BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Executive Committee
- President & Chair: Dr. Kevin Samson (Physician, East Wellington Family Health Team – Rockwood)
- Vice-Chair: Dr. Crystal Holly (Clinical and Health Pscyhologist, Équipe de santé familiale académique Montfort Family Health Team - Ottawa)
- Treasurer: Ms. Diana Noel (Board Member, CarePoint Health - Mississauga)
- Secretary: Mr. Neil Shah (Executive Director, North York FHT - Toronto)
- Past President: Dr. Sara Dalo (Executive Director, Tilbury District Family Health Team - Tilbury)
Directors
- Ms. Pam Delgaty (Clinical Director and Lead NP, Lakehead Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic - Thunder Bay)
- Ms. Kaela Hilderley (Registered Respiratory Therapist, Elliot Lake Family Health Team – Elliot Lake)
- Dr. Adam Steacie (Lead Physician, Upper Canada Family Health Team - Brockville)
- Ms. Jenny Lane (Executive Director, Leeds and Grenville Community Family Health Team - Brockville)
- Mr. Rakib Mohammed (Executive Director, Credit Valley Family Health Team - Mississauga)
- Ms. Jillian Fernandez (Non-member - Toronto)
- Mr. Mike McMahon (Executive Director, Thames Valley Family Health Team - London)
- Mr. Paul Moreau (Board Chair, Petawawa Centennial Family Health Centre - Petawawa)
- Ms. Francine Janiuk (Nursing Manager, Queen's Family Health Team - Kingston)
Biographies
President and chair
Dr. Kevin Samson | Physician, East Wellington FHT – Rockwood
Dr. Samson is a family physician and IT lead at the East Wellington Family Health Team. He has been in practice in Ontario for over 30 years. He is also an Electrical Engineering specializing in computer software design and biomedical engineering and has been actively involved in the development and application of digital health solutions throughout his career.
With AFHTO, Dr. Samson has been Chair of Finance Committee, Chair of the Governance Committee, Chair of Quality Steering Committee, and is now President and Chair of the Board. He also maintains active leadership and advisory roles with a number of other organizations including OntarioMD, the eHealth Centre of Excellence, Ontario Health, the Centre for Effective Practice, Diabetes Action Canada, the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre, MACcellerate, and Khure Health. He is the Clinical Lead for Digital Health and Privacy and Security for the Guelph Wellington Ontario Health Team, an executive member of the Guelph Physician Association, co-Chair of the Diabetes Action Canada Research Governing Committee, Chair of the OntarioMD TELUS Practice Solutions Community of Practice, and an assistant clinical professor (adjunct) with the Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University.
Vice President
Dr. Crystal Holly | Clinical and Health Pscyhologist, Équipe de santé familiale académique Montfort FHT - Ottawa
Crystal Holly earned her PhD in clinical psychology from McGill University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in behavioural medicine at McGill University as well as a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital focusing on health and clinical psychology. She has conducted research on factors influencing health behaviour change and she has published numerous peer-reviewed articles. She has presented at international conferences on the relationship between psychological factors and physical health as well as promoting physician health-care provider wellness. Crystal has experience as the mental health team coordinator at ESFAM. As a bilingual clinician, her clinical practice and research has focused on health promotion and illness prevention in the primary care setting. In addition, she has played a founding role in re-establishing a mental health provider network for psychologists, social workers and counselors practicing in primary care settings in the Champlain LHIN.
Treasurer
Ms. Diana Noel | Board member, CarePoint Health - Mississauga
Diana Noel is a board member of CarePoint Health, an interprofessional care team of primary care physicians and allied health professionals working together to improve the health and wellness in Mississauga. From 2012 to 2023, Diana was the executive director of Village FHT, a family health team with a special focus to provide high quality primary care for people with serious mental illness.
Diana holds an B.Comm from Queen's University and a MHSc from University of Toronto. She has worked in the Ontario health system for her entire career in both public and private corporations. Diana completed the Not for Profit Governance training through the Institute for Corporate Directors. Diana is an active volunteer in her community.
SECRETARY
Mr. Neil Shah | Executive Director, North York FHT - Toronto
Neil Shah thrives working in new and undefined areas to build strategy, teams, resource plans and infrastructure to achieve an envisioned state. He champions diversity and equity and aims to practice inclusion. His experience includes academic and community hospitals, government agencies, and health and social service organizations. Currently, he is the Chief Executive Officer for North York Family Health Team, an academically-focused team based primary care practice with offices across North York. In addition to his Board role with AFHTO, he currently serves on the Board for VON Canada and Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services. Previous governance experience includes being a Board Director and Chair of Sherbourne Health. His approach to leadership is collaborative, partnering with experts and stakeholders to help define a vision, plan, and process to meet collective goals. He enjoys travelling, exploring new places and cultures, and has called Toronto home for most of his life.
PAST PRESIDENT
Past President: Dr. Sara Dalo | Executive Director, Tilbury District Family Health Team - Tilbury
Sara Dalo is a researcher and the executive director at the Tilbury District Family Health Team. Prior to this she was Manager of Quality, Experience and Patient Safety at Windsor Family Health Team. Sara previously supported nine family health teams across the Erie St Clair region in her role as a quality improvement decision support specialist (QIDSS). Her work experience also includes working as a decision support analyst at Windsor Regional Hospital, providing expertise, data analysis, evaluation and quality improvement for stakeholders both internal and external to the organization. Sara has served on multiple local, regional and provincial committees. Sara graduated from McMaster with a MSc in eHealth and from Wayne State University with a PhD in Performance Measurement and Evaluation. Her specialization includes organizational effectiveness, quality improvement, data analytics, operational excellence and team development. She has also completed several professional development courses, including CIHI Health System Performance Workshop and Human-Centered Design for social innovation.
DIRECTOR
Ms. Pam Delgaty | Clinical Director and Lead Nurse Practitioner, Lakehead NPLC - Thunder Bay
Pam is a Nurse Practitioner and the Executive Director for the Lakehead Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. After obtaining her nursing degree from Lakehead University in 1990, Pam travelled extensively across Europe and Asia. For ten years after that, Pam worked in the Canadian North, the U.S. Correctional System, and as a medical officer for the Canadian Coast Guard. Pam returned to school and graduated from the Nurse Practitioner Program at Lakehead University in 2000 at the top of her class. After graduation she worked at the Norwest Community Health Centre for ten years. She has been with the Lakehead Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic since February 2011.
Pam has had the privilege of representing the North as well as Nurse Practitioners on the AFHTO Board since 2020. She is also the current Clinical Quality Lead for Ontario Health representing Northern Ontario.
DIRECTOR
Ms. Kaela Hilderley | Registered Respiratory Therapist, Elliot Lake FHT - Elliot Lake
Kaela Hilderley has been a Respiratory Therapist with the Elliot Lake Family Health team since 2012. Since taking the position she has expanded the role of Respiratory Therapy within her team, and community as she is the sole Respiratory Therapist in a city of 10 000 people, and almost 100 km radius.
Her dedication and support of health education led her to get certified as a Respiratory Educator and a Bachelor’s degree in Education specifically for Adult Education. She has represented the interest of primary care at multiple provincial tables, including as a Past President of the Respiratory Therapy Society of Ontario and a current director for the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario. She is currently enrolled in a Master’s of Health Administration program where she will continue to advance the interests of primary care, with the foundational knowledge of respiratory care and education.
DIRECTOR
Dr. Adam Steacie | Lead MD, Upper Canada FHT - Brockville
Dr. Adam Steacie is a family physician at the Upper Canada Family Health Team in eastern Ontario. He also works in Long Term Care and as a member of the Brockville General Hospital Palliative Care Team providing community and inpatient Palliative Care. His professional passions include Palliative and End of Life Care and Vascular Prevention. Adam has experience in the Ontario Health System as a former Chief of Staff of the Brockville General Hospital and has a keen interest in health policy. He has experience on the boards of the Ontario Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association. Adam is very excited in the potential for Ontario Health Teams, to allow for the transformation in healthcare delivery that Ontario and the rest of Canada has been seeking for decades. Adam believes that AFHTO is uniquely positioned to assist primary care in driving the transformation in Ontario.
DIRECTOR
Ms. Jenny Lane | Executive director, Leeds and Grenville FHT - Brockville
Jenny Lane is the executive director at the Leeds & Grenville Community Family Health Team, a community sponsored unionized FHT. She is also a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner. Jenny brings over 20 years' clinical experience across the various health care sectors in clinical leadership, program development, and strategic planning. Jenny is well versed in collective agreements and contract negotiations.
Jenny graduated from Queen’s University with a Master’s of Science and PHC-NP. She is currently pursuing post-graduate studies in health care law from Dalhousie University. Jenny is also a Certified Health Executive (CCHL) and a reviewer for the Canadian Centre for Accreditation.
Jenny has been actively involved for several years in local, regional and provincial committees including the AFHTO leadership council, ED Mentorship Program, and the Alliance Resource Management Committee.
DIRECTOR
Mr. Rakib Mohammed | Executive Director, Credit Valley FHT - Mississauga
Rakib is a clinical physiotherapist by training and has extensive clinical and leadership experience in healthcare, relationship building and financial planning. He currently holds the Executive Director role at the Credit Valley Family Health Team (CVFHT). Prior to joining CVFHT, Rakib was the VP of Home and Community Care (HCC) at the North West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). Earlier in his career he also held various leadership roles within the seniors and community care division of Alberta Health Services (AHS).
As part of his graduate level work he engaged various community agencies in Ontario to establish a decision making framework for the allocation of therapy services. The recommendations generated from his work was peered reviewed and published in the Physiotherapy Canada journal.
DIRECTOR
Ms. Jillian Fernandez | Toronto
Jillian Fernandez is a dedicated public policy professional that is aware of the benefits which are derived from collaborative care and understands the complexities in working with governments to deliver equity to all Ontarians. Jillian also serves on the Board of Abilities to Work, a non-profit organization focused on accessibility and inclusion in the workforce for persons with disabilities. As an experienced government relations professional, she hopes to work together with industry leaders to represent the interests of fellow Ontarians and promote the opportunities for patients that are possible through coordination and collaboration. Understanding the strategies required to advance public policy and lobby objectives within the constraints of a business environment in a highly regulated environment is a challenge that Jillian believes her skills and experience make her uniquely positioned to advise on.
Jillian holds a master’s degree in Public Service from the University of Waterloo. She also holds a BA in Political Science & Public Administration from the University of Ottawa and is currently completing her MBA from Ivey Business School Western University.
DIRECTOR
Mr. Mike McMahon | Executive Director, Thames Valley Family Health Team - London
Mike McMahon is a long time resident of Woodstock, Oxford County along with wife and their 5 children. Mike has served as the Executive Director, Thames Valley Family Health Team since 2018. Prior to this, Mike served as Executive Director with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Oxford and Schlegel Communities Long Term Care. Mike is a graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University, MBA and the Rotman School of Management, Advanced Health Leadership.
Mike constantly strives for a health system that collaborates, innovates and integrates to serve people and communities in the way that they would dream of being served.
DIRECTOR
Mr. Paul Moreau | Board Chair, Petawawa Centennial Family Health Centre - Petawawa
Paul Moreau is the retired Chief Administrative Officer of the County of Renfrew and a former Senior Manager with the Government of Ontario. Paul is a Register Professional Planning (RPP) with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and a Certified Municipal Official (CMO-R) with the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario. As the Chief Administrative Officer of the County of Renfrew, he cultivated essential management competencies overseeing the management of two long term care homes, Paramedic Services, Social Services, Public Works and Engineering and the Planning Department. His forte lies in managing financial resources and fostering a robust workforce that ensured organizational efficiency while working in a dynamic political environment.
Throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to acting as the face of policy representations for the County and Ontario's government across various government levels, interacting with private sector stakeholders and elected officials. His approach is founded on consultation and consensus-building.
He continues to be actively involvement in local boards like Family and Children’s Services of Renfrew County and the Petawawa Centennial Family Health Centre and stands firm in his belief that an engaged and committed community member is integral to steering local initiatives toward success.
DIRECTOR
Ms. Francine Janiuk | Nursing Manager, Queen's Family Health Team - Kingston
Francine is the Nursing Manager at Queen’s Family Health Team. She obtained her BScN from Laurentian University. Over her career, she has worked as an RN in acute care, in an in-patient psychiatric unit, in Public Health offering pre-natal supports, in community mental health, and most recently in primary care.
She completed her Masters Degree in Public Administration at Queen’s University in 2015. She has been involved in policy development and clinical interdisciplinary program development and evaluation through her employment at Queen’s University.
She has a passion for promoting primary care access for all and in expanding the scope and reach of interdisciplinary teams. Francine has been at Queen’s Family Health Team since 2009.