamin G. Neel is the Director and Senior Scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI), the research arm of the University Health Network’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

Previously, Neel was a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Cancer Biology Program at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston. He also served as the Deputy Director for Basic Research, Hematology Division at BIDMC from 2003-2007. He was appointed to the William B. Castle Chair of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in 2006.

Neel is an internationally recognized expert in the field of cellular signal transduction, with particular expertise in the biology and regulation of protein- tyrosine phosphatases. He was the inaugural recipient of the Gertrude Elion Award of the American Association for Cancer Research. He has also received a Junior Faculty Research Award from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and a National Institutes for Health (NIH) MERIT award. He has served on study sections and ad hoc review panels for the NIH, American Cancer Society (Massachusetts Division), the California Tobacco and Breast Cancer Research Programs, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Starr foundation. He also was a long time member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Ceptyr, Inc, is a current member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Kolltan Pharmaceuticals, and is a consultant for Novartis, Inc.

Neel earned a PhD in Viral Oncology from Rockefeller University in 1982 and an MD from Cornell University Medical School the following year. He then completed internship and residency in Medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, and is board-certified in Internal Medicine.

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Dr. David Parkinson

David Parkinson, President and CEO, Nodality Inc

Dr. David R. Parkinson is president and CEO of Nodality Inc., a research company working on patient-specific treatments. He was previously senior vice-president, oncology research and development of the San Diego-based biotechnology firm Biogen Idec. In this role, he oversaw all oncology discovery research efforts and the development of the oncology pipeline. During his tenure at Biogen Idec and in his previous position as senior vice-president, oncology development at Amgen, he was been responsible for clinical development activities leading to a series of global drug registrations for important cancer therapeutics.

Parkinson worked at the National Cancer Institute from 1990 to 1997, serving as chief of the Investigational Drug Board, then as acting associate director of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program before leaving for a position at Novartis. He had previously also held academic positions at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas and New England Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine. Currently, Parkinson serves on the National Cancer Policy Forum of the Institute of Medicine and is a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Science Board. He was recently elected to the board for directors of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) and is the chair of its finance committee.

Parkinson received his MD from the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in 1977 and internal medicine and hematology/oncology training in Montreal at McGill University and then in Boston at the New England Medical Center. He is a past Chairman of the FDA Biologics Advisory Committee and is a recipient of the FDA’s Cody Medal.

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Mr. Allan Rock

Allan Rock, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Ottawa

Mr. Allan Rock is the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ottawa. A lawyer by training, Rock conducted a varied practice in civil, commercial and administrative litigation for over 20 years. He was a frequent lecturer to members of the Bar in Continuing Legal Education, and taught at the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University.

In 1993, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Etobicoke-Centre and named Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. In that capacity, he introduced significant improvements to the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and other federal legislation.

Rock became Minister of Health in 1997, where he spearheaded the creation of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and more than doubled annual health research funding on a national scale. Subsequently, as Minister of Industry and Minister of Infrastructure, he introduced Canada’s innovation strategy, was responsible for Canada’s three granting councils and introduced legislation to create the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation to promote applied research in the social sciences and the humanities.

Rock was appointed Ambassador of Canada to the United Nations in December 2003. As the voice of Canadians at the United Nations, Allan Rock was an outspoken advocate of human rights, human security and reforming the UN. Rock has received a number of awards including honorary degrees from the Law Society of Upper Canada (1996) and the University of Windsor (1997). He received the Meritas-Tabaret Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Ottawa in 2007.

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Mr. Graham Scott

Graham Scott, President, Graham Scott Strategies Inc;
Graham Scott, Counsel, McMillan LLP

Mr. Graham Scott is a senior partner at Toronto law firm McMillan Binch Mendelsohn. He leads the public policy and government issues practice, with a focus on health care issues. He serves as chair of the board of the Canadian Institute for Health Information and as a director on several boards, including that of pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur.

Scott has extensive experience in governance in the voluntary sector and in the assessment of boards and management teams in both the voluntary and public sectors. A lawyer since 1968, Scott has served as associate secretary of the provincial cabinet, deputy minister of environment and deputy minister of health.

Scott graduated from the University of Western of Ontario with a BA in 1965 and an LLB in 1966. His many honours include the Order of Canada and an appointment as co-chair of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on Government Restructuring and membership in its successor organization, the Advisory Committee on Public Service.

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Dr. Michael Sherar

Michael Sherar, President and CEO, Cancer Care Ontario (CCO)

Dr. Michael Sherar is President and CEO of Cancer Care Ontario. He is also a professor of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto.

From 2006 to 2011, Sherar served as Cancer Care Ontario’s Vice-President of Planning and Regional Programs. In this role, he led the development of regional cancer programs and the Ontario Cancer Plan, including capital planning for cancer services across the province. He previously served as regional vice-president, cancer services, London for Cancer Care Ontario, and vice-president, London Regional Cancer Program (LRCP), London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).

Sherar received a BA in physics from Oxford University and a PhD in medical biophysics from the University of Toronto. In 2001, he was selected as one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 for achievements in leadership.

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Dr. Douglas John Paul Squires

Douglas John Paul Squires, Former Chairman of the Board, Biovail Corporation

Dr. Douglas John Paul Squires recently retired as Chairman of the Board of Biovail Corporation, where he had previously served as the Chief Executive Officer. Previously, he held a number of senior positions at MDS Inc and The Upjohn Company/Pharmacia Upjohn including President of MDS Pharma Services and President of the Upjohn Company of Canada. Squires received a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto and a PhD in biophysics from the University of London. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Cancer Research (England) and the Ontario Cancer Institute.

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Ms. Leslee Thompson

Leslee Thompson, President and CEO, Kingston General Hospital (KGH)

Ms. Leslee Thompson is President and CEO of Kingston General Hospital (KGH) and an assistant professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University. Her 25-year healthcare career has spanned both the public and private sectors. She has held senior executive positions in leading organizations such as the University Health Network, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Cancer Care Ontario and Capital Health (Alberta). Most recently she was Vice-President, Health System Strategies for Canada with Medtronic, a global medical devices company.

Thompson is Vice-Chair of the Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario (CAHO) and becomes Chair of CAHO in June 2013. She also sits on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Hospital Association, the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and the Technology Evaluation in the Elderly Network a National Network Centre of Excellence funded by the Government of Canada, that focuses on improving care for seriously ill elderly patients and their families. Thompson served on the board of Shoppers Drug Mart for six years and is a certified Corporate Director (ICD.D)

Thompson earned her MBA from the University of Western Ontario, a Masters of Nursing degree from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelors of Nursing degree from Queen’s University.

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Ms. Susan Thompson

Susan Thompson, President, Susan Thompson Consulting Inc.

Ms. Susan Thompson is currently the President of Susan Thompson Consulting, a privately held company specializing in providing consulting services to the Business Analysis profession.

Thompson has spent more than 35 years in the Software and Financial Services sectors, having held numerous senior management positions, notably at Bank of Montreal, IBM and 724 Solutions and CIBC.Throughout her career she has focused on Business/Systems Analysis,Project Management, User Interface Design, Process Engineering and Organizational Change Management. Her most recent position was Director of Business Analysis at CIBC, where she was responsible for streamlining methodology and processes, and establishing a Centre of Excellence for 600 Business Analysts in both business and technology. She retired from CIBC in May 2010.

As a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Business Analyst Professional(CBAP), Thompson has been actively involved in many industry organizations and served on numerous advisory boards. Additionally, she is a member (and Chair – 2005) of Dragons Abreast – a dragon boat organization whose mission is to raise breast cancer awareness and encourage those with breast cancer to lead full and active lives.

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Dr. Dave Williams

Dave Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer, Southlake Regional Heath Centre

Dr. Dave Williams is the President and CEO for Newmarket-based Southlake Regional Heath Centre and Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining Southlake in July 2011, Williams was the Director of the McMaster Centre for Medical Robotics at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and a Professor in the Department of Surgery of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. Dr. Williams also previously held the position of Chief Medical Officer of Quality and Safety at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

In 2007, Williams served as a NASA mission specialist on STS-118, the 119th space shuttle flight, the 22nd flight to the station, and the 20th flight for Endeavour. Williams took part in three of the four spacewalks; setting a Canadian record, he spent 17 hours and 47 minutes outside.

Williams’ many affiliations and awards include: Member of Sea Space (2010), Board Member for the Canadian Foundation for the International Space University (2009-2010), Board Member for the Centre for Surgical Invention and Innovation (2009), Science Ambassador for the Ontario Science Centre, Board Member for the Spinal Cord Injury Solutions Network (2008 - 2010), Member of the Minister’s Space Advisory Panel (2008-2010), Board Member for Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (2008), A Fellowship in The Explorer’s Club (June 2008), the NASA Exceptional Service Award (June 2008), Honorary Board Member of Neuroscience Canada (May 2008), Member of the Canadian Commission for Antarctic Research, the NASA JSC Space and Life Sciences Directorate Special Professional Achievement Award for the implementation of the Automatic External Defibrillator Program that has saved several lives at the NASA Johnson Space Center(2003), the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal (2002), Patron of the International Life Saving Federation (2002), and Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (2000).

Williams is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons and the College of Family Physicians of Canada. He is also a member of the College of Physicians of Ontario,the Ontario Medical Association, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society, and the Aerospace Medical Association.

Williams graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, with a Bachelor of Science, Major in Biology (1976). He obtained a Master of Science from the PhysiologyDepartment, a Doctorate of Medicine and a Master of Surgery from the Faculty of Medicine,McGill University (1983). He was awarded honorary degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, McGill University, the University of Wales, and Queen’s University.

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