Board of Directors

Jeff Zweig

Board Chair, Executive Committee Chair

Member since

June 1, 2016

Jeff Zweig joined the Partnership’s Board of Directors in June 2016 and was elected Chair in 2022. He serves as Chair of the Executive Committee.

Mr. Zweig is a Partner, Vice-Chair, and Head of Natural Capital (Agriculture and Timberland) at Fiera Comox, a global private investment manager headquartered in Montreal and sits on six boards in that capacity.  He is also a board member of the Canadian Public Policy Forum, and has served on a number of for-profit and not-for-profit boards in the past.

Mr. Zweig holds an honours Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Laws, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Darren Larsen  

Vice-Chair, Board of Directors

Member since

October 24, 2019

Committees

Chair, Performance Committee

Dr. Darren Larsen joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in 2019. He is Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors and serves as Chair of the Performance Committee.

Dr. Larsen is subject matter consultant on health policy and technology nationally with KPMG, practices urgent care at Women’s College Hospital and teaches in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Institute for Health Policy Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. In addition, he is Chair of the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario and senior fellow at WIHV (Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care). His digital health interest includes data analytics, measurement for quality improvement and accountability, physician change and issues of scale and spread.

During his 33 years as a family physician, Dr. Larsen has been involved in many provincial and national health IT, quality and leadership initiatives in Canada. He serves on multiple digital health, primary care and quality committees for Ontario Health (Quality, Digital and Cancer Care) and the Ontario Ministry of Health.

Dr. Larsen obtained his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Alberta, Medical Doctorate at the University of Calgary and holds a Master’s Certificate in Physician Leadership from York University’s Schulich School of Executive Management.

Julien Billot

Member since

June 1, 2016

Committees

Vice-Chair, Finance, Audit & Risk Committee

Julien Billot joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in June 2016 and serves as Vice-Chair of the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee.

Mr. Billot is CEO of Scale Ai, Canada’s artificial intelligence supercluster dedicated to building the next-generation supply chain and boosting industry performance by leveraging Ai technologies. He is also an adjunct professor of HEC Montreal and the Montreal lead for two transformational programs aiming to launch and grow startups in artificial intelligence leveraging Montreal tech and business ecosystem, NextAI and the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL).

He also serves as a director in various companies and non-profit organizations. He has extensive experience in the AI, marketing, media and mobile industries, with a track record of successfully executing print to digital business transformations.

Until recently, Mr. Billot was President and Chief Executive Officer of Yellow Pages Group Corporation in Montreal, Quebec. Previously, he was Executive Vice President, Head of Media and Member of the Executive Committee of Solocal Group (formerly PagesJaunes Groupe), the publicly traded and incumbent local search business in France. Earlier experience includes serving as CEO of the digital and new business group of Lagardère Active, a multimedia branch of Lagardère Group and 13 years in senior management positions at France Telecom, notably as Chief Marketing Officer for Orange, the company’s mobile subsidiary.

Mr. Billot is also Chairman of Montreal-based company Sharethrough.

Mr. Billot is a graduate of École Polytechnique (Paris) and from Telecom ParisTech. He holds a postgraduate diploma (DEA) in Industrial Economics from the University of Paris-Dauphine.

Dr. André Corriveau

Member since

October 24, 2019

Committees

Performance Committee

Dr. André Corriveau joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in 2019. He serves on the Performance Committee.

Dr. Corriveau is a health services delivery and public health consultant who served as the Chief Public Health Officer with the Department of Health and Social Services, Government of the Northwest Territories from October 1997 to February 2009 and from June 2012 to August 2018. From 2009-12, Dr. Corriveau was Chief Medical Officer of Health for Alberta Health Services. Prior to that, he was a family physician and Director of Professional Services for the Inuulitsivik Health Centre in Nunavik, Quebec as well as regional medical officer of health in Nova Scotia.

Dr. Corriveau is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, has a Master’s in Business Administration from Laval University and a Fellowship in Public Health and Preventive Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dr. Michael Crump 

Member since

October 24, 2019

Committees

Performance Committee

Dr. Michael Crump joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in 2019 and serves on the Performance Committee.

Dr. Crump is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre where his current practice is focused on lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Dr. Crump is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and completed post graduate training in Internal Medicine and Hematology. Dr. Crump completed fellowships in Medical Oncology and Autologous Stem Cell transplantation before being appointed to the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology at The Toronto Hospital in 1992. He assumed the role of Director of the Autologous Stem Cell Transplant service at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre from 1999 to 2013 and served as Lymphoma Site Leader at Princess Margaret Hospital from 2000 to 2016.

Dr. Crump’s commitment to clinical trials through the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group (now the Canadian Cancer Trials Group) led to his appointment as Co-chair of the Hematology Site Group of CCTG and to chair of the Lymphoma Working Group.

Dr. Crump is a past member and co-chair of the Oncology Research Ethics Board at the University Health Network and the University of Toronto. He actively participated in the Breast Cancer and Hematology Committees of the Cancer Care Ontario Practice Guideline Initiative and has been involved in the Pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review since its inception.

Linda Dempster

Member since

October 24, 2019

Committees

Vice-Chair, Governance and Nominating

Ms. Linda Dempster joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in 2019 and serves as Vice-Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee

Ms. Dempster is Vice President, Professional Practice, Quality, Research and Learning at Fraser Health, where she provides strategic leadership for nursing and allied health, professional practice and clinical quality services. In this role, Ms. Dempster supports the integration, implementation and sustainment of evidence-informed quality practices and regulation across Fraser Health.

She oversees professional standards of practice, including facilitating and supporting the implementation of care models and she provides leadership to nurses and allied health professionals to support best practices and exceptional patient care. Ms. Dempster is also Fraser Health’s co-lead for the new Simon Fraser University Medical School.

Ms. Dempster has more than 30 years of experience in a variety of health care settings. Most recently, Ms. Dempster was Vice President for the Pandemic Response portfolio at Fraser Health. She was also the interim associate senior executive lead with Immunize BC, where she developed an integrated immunization strategy for the province. She has also led the Professional Practice Department with Alberta Health Services, with responsibility for provincial staffing services and professional practice. Prior to that, Ms. Dempster led the Quality and Patient Safety portfolio for Vancouver Coastal Health. She was also the 2014 winner of the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia Award of Distinction in Nursing.

Ms. Dempster is a registered nurse and holds a master degree in Leadership.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald

Member since

October 25, 2023

Committees

Finance, Audit and Risk Committee

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald joined the Partnership’s Board of Directors in October 2023 and serves on the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald is the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Newfoundland and Labrador, appointed in 2019. She received a bachelor’s degree in biology and medical degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) and completed a residency in family medicine at Dalhousie University. She received a master of public health from MUN in 2016.

Prior to her appointment as Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Fitzgerald worked in family medicine and long-term care in rural and urban areas of Newfoundland and Labrador. She has held positions of Clinical Chief of Long-Term Care and Regional Medical Officer of Health. She worked in public health policy development in the Department of Health and Community Services in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dr. Fitzgerald is Newfoundland and Labrador’s representative on the Public Health Network Council and has served on the Special Advisory Councils for COVID-19 and the epidemic of opioid overdoses. She is a member of the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health.

Dr. Desirée Hao 

Member since

October 24, 2019

Committees

Performance Committee

Dr. Desirée Hao joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in 2019 and serves on the Performance Committee. 

Dr. Hao is a medical oncologist at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC) and Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine.

Dr. Hao completed her Medical Doctorate at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, her Internal Medicine residency in Calgary, her Medical Oncology training at the University of Ottawa, and a Clinical Research Fellowship in cancer drug development at the Institute for Drug Development, Cancer Therapy & Research Centre in San Antonio, Texas.

She returned to Canada to join Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC) / University of Calgary in December 2001 where she is involved in both the Thoracic as well as Head and Neck Tumour Groups.  She shares her passion for oncology by teaching at all levels from undergraduate to post-graduate.  Her research interests include both clinical and translational work as well as a longstanding commitment to serving on the Health Research Ethics Board of Alberta – Cancer Committee. Dr. Hao is a past president of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists (CAMO) and is the current chair of the Human Resources subcommittee.

Peter Kaftarian

Member since

March 22, 2023

Committees

Finance, Audit and Risk Committee

Peter Kaftarian joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in March 2023 and serves on the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

Mr. Kaftarian was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Clinical Care and Delivery with the Ontario Ministry of Health in October 2022 where he provides oversight to the delivery of critical healthcare services, including: hospitals and capital infrastructure investment; the administration of OHIP, Ontario Public Drugs Programs and the Assistive Devices Program; and Negotiations and oversight of primary care and provider services.

Over the past 20 years, Mr. Kaftarian has steadily progressed through increasingly senior-level positions in the Ontario Public Service, continually broadening his knowledge and skills. Prior to his current role, he was the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Hospitals and Capital Division, which provided financial and policy oversight of the delivery of services in hospitals and also directly supported the Ontario Government’s significant health infrastructure investment. Previously, Mr. Kaftarian was the Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Administrative Officer with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Long-Term Care where he led the ministries’ Multi-Year Planning Process, which provides strategic and administrative management for the ministries’ annual budget.

Mr. Kaftarian has also worked in the ministries of Government Services and Solicitor General. Wherever he is, he always strives to work collaboratively with partners and stakeholders, developing and maintaining meaningful, lasting relationships.

A firm believer in leading by example, Mr. Kaftarian espouses mentorship, freely sharing his knowledge and experience with others. He champions numerous initiatives that support staff engagement and enrichment to foster an effective, desirable work environment and empower his teams to successfully deliver on the important work of the Ministry of Health.

Ingrid Kirby

Member since

June 28, 2023

Committees

Performance Committee

Ms. Ingrid Kirby joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in June 2023 and serves on the Performance Committee.

Ms. Kirby has served in the role of Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for Medical Services and Acute and Emergency Services within the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health since January 2023. She has held various roles within the Ministry of Health since 2004, with her most recent experience as Executive Director of Acute and Emergency Services Branch since 2019.

Ms. Kirby has supported or led various strategic initiatives to improve access to care, reduce wait times, and improve patient safety, including executive sponsorship of the Patient Safety Executive Committee and the Surgical Executive Steering Committee for the province of Saskatchewan.

Ms. Kirby has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Public Administration, both from the University of Regina.

David Lai

Member since

October 27, 2021

Committees

Finance, Audit & Risk Committee

David Lai joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in 2021 and serves on the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee.

Mr. Lai is an executive board leader with more than 18 years of Board experience in the health sector, including York Central Hospital (now Mackenzie Health), Central Community Care Access Centre, and until 2019 at the Central Local Health Integration Network. Mr. Lai’s board experience includes serving on finance and audit committees, patient and quality committees, governance committees and as Chair of the Audit Committee during his mandate at the Central Local Health Integration Network. During his tenure with the various boards, Mr. Lai provided strategic direction, governance oversight, and financial stewardship in delivering outstanding care and a seamless experience for people in diverse communities. Mr. Lai broadened his fundraising experience as a member of the 2021 Strides for Mackenzie Health fundraising event committee to promote support from the local community. 

Mr. Lai has 20 years of management experience in IT and telecommunications in both the private and public sectors. Mr. Lai specializes in strategic planning and life-cycle management of large-scale outsource engagements and technology transformation.

Currently, Mr. Lai is serving as the Director of Technology Infrastructure & Operations at McCarthy Tétrault. Mr. Lai is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Certified Management Accountant. He holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Jean Latreille

Member since

March 1, 2012

Committees

Observer; Performance Committee

Dr. Jean Latreille joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in 2012 as an observer and serves on the Performance Committee.

Dr. Latreille is the National Director of the Programme québécois de cancérologie. He is also full professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Sherbrooke University and a hemato-oncologist at Charles-Le Moyne Hospital.

Dr. Latreille went to medical school at McGill University, completed his residencies at Montreal General Hospital and Sacré-Coeur Hospital, and was a Clinical Fellow at M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumour Institute in Houston, Texas. He was assistant professor for two years at this institution. He also finished four years of post-graduate studies in psychotherapy at the Institut de formation humaine intégrale de Montréal in 1992.

Dr. Latreille has authored or co-authored more than 96 articles and 155 slide presentations and posters at various scientific meetings. He has also been the principal investigator and/or collaborator for over 355 protocols of clinical research at Hotel-Dieu de Montréal and Charles-Le Moyne Hospital since 1984.

Dr. Sri Navaratnam

Member since

October 26, 2022

Committees

Performance Committee

Dr. Sri Navaratnam joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in October 2022 as a representative of the Canadian Association of Provincial Cancer Agencies (CAPCA). She serves on the Performance Committee.

Dr. Sri Navaratnam, MBBS, FRCPC, PhD, is President and CEO of CancerCare Manitoba, and Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. In September 2022, she took on the role of Chair of CAPCA.

Since 2014, Dr. Navaratnam has served as President & CEO of CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB). She is committed to bringing achievable and sustainable strategies toward cancer control to Manitobans that are built upon the commitments identified in the Roadmap to Cancer Control for Manitoba 2020.

As Chair of CAPCA, Dr. Navaratnam looks forward to working closely with national health and research partners to move the cancer control agenda forward in Canada as well as globally.

Dr. Navaratnam is a strong champion of the responsibility shared by global partners to come together to improve cancer control, and of the benefits awarded when bilateral knowledge sharing occurs between countries. She has developed working partnerships with Uganda Cancer Institute and the Northern Province of Sri Lanka/University of Jaffna and is pursuing additional partnerships through collaboration with the World Health Organization and other global partners.

Dr. Navaratnam received her undergraduate medical training at the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Subsequently, she obtained her PhD from the Department of Pharmacology, University of Manitoba, as well as internal medicine residency and subspecialty training in medical oncology at CancerCare Manitoba and the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Doreen Neville

Member since

June 22, 2022

Committees

Finance, Audit & Risk Committee 

Dr. Doreen Neville joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in June 2022 and serves on the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Neville held senior administrative roles in both the healthcare system and the post-secondary education system in Newfoundland and Labrador, including Director of Research and Development, Waterford Hospital; Chief Executive Officer, Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information; administrative lead for the e-Health Research Unit of the Faculty of Medicine; Principal in the Atlantic Regional Training Centre in Applied Health Services Research; and Associate Vice President, Academic, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. She also participated in board governance on a variety of public and not-for profit organizations as Chair, Vice Chair or member.

From 1992 to 2018, Dr. Neville held a faculty appointment as Assistant and then Associate Professor, Health Policy and Health Care Delivery, Division of Community Health and Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University where she focused on teaching medical students and graduate students about healthcare delivery and health policy. Her areas of research included health promotion, the role of health information systems in healthcare delivery, and public engagement in decision-making about healthcare resource allocation.

Dr. Neville holds degrees in Nursing (BN Memorial; MSc Nursing University of Toronto) and Health Services administration (MSc. and ScD, Harvard School of Public Health). In 2002/03, she was a Canadian Associate in the Commonwealth Fund’s Harkness Fellowships in International Health Policy and Practice Innovations program and is currently a Harkness Senior Fellow.

Michelle Owen

Committees

Observer

Michelle Owen joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in 2021 as the Health Canada observer. 

Ms. Owen joined Health Canada in October of 2018 and is the Executive Director of the Programs Division of the Health Care Programs and Policy Directorate within the Strategic Policy Branch.

Prior to taking on her current role, Ms. Owen spent her career with the Public Health Agency of Canada working on files related to Maternal and Child Health, Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) relations, and Infectious Disease.

Ms. Owen holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration from Carleton University. She lives in the greater Ottawa area with her husband and two children and can often be found cheering on her kids at the soccer field.

Shannon Ryhorchuk

Member since

June 22, 2022

Committees

Chair of the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee

Shannon Ryhorchuk joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in 2022 and is the chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.  

Ms. Ryhorchuk was a Partner with the firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers where she specialized in providing audit and assurance services. She retired from public practice in June 2023.

Ms. Ryhorchuk holds the distinction of being the former leader of PwC Canada’s National Independence Office and a member of PwC’s Global Network Independence leadership team.  She is also the former Managing Partner of the Calgary Assurance Practice. 

Ms. Ryhorchuk’s other board roles include the Board of Directors of South Bow Corporation and WINS (Women in Need Society). She formerly served as a director of Mount Royal University and the United Way of Calgary & Area.

Ms. Ryhorchuk holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan and is a Chartered Public Accountant and Chartered Accountant.  She has completed the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program, earning her ICD.D designation. 

Andrea Seale

Member since

June 1, 2019

Committees

Governance and Nominating Committee

Andrea Seale joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in 2019 and serves on the Governance and Nominating Committee.

Ms. Seale is Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Cancer Society.. The Canadian Cancer Society is one of Canada’s largest health charities, funding ground-breaking research, providing a support system for all those affected by cancer, and shaping health policies to prevent cancer and support those living with the disease. Every day, Ms. Seale and her team at the Canadian Cancer Society are finding new approaches and creating partnerships to advance research, advocacy, and support for patients and caregivers.

With 20+ years of experience leading civil society organizations, Ms. Seale is dedicated to building the causes that make our world more compassionate, healthy and just.

Ms. Seale has an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English from McGill University and a Diploma in Public Relations from Mount Royal University. As a volunteer, she has served on the boards of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada, Vancity Community Foundation, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Story Money Impact and Modo Car Share.

Cheryl Smith

Member since

June 1, 2018

Committees

Chair, Governance and Nominating Committee

Ms. Cheryl Smith is a Métis of Manitoba with over 15 years of experience in relationship building with Canada’s Indigenous peoples. She joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in June 2018 and serves as Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee.

In 2023, Ms. Smith was appointed to the roster of public representatives of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba. In 2022, she was appointed as a member of the Judicial Appointment Committee for the Provincial Court of Manitoba.

Ms. Smith is retired from the position of Reeve (Mayor) of the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent, Manitoba.

She is a former Senior Analyst with the Community Engagement Branch of Manitoba Indigenous & Northern Relations. The branch is responsible for strategic development and implementation of engagement processes with Indigenous peoples in the province, as well as leadership in cultural awareness and competency, and overseeing funding of support projects in Indigenous communities.

Ms. Smith served as a Director in the Human Resource Development & Training department with the Manitoba Métis Federation. She was part of a team, involved in regular negotiations between the Federation and the federal government.

She also served as a Human Rights Investigator with Manitoba Justice and was appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission.  After the Manitoba flood of 2011, Ms. Smith was appointed to the Lake Manitoba/Lake St. Martin Regulation Review Committee.

Ms. Smith is a past member of the Interlake Eastern Regional Health Authority Board of Directors.

Ms. Smith attended Red River Community College where she received a certificate in Child Care. She also completed courses at Harvard University in Negotiations and Nation Building. She speaks English, French and Michif French, one of the languages of the Métis peoples of Canada.

Jocelyne Voisin

Member since

March 20, 2024

Committees

Governance, Nominating Committee

Jocelyne (Jo) Voisin joined the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Board of Directors in March 2024 and serves on the Governance and Nominating Committee.

Ms. Voisin is Assistant Deputy Minister at Health Canada’s Strategic Policy Branch. She returned to Health Canada in 2020 to support Canada’s efforts to fight COVID-19 after two years working in youth employment policy.

In her 10 years working at Health Canada, she was instrumental in the negotiation of the Common Statement of Principles and health agreements with provinces and territories in 2017, focused on funding for home and community care, and mental health and addictions. She occupied several executive leadership positions, including in federal-provincial-territorial relations, health product regulation, horizontal policy and public health.

Ms. Voisin also worked in social policy at the Privy Council Office, and in economic policy at Treasury Board Secretariat and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.