Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman

MD

Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman (she/her) is an allergist and clinical immunologist based in the Greater Toronto Area, primarily in Mississauga. She is also an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) of Pediatrics at McMaster University. Dr. Abdurrahman is deeply committed to advancing healthcare equity, particularly for equity deserving communities, as evidenced by her involvement in initiatives like the Black Scientists Taskforce on COVID-19 Vaccination Equity and the Black Health & Vaccine Initiative in collaboration with Black Physician Association of Ontario (BPAO). With a multifaceted career, Dr. Abdurrahman wears numerous hats, juggling her clinical practice, academic responsibilities, and leadership roles. Beyond her clinical and academic pursuits, she is deeply engaged in organizational governance, serving on the board of directors for the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and OntarioMD (OMD). She has also been the chair of the OMA’s Governance and Nominating Committee (GNC) since 2021.

As of May 2024, she is the president elect of the Ontario Medical Association.

Dr. Gail Beck

MD, CM, FRCPC

Dr. Beck is the Interim Chief of Staff and Psychiatrist-in-Chief at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. Her permanent role is Clinical Director of Youth Mental Health. She is a Past President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada and the Academy of Medicine Ottawa. Dr. Beck was the Treasurer of Medical Women’s International Association from 2004 until 2017 and represented that organization as a delegate to the World Health Assembly and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She has also represented Canada at the World Health Assembly and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

As President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada from 2006-2007, Dr. Beck led the campaign to have the HPV vaccine funded in Canada. Through her efforts, the Canadian government pledged $300 million annually to vaccinate young women against human papillomavirus.

From 2007 until 2017, Dr. Beck represented Eastern Ontario on the Board of the Ontario Medical Association. Dr. Beck served as Chair of the Physician Services Committee and the Governance Committee. In 2016, Dr. Beck was elected Chair of the Ontario Medical Association Board of Directors. She continues to serve as the Chair of the OMA Physician Human Resources Committee.

Dr. Beck represented Ontario on the Board of the Canadian Medical Association from 2008 until 2014. She served as Member-at-Large on the Canadian Medical Association Board’s Executive Committee. She was Vice Chair of the Board from 2013 to 2014. Dr. Beck has also served on several government expert panels. In 2000, she served on the Expert Panel on Health Human Resources in Ontario. In 2003, she served on the Technical Advisory Committee for Tax Measures for Persons with Disabilities. In 2017-2018, Dr. Beck was on the Council of Canadian Academies’ Expert Panel on Medical Assistance in Dying, on the Mature Minors Subcommittee.

In her community, Dr. Board served on the Executive Committee of Opera Lyra Ottawa. She also served as a Trustee on the Board of the National Museums of Science and Technology. She is a Past Chair of the Board of Governors of Algonquin College.

In 2002, Dr. Beck was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for Service to her community and in 2011, she was awarded the Order of Ontario, the Province of Ontario’s highest honour. In June 2012, she received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Dr. Vivien Brown

MDCM, CCFP, FCFP, NCMP

Dr. Vivien Brown is a family physician and author living in Toronto. Educated at McGill University, she currently is appointed to the Department of Family & Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, holding the rank of Assistant Professor. An award winner for teaching on many levels, her major interests are in the area of health promotion and prevention for women, and continuing medical education, Adult Immunization and Vaccine Preventable Illness. The College of Family Physicians of Ontario named Dr Brown “Physician of the Year for the Region of Toronto”, awarded November 2012. She is the Past President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada and is immediate past Vice President for North America for the Medical Women’s International Association. Recently she was named one of Canada’s most influential women by the organization Women of Influence, for her work on advocacy on HPV vaccine for Canadians.

In March 2017, she was honored to present HPV initiatives in Canada at the UN meetings for the Commission on the Status of Women. In 2018 she was honored with the Media Award from the North American Menopause Society for her work in Women’s Health. She also received the May Cohen Award from the Federation of Medical Women of Canada for her work in Women’s Health.

Dr. Brown is a valued and contributing member of the Board of Directors for Women’s Brain Health Initiative. Vivien is an advocate that enhances WBHI’s efforts to reach more and teach more women, families, caregivers, and communities on how to protect their brain health as they age and their cognitive memory that enables them to live independently and make their own life-choices and financial decisions. Her most recent book, “The New Woman’s Guide to Healthy Aging” was recently published to rave reviews.

Jan Christilaw

MD, FRCSC

Dr. May Cohen

OC

Honorary Co-Chair, 100th Anniversary AGM and Educational Conference, Federation of Medical Women of Canada

Dr May Cohen OC has been a trailblazer and advocate for women’s health and in particular the impact of gender on health. For the Medical Women’s International Association, she wrote manuals on Gender Mainstreaming in Health and Adolescent Sexuality. She was recruited to McMaster University from her private practice in Toronto. At McMaster, she founded the Women’s Health Office, the first such office in any Canadian medical school. She was an advocate for advancing the careers of women physicians, and was a role model when she became Associate Dean of Health Services in the Faculty of Health Sciences. She chaired the Gender Issues Committee at both the Ontario Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association. Her achievements have been so far reaching that she has received a number of recognitions including the Order of Canada and was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. She has had numerous awards named in her honour, including FMWC’s most prestigious award which recognizes a Federation member who personifies her legacy and her unique ability to transfer the vision of the FMWC into living action in support of women physicians and women’s health.

Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh

MD, CCFP

President-Elect, Federation of Medical Women of Canada

Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh is an impassioned visionary leader. As immediate Past President of Doctors of BC, she played an instrumental role in BC’s recent healthcare transformation and created the first of its kind Health and Justice Alliance, an intersectoral allyship between doctors and lawyers to help transform the family justice system.

She currently serves on the Physician Services Committee, BC Coroners Service Illicit Drug Toxicity Death Review Panel, the Provincial Digital Health Leadership Committee and the Governance and Nominating Committees. Additionally, she chairs the Awards Committee for Doctors of BC.

Dr. Dosanjh has served on the Doctors of BC Representative assembly since its inception and was the President of BC Family Doctors in 2018-2019. She initiated the formation of the Provincial Child Youth Mental Health Substance Use Community of Practice and also participated on the Child Health BC board and White Rock South Surrey Division of family practice for four years.

She is a mother to 3 daughters, an author, family doctor & hospitalist. She is fiercely dedicated to social justice, healthcare equity and disrupting systems by challenging the status quo.

Jacalyn Duffin

CM, MD, PhD, FRCPC, FRSC, FCAH

Jacalyn Duffin, MD, PhD, is a hematologist and historian who held the Hannah Chair of the History of Medicine at Queen’s University from 1988 to 2017.

A former President of both the American Association for the History of Medicine and the Canadian Society for the History of Medicine, she is the author of eleven books and many articles, holds several awards for teaching and research. She is a Member of the Order of Canada (2020) and a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Canada (2012) and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2013). In May 2019, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the AAHM (from historians) and was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (from physicians). A supporter of medical humanities, she was a contributing editor of the online Literature, Arts and Medicine database from 1995 to 2024.

Her research focuses on disease, technology, religion, and health policy. She runs an activist website for the current drug shortage problem and a collaborative translation project for the 17th-century Latin author Paolo Zacchia. Her book Stanley’s Dream (2019) is on the history of the Medical Expedition to Easter Island, led by Canada in 1964-65. Her COVID-19: A History appeared in fall 2022.

Dr. Renée Fernandez

MD, CCFP

Dr. Renée Fernandez is a physician leader who is committed to transforming healthcare to create health, healing and justice for all.

She has been an indefatigable force for primary care reform in British Columbia. As the Chief Medical Officer of BC Family Doctors, Dr. Fernandez harnessed the power of grassroots physicians and their representative organizations to turn the tide of an escalating crisis in family medicine. She is the architect of the Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model, an innovation in physician compensation that is transforming the BC healthcare system.

Dr. Fernandez is a pioneer for improved diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine. She has lobbied for enhancing DEI in multiple physician and healthcare organizations. She is working to improve gender-related equity in care and the gender pay gap in medicine.

Dr. Fernandez is a thoughtful, courageous, and inquisitive leader. Her charisma and positive energy make her a popular speaker, from small gatherings of physicians to quality improvement seminars to the 2022 Equity in Medicine conference. She believes in the power of relationships and community to achieve meaningful change. She is passionate about building a community of physicians empowered to drive radical change beyond the boundaries of the healthcare system.

Mamta Gautam

MD, MBA, FRCPC, CPDC, CCPE, CPE

Co-Chair, 100th Anniversary Planning Committee, Federation of Medical Women of Canada

Mamta Gautam is an internationally renowned psychiatrist, consultant, certified coach, author and speaker. Focused on Professional Health and Well-being since 1990, she is a trailblazer in this field and is known as the “The Doctor’s Doctor”. She holds leadership roles in several national medical organizations to advise on issue of Physician Wellbeing. In the past 2 decades, she has expanded her work to include Leadership Development to better address system-level factors that impact the wellbeing of healthcare workers. She has created podcasts and videos on these topics, and authored articles, book chapters, and 2 international best-selling books. She brings this knowledge and expertise to PEAK MD, through which she delivers keynote presentations and workshops, consults to healthcare organizations and coaches senior medical leaders internationally.

Dr. Gautam is committed to advancing diversity in medicine, and facilitates leadership development for women in medicine. She has developed and co-leads Momentum, a 6-day retreat for women in medicine; and recently founded The Raft, an accredited online platform for leadership development, peer support and community for women physicians.

She is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards for her innovative work to support and mentor her healthcare colleagues. She is the inaugural recipient of both the 2011 CMA Physician Misericordia Award, as well as the 2023 AFMC Wellness Award. She has been awarded.

Santanna Hernandez

MD

Honorary Co-Chair, 100th Anniversary AGM and Educational Conference, Federation of Medical Women of Canada

Dr. Santanna Hernandez is a new Indigenous Resident at the University of Calgary's Rural Medicine program in Medicine Hat, AB. She got involved with the work of the Federation early on in her medical education and attributes the mentorship and support of the incredible women in this organization for a significant portion of her success. Throughout her early years in medical education she was privileged to serve as the First Indigenous President of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students. She went on to hold a variety of leadership positions locally, provincially and nationally, including going into her third term as the student director for the Canadian Medical Association. She continues to advocate and publish in the areas of Indigenous health and dismantling structural barriers in medicine.

Dr. Ojistoh Horn

MD, MSc, BSc, CCFP

Dr. Ojistoh Horn is Kanienkeha:ka (Mohawk) is from Kahnawake where she lives with her family. Her father is from Akwesasne, where she currently works. She is a family physician taking care of her people through all stages of the lifecycle. Supervising medical students and family medicine residents during their rural rotations in Akwesane, she emphasizes the complexities of providing primary care to indigenous peoples and their communities. Drawing on both Western and Traditional paradigms, working with like-minded physicians across the country, with a focus on the effects of the environment and pollution on health, she promotes the inclusion and support of traditional knowledge and ‘ways of being’ into a framework for providing wholistic and primary care to her people.

Dr. Dalia Karol

MD

Dr. Dalia Karol is currently a 5th year Resident Physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Karol has been a board member of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada for the past 6 years, and is currently serving as vice honorary secretary. Her previous roles with the FMWC includes having served as the resident representative to the board, the medical student representative to the board, vice chair of the communications committee, and facilitator and panelist at the annual general meeting. Dr. Karol is also a past winner of the FMWC Medical Student Leadership Award and the FMWC Enid Johnson MacLeod award. Dr. Karol’s research interests lie in using medical education interventions to improve women’s healthcare. Dr. Karol’s commitment to education has been recognized with a variety of teaching awards at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Anne Niec

MD, FRCPC

Dr. Anne Niec is a professor in Paediatrics at McMaster University. She is a clinician educator and has had many leadership positions in education, administratively and clinically. She is the Director of the Gender and Health Initiative and Lead in Professionalism for the Faculty of Health Science. Her clinical work is in the area of child maltreatment where she is an educator on Trauma and Violence Informed Care and Family Violence. She is a qualified professional and executive coach whose interest is in coaching individuals within healthcare. She is an active member nationally with the Federation of Medical Women of Canada and past president. Her interests include areas of social justice, trauma and violence informed care, professionalism and civility, and the hidden curriculum.

Sen. Rebecca Patterson

OMM, MSM, CD

Rear-Admiral (Ret’d) The Honourable Rebecca Patterson, OMM MSM CD is a 34 year Canadian Armed Forces veteran.

A registered nurse by training, Senator Patterson enjoyed a rewarding career with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). As a provider and executive health leader, she worked in military healthcare delivery, education, training, and operational and strategic planning, both at home and on international deployments. On promotion to Flag (General) Officer, she was the first person with a military nursing background ever lead at that rank. With a passion for service, Senator Patterson has lead in many different domains in CAF. From serving as the Defence Champion for Women, addressing sexual misconduct and leading culture change efforts in the CAF, to commanding Canada’s 14th health system, the Canadian Forces Health Service at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, she has always been focused on creating healthy work environments and uplifting others. She has been a strong advocate to transform the culture, eliminate harmful behaviour, and re-establish public trust in the Canadian military. Senator Patterson was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada in 2014, and inducted as an Officer in the Order of Military Merit in 2018. She is also the recipient of numerous other honours and awards, including the Ontario Premier’s Award for Excellence in Health Sciences for Ontario College Graduates, and the Niagara College Canada Distinguished Alumni Award. She remains an active member of the College of Nurses of Ontario, the Canadian College of Health Leaders, and the Royal Canadian Medical Service Association. Senator Patterson is now the first CAF woman veteran to be appointed to the Senate of Canada, where she remains committed to serving Canadians and ensuring CAF members, their families, and veterans have their voice represented. She lives in Ottawa with her family.

Dr. Jane Philpott

MD

Honorary Co-Chair, 100th Anniversary AGM and Educational Conference, Federation of Medical Women of Canada

Dr. Jane Philpott is the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Director of the School of Medicine at Queen's University, and CEO of the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization based in Kingston, Ontario. She is a medical doctor, a Professor of Family Medicine, and former Member of Parliament. Prior to politics, Jane spent the first decade of her medical career in Niger, West Africa. She was a family doctor in Markham-Stouffville, Ontario for 17 years and became Chief of Family Medicine at Markham Stouffville Hospital in 2008. From 2015 to 2019 she served as Canada’s Minister of Health, Minister of Indigenous Services, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government. She played a lead role in policies that shaped Canada: bringing Syrian refugees to Canada; legislating Medical Assistance in Dying; negotiating a health accord with resources for mental health and home care; improving infrastructure for First Nations to provide clean water on reserve; and reforming child welfare to reduce the over-apprehension of Indigenous children. She is currently the Chair of the Ontario Health Data Council and is a Commissioner to the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

André Picard

André Picard is one of Canada’s top health & public policy observers and commentators. He has been a part of The Globe and Mail team since 1987, where he is a health reporter and columnist. He is also the author of five bestselling books. Picard is an eight-time nominee for the National Newspaper Awards, Canada’s top journalism prize, and past winner of the prestigious Michener Award for Meritorious Public Service Journalism.

He was named Canada’s first “Public Health Hero” by the Canadian Public Health Association, as a “Champion of Mental Health” by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health, and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, for his dedication to improving healthcare.

A graduate of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, André has received honorary doctorates from six universities, including UBC and the University of Toronto. He is a seasoned communicator who employs a conversational style to reach his audience. Additionally, he enlivens his research and commentary with personal stories to provide context for his audience. Fluently bilingual, André will enlighten and pique a sense of curiosity of audience members from all educational backgrounds. Behind the placid exterior lies an inquisitive, perceptive and industrious scribe for whom the work only begins with the official story. The University of British Columbia recently announced André Picard as one of the Asper Visiting Professors at the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media for the 2020-2021 academic year, winter session. In 2020, Picard was awarded The Owen Adams Award of Honour. This award is the highest CMA award available to a non-physician.

Dr. Ardelle Piper

MD, M.Ed, FRCSC OB Gyn

Menopause Society Certified Practitioner

Dr. Ardelle Piper is a Royal College Certified OB/GYN located in Ottawa, ON, Canada. She achieved her medical degree (MD) at the University of British Columbia in 2006, then Obstetrics & Gynecology residency and M.ED in Saskatchewan in 2013. In 2014 she pursued subspecialty training in Midlife Women’s Health at The Shirley E. Greenberg Women's Health Centre in Ottawa, and has since focused her career as a menopause practitioner. She has held NCMP (now renamed MSCP) designation since 2014.

In 2020, Dr Piper pivoted her practice at the Byward Family Health Team to provide menopause assessments via telemedicine to women not only in Ottawa but also across Ontario. She also offers guidance and advice directly to health care providers in Ontario through the Champlain BASE E-Consult Service. Her practice focuses on menopause education, hormone therapy, post-cancer thriver-ship, sexual function, and preventive health promotion. As a subject matter expert in menopause and midlife women's health, Dr. Piper frequently presents seminars and workshops, helping to increase the understanding and access to menopause care provided by health care practitioners. She also engages the public through workplace wellness initiatives, advocating for improved women’s health education.

Dr. Kathleen Ross

MD, MSc, MCFP

Dr. Kathleen Ross is a family physician in Coquitlam and New Westminster, BC, and is a recognized expert in physician leadership and quality improvement. She has held numerous leadership roles throughout her career, including president of Doctors of BC, and is committed to fostering inclusive, diverse and anti-racist practices in health care. With an interest in advancing technology in front-line clinical care, she served as physician lead and chair of the Pathways Patient Referral Association, an indispensable online clinical and referral tool for physicians in BC and the Yukon. She is an avid volunteer in her community and internationally and has received several awards for her global humanitarian work.

Dr. Shelley Ross

MD CCFP FCFP ICD.D

Co-Chair, 100th Anniversary Planning Committee, Federation of Medical Women of Canada

Dr. Shelley Ross has spent her entire career as a comprehensive family physician in Burnaby, BC. She has always had a special interest in women's health, particularly maternity care, and continues to deliver babies of those she delivered as babies. She is no stranger to leadership roles, having been President of the Vancouver Branch of FMWC, President of the National FMWC, President of the Medical Women's International Association, Secretary General of MWIA, and President of the Doctors of BC.

She was a board member of the Canadian Medical Association and chaired their governance committee. She currently is part of the FMWC executive as the national coordinator for MWIA to FMWC. She is co-chair of the 100th anniversary meeting planning committee and coordinator of the Centennial book project. She chairs the FMWC Governance Committee and represents FMWC on Immunize Canada.

Dr. Joan Saary

MD, MSc, PhD, FRCPC, CIP, FACOEM, FAsMA

Dr. Saary is an Occupational Medicine specialist with niche expertise in aerospace and diving medicine, who also holds an MSc in clinical psychology and PhD in medical science. She is the Director of the Division of Occupational Medicine at the University of Toronto where she is developing an Aerospace Medicine Fellowship. She is also the Chair of Aerospace Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and a consultant to both the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Space Agency. She was named one of Canada’s “Top 25 Women in Defence” in 2021, is a fellow of both ACOEM and AsMA, and has represented Canada internationally in both occupational and aerospace medicine roles.

Danielle Stacey

BScPharm, PharmD

MD Student Year 3, University of Calgary Captain, Canadian Forces Health Services

I was born and raised in Lord’s Cove, NL where my husband and I aspire to move back later in life as a rural generalist. I am a proud Officer of the Canadian Armed Forces and served as a Pharmacy Officer with the Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS) for 14 years prior to medical school. As a leader, clinical pharmacist, and medical logistician, I have had the opportunity to practice pharmacy, medical planning and fulfill a multitude of leadership roles in many corners of the world, most recently as the Primary Care Services Manager of the CFHS Centre Atlantic in Halifax. My career passions currently lie with rural healthcare, rural healthcare delivery and antimicrobial stewardship, to name a few.

Currently, my husband, Michael Hague, and our two dogs, Bernie and Moe are residing in Canmore, AB while I complete 10 months of clerkship as a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship student. We all love having the mountains in our backyard as a playground for hiking, camping and water adventures.

Dr. Kimberly Williams

MD, MSc, FRCPC

President, Federation of Medical Women of Canada

Dr. Kimberly Williams is currently a neuropsychiatrist at the University of Calgary. She is excited to be the President-Elect of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada. She is a former President of the Resident Doctors of Canada, the national organization representing over 9,000 Canadian resident physicians across Canada. Prior to medical school Dr. Williams completed a BSc in pharmacology and an MSc in Global Health from the University of Alberta. She also worked as an infectious diseases epidemiologist for Alberta Health and Wellness.

She has been awarded the Award for Young Leaders from the Canadian Medical Association, the Kristin Sivertz Resident Leadership Award from the Royal College of physicians and surgeons of Canada, the Sandra Banner Student Award for Leadership from the Canadian Resident Matching Association and is one of Calgary’s Top 40 under 40. She is a researcher in the areas of medical education, global health, and neuropsychiatry.

Dr. Setareh Ziai

MD, FRCSC

Dr. Setareh Ziai is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute. She is fellowship-trained in Cornea and Refractive surgery, is heavily involved in clinical research, as well as in the teaching of residents and fellows at The Ottawa Hospital. She is the Director of the Cornea, Anterior Segment & Refractive Surgery Fellowship Program. She is a passionate founding member and past-president of Canadian Women in Medicine, and a member of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society Board of Directors. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Sally Letson Foundation, as well as BGCO Ottawa (formerly known as the Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa). She is a 2024 recipient of the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Declaration, Civilian Division.

Shelley Zieroth

MD, FCCS, FHFSA(hon), FESC, FACC, FHFA, FRCPC

Shelley Zieroth is a Cardiologist at St Boniface Hospital (SBH) and Professor at the University of Manitoba. She is Director of the SBH Heart Failure and Transplant Clinics and heads the Medical Heart Failure Program. She has leadership roles on several international heart failure clinical trials and her research is centred on the efficacy of new treatments in heart failure. Prof Zieroth is Past President of the Canadian Heart Failure Society, Co-Chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Heart Failure Guidelines, and is Co-Chair of the Heart Failure Update (Canada).