Past Board of Directors Members
Colleen Elliot, Chair
Hugh A. Gillis, Chair
Brenda Montgomery, Vice Chair
Brian MacDougall, Past Chair
Carol Amaratunga, Board Member
Joan Fraser, Board Member
John Gainer, Board Member
Thomas Larder, Board Member
Donna Meagher-Stewart, Board Member
Patrick McGrath, Board Member
Thomas Rathwell, Board Member
Ian Thompson, Board Member
Madine VanderPlaat, Board Member
Frances Hinton, Board Member
Colin McLaren, Board Member
Lori Francis, Board Member
Colleen, a Registered Nurse in gerontology, was on staff at the Mira Long Term Care Facility in Truro. A graduate of St. Joseph's Hospital in Toronto, Colleen had her certificate in Alzheimer's Disease and related Dementias. She was the Chairperson of the Well Women's Clinic in Truro and was on the Board of the Nova Scotia Gynecological Cancer Screening Program. She was also the past president of the Nova Scotia Division of the Canadian Cancer Society and was honored with the Canada 125 medal for her volunteer efforts. She passed away in May, 2008.
Since 1998, Hugh is the former Academic Vice-President of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, where he was also a member of the university's chemistry department. Hugh received his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and his Postdoctoral Fellow from the University of Leeds in England.
Brenda is the past CEO of the Western Regional Health Board in Clementsport. She received her B.Sc. in nursing from Mount Saint Vincent University and her Masters in Health Services Administration from Dalhousie University, where she is an Honorary Professor in the School of Health Services Administration.
Brian is the Vice President of Operations and Support Services at the IWK Health Centre for Children, Women and Families in Halifax. He received his Masters of Health Services Administration from Dalhousie University. Brian is also a Certified Health Executive and a Certified Management Consultant. He has been a member of the NSHRF Board of Directors since 2000.
Carol is the Executive Director with the Maritime Centre of Excellence for Women's Health at Dalhousie University in Halifax. She is also an Associate Professor of Research in the Faculty of Health Professions at Dalhousie. Carol received her Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics and Extension Education at the University of Guelph and her Ph.D. in Educational Theory specializing in adult education at the University of Toronto.
Joan Fraser is the former Executive Director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia and a member of the Health Charities Network of Nova Scotia. She is also a former Judge of the Court of Canadian Citizenship for Nova Scotia. Joan is particularly interested in research related to heart disease and stroke, health promotion, population health and health outcomes.
John is the Clinical Coordinator of the Eating Disorders Program at the Cape Breton Healthcare Complex, a position he has held since 1994. He is also chair of the Research Ethics Committee. John received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from McGill University in Montreal. He is the author of more than a dozen health research papers.
Thomas is the Chair of the Board of Directors of Canadian Dental Services Plans Inc. and President of Endo/Tech in Nova Scotia. He received his DDS from the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University in Halifax and his Certificate in Endodontics from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston. The Nova Scotia Dental Association has previously honored Thomas as Volunteer of the Year.
Donna Meagher-Stewart
Board Member
Donna is the Associate Director of the Master of Nursing program at Dalhousie University School of Nursing in Halifax. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. Donna is an active participant in the health research community and her work has appeared in several journals and books.
Patrick is a Killam Professor of Psychology, and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, and Canada Research Chair at Dalhousie University where he directs the Ph.D. program in clinical psychology. He has research labs at Dalhousie and the IWK Health Centre. Patrick's research program is on pediatric pain and also on distance delivery of psychological treatment. His research has been recognized by appointment to the Order of Canada (Officer) and election to the Royal Society of Canada. He is the Principal Investigator of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategic Training Program on Pain in Child Health and a Community Alliance for Health Research on distance treatment. His most recent professional book is Pediatric Pain, Biological and Social Context published by the International Association for the Study of Pain.
Thomas is a professor and Director of the School of Health Services Administration at Dalhousie University in Halifax. His areas of specialization include health policy and planning, population health, comparative health care systems and public participation. Thomas, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Durham, also served as the Head of the World Health Organization's Collaborating Centre for Health Care Systems Research and Development.
Ian, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Dalhousie University, is a business and community leader having owned, operated and sold a successful business, as well as serving as vice president external at Emera Inc. He has chaired the board of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and the Young Presidents Organization, Atlantic Chapter. In 2002, Ian was named a member of the College of Fellows of the Canadian Public Relations Society. He is a former IWK board member and former president of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the International Cystic Fibrosis Association. Ian is listed in Canada’s Who’s Who.
Madine VanderPlaat
Board Member
Madine is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies at Saint Mary's University. A research methodologist and program evaluator, Madine received her Ph.D. in the Sociology of Education from Dalhousie University. Her research and publication interests focus on collaborative and participatory research strategies, empowerment oriented program evaluation and social interventions designed to promote social inclusion and civil society. Madine is currently working with the human rights and health research unit at the National School for Public Health in Brazil and on the development of a coastal communities network for Women's and Children's Health and HIV/AIDS.
Frances is a lawyer and registered nurse. She received her law and post-RN degrees from Dalhousie University in 1991. Her legal career has been focused on dispute resolution and human rights. In addition to being a Chartered Arbitrator with the Alternate Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada, she is a Commissioner with the Nova Scotia Police Commission. While her nursing background is in cardiac research, Frances currently works on a casual basis at the Palliative Care Unit at the QEII Health Sciences Centre.
Colin is the Controller at Corridor Resources Inc. a local resource company that explores for petroleum and natural gas onshore in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and offshore in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and produces natural gas in New Brunswick. Prior to working at Corridor, Colin held financial positions at Gammon Gold Inc. and ExxonMobil Canada. Colin is a Certified Managerial Accountant (CMA) and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Saint Mary’s University.
Lori is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Saint Mary’s University. She has a B.Sc. in Psychology from St.FX, an M.Sc. in Cognitive Psychology from McMaster University, and a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Guelph. Lori has broad research interests in organizational psychology including occupational health and safety and workplace fairness. She is an active member of Saint Mary's University's CN Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. Lori also has an active consulting record with the government, military, and private industry.