Council for Services to Children and Adolescents (CSCA)

The Council for Services to Children and Adolescents (CSCA) was created in 1997 to ensure the needs of infants, children and adolescents and families are met within the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). The CSCA reports to the Board of the MUHC. The CSCA’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, monitoring, evaluating and making recommendations concerning orientations, priorities, strategic plan, policies and budgets regarding pediatric and adolescent services.

 

VOTING MEMBERS

 

Dr. Tanya Di Genova

Role on the CSCA: MCH Council of Physicians, Dentists, and Pharmacists (CPDP) Chair

Member since: 2020

Tanya Di Genova MDCM, FRCPC, MBA, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and a member of the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine of the Montreal Children Hospital. She completed her training as a Pediatric Critical Care Physician at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and Toronto Sick Kids. She has been working in the Pediatric Critical Care Unit at the Montreal Children’s Hospital since 2017. After her clinical training, she saw an opportunity to marry her medical degree with business administration and therefore completed a master’s in business administration at Desautels, McGill University and a certificate at the Centre of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the University of Toronto, where she developed expertise in healthcare leadership. She has taken on several leadership positions: such as Interim Chairperson of the Council of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists for the MCH site since November 2020. As the first Medical Director of Patient Flow at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, she leads numerous projects to advance work-efficiency, cost-effectiveness, resource utilization, inter-disciplinary collaboration and patient flow within the hospital setting and among the critical care community.

 

Heather Davies

Role on the CSCA: Council of Nurses

Member since: 2018

Heather Davies has worked at the McGill University Health Centre since 1988. After graduating from McGill University, she began her nursing career at the Montreal General Hospital before moving over to the Montreal Children’s Hospital in 1993. Since then Heather has worked as an Advance Practice Nurse in pediatric neurology. She has a particular interest in the transition from pediatric to adult health care for adolescents who have a cognitive impairment and for adolescents who have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

 

Antoinette Lemieux

Role on the CSCA: Multidisciplinary Council Representative

Member since: 2022

Antoinette Lemieux has been a social worker at the MUHC since 2008, first on the adult sites and currently on the pediatric site since February 2021. Antoinette is the current Multidisciplinary Council representative to the CSCA.

 

Dr. Annette Majnemer

Role on the CSCA: McGill Representative

Member since: 2018

Dr. Annette Majnemer is an occupational therapist with doctoral training in the neurosciences. She is a professor at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University, with cross appointments in the Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Pediatrics. She is currently Vice Dean – Education for the Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, and is a member of Pediatrics’ Departmental Educational Leadership Committee. Dr. Majnemer is a member of the Division of Pediatric Neurology at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and is a senior scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (since 1990) where she leads CHILD-BRIGHT, a national patient-oriented research network.

 

Melissa Sonberg

Role on the CSCA: McGill Representative

Member since: 2018

Melissa Sonberg has enjoyed over three decades of international leadership success across a wide range of enterprises, always playing key roles at the heart of transformative change. Throughout her career and as a member of the C-suite, she has developed significant expertise in balancing excellence in operational execution with effective governance, amid multiple and complex stakeholder demands. Following her most recent corporate role, Ms. Sonberg’s focus is now on Board-level engagements and influencing the development of the next generation of leadership through her appointment as Adjunct Professor and Executive in Residence at the Desautels Faculty of Management of McGill University.

 

Dr. Beth Foster  

Role on the CSCA: Chief Department of Pediatrics

Member since: 2021

Dr. Foster is a clinical epidemiologist and a tenured Professor of Pediatrics at McGill University. She has held numerous leadership positions at the Research Institute of the McGill University health Centre (MUHC) and was recently appointed Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at McGill University and Pediatrician-in-Chief of the MUHC. Her primary research interest is in the long-term outcomes of children and young adults with kidney transplants. Her research program has been funded by the CIHR and the U.S. NIH (two R01s) to study medication adherence and graft outcomes in adolescent and young adult kidney transplant recipients, who she has shown to be at particularly high risk of graft loss. She has also conducted novel work identifying age-dependent differences in solid organ transplant outcomes by recipient and donor sex.

Dr. Foster has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers and 9 book chapters. She has served on two international clinical practice guideline committees, on numerous CIHR grant review committees (including as Scientific Officer) and grant review committees for other agencies (Kidney Foundation of Canada, NIH, FRQS), and on several international advisory boards. She is an Associate Editor at the international journal Transplantation, and is on the Editorial boards of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology and Pediatric Transplantation. She served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society of Transplantation from 2015-2021. Since 2017, Dr. Foster has served in leadership positions in The Transplantation Society’s Women in Transplantation (WIT) group, and is currently the Co-Chair of WIT

 

Dr. Indra Gupta

Role on the CSCA: MUHC Research Institute

Member since: 2020

Indra Gupta is a Pediatric Nephrologist and Clinician-Scientist whose research focus is to understand how congenital kidney and urinary tract disorders arise in children. Dr. Gupta is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Program Director for Pediatric Nephrology of McGill University, and, the newly appointed Deputy Executive Director/Deputy Chief Scientific Officer, RI-MUHC and Director of Child Health Research at the MCH/MUHC (Interim). Dr. Gupta obtained her MD at the University of Alberta and trained in Pediatrics at McMaster University. She completed a fellowship in Pediatric Nephrology at the Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto. She was appointed to the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) in 1998 and has since remained a member of the Division of Nephrology, and of the research institute at the MCH that later merged with the RI-MUHC. In 2000, Dr. Gupta was cross-appointed as an Associate Member in the Department of Human Genetics and the Division of Experimental Medicine at McGill University. Dr. Gupta’s teaching contributions range from clinical bedside teaching of medical students, pediatric residents, and nephrology residents to formal lectures in the classroom and in continuing medical education events training over 27 pediatric nephrologists since joining the division in 1998. In addition to Dr. Gupta’s successful clinical teaching, her outstanding supervision of trainees in her laboratory was acknowledged by the Department of Human Genetics in 2010 with a Teaching Award. Dr. Gupta has been very active in numerous committees, namely, Department of Human Genetics Graduate Training, Animal Care, and Evaluation of Grant Reviews. Her research interests include congenital kidney and urinary tract development, nephrotic syndrome, vesico-ureteric reflux, and epithelial biology. An expert in CAKUT (Congenital Anomalies of the Kidneys and Urinary Tract), Dr. Gupta is a sought-after speaker at numerous international conferences. Dr. Gupta is a founding member of the Kidney Disease Biorepository from Birth to Adulthood at the RI-MUHC that is collecting biological samples from children and adults with a range of kidney diseases and making these samples available to the greater scientific community to advance nephrology research to improve patient care. She has been funded by the CIHR, the FRQS, NSERC, the Kidney Foundation of Canada, and the March of Dimes.

 

Sylvia Morin

Role on the CSCA: Chairperson and independent member

Member since: 2013

Sylvia Morin is a consultant and former business executive with three decades of experience in areas of corporate affairs, business strategy and transformative restructurings. Whether working for large national public corporations such as Molson Coors and BCE or smaller more local organizations such as BIXI Montréal, her understanding of issues that are strategically critical to organizational sustainability and to reputation management, have helped drive operational excellence and success. Fluently bilingual and a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors, she has a B.A. (Public Relations, Economics and Public Administration) from Laval University and has pursued graduate studies in Public Relations at Boston University.  

 

Hélène Livernois

Role on the CSCA: Vice-Chair and Independent Member

Member since: 2016

Hélène Livernois obtained her law degree from Université Laval in 1985. She has held various positions in the National Assembly of Quebec, within Sûreté du Québec's executive management team, as well as in the private sector. In both the public and private sectors, Ms. Livernois helped attain objectives, managed sensitive and complex files and assisted in preventing and resolving contentious situations. She also has a special attachment to the Children's where her daughter had the privilege of being cared for.

 

Jill K. Hugessen

Role on the CSCA: Independent Member

Member since: 2004

Jill Hugessen is a lawyer and certified professional coach. In 2010, she founded Hugessen Coaching, offering executive coaching and professional development services to lawyers, law firms and business executives. She is a past chair and continues to serve as a director of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. She currently chairs the Governance Committee and serves on the Audit Committee. She also serves on the Board of Chez Doris, a Montreal area women’s shelter and as a member of McGill University’s Law Faculty Advisory Board. She obtained a B.A. (psychology) in 1981 and a BCL/LLB (law) from McGill University in 1985.

 

Élyse Léger

Role on the CSCA: Independent Member

Member since: 2021

Élyse Léger joined Fiera Capital in 2012 following its acquisition of Natcan and is currently an Investment Counsellor. Ms. Léger has over 30 years of experience in the investment management industry. She started her career at leading Canadian consulting firms as an actuary and investment consultant. Ms. Léger also held various positions in the investment management industry, namely as Investment Manager at a major Canadian pension fund as well as Vice President at a major investment management firm. Ms. Léger is highly dedicated to her community, namely as the treasurer of the Institut Pacifique and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. She is also involved with a number of non-profit organizations and has been a guest speaker at numerous events related to alternative investments. Ms. Léger graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Science (BSc), majoring in Actuarial Mathematics. She later became a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA). She also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation from the CAIA Association.

 

François Laurin

Role on the CSCA: Independent Member

Member since: 2007

François Laurin joined the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation in 2011. He has extensive experience as a board member of private and public companies and not-for-profit organizations. François Laurin has been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Laurentian Bank since August 2015. He is responsible for the Bank's activities in the areas of finance, accounting, treasury, taxation, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions, and internal audit. François Laurin is a Fellow of the College of Chartered Accountants (FCPA, FCA) and CFA. He holds a Graduate Diploma in Public Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration from McGill University.

 

Kim Morris

Role on the CSCA: Independent Member

Member since: 2022

Kim Morris joined the firm in 2022 and is a registered portfolio manager. Her focus is the management of private accounts for high net worth families and individuals. Kim has accumulated over 18 years of experience in wealth management and investment advisor focused sales. Prior to joining Jarislowsky Fraser, Kim was at Gestion privée des Fonds FMOQ where she managed discretionary accounts for doctors and their families in the province of Quebec. She also worked at top tier firms, Connor, Clark and Lunn and BMO Nesbitt Burns.

Kim is the proud mother of an 11-year-old heart transplant hero and is very active in the pediatric heart transplant community. Ms. Morris earned her B.Sc. in Political Communication from Université de Montréal. She is also a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) and currently working towards obtaining her Fellow of CSI designation. 

 

Monica Flores

Role on the CSCA: Independent Member

Member since: 2021

Monica Flores is a communications and public affairs consultant with expertise in leading communications, public affairs and advocacy initiatives in Canada, Latin America, Europe and the U.S. As an executive with the world’s largest global pharmaceutical companies including Glaxo SmithKline , Bristol-Myers Squibb and Novartis, she led impactful communications for multiple drug launches, major corporate reputation and corporate transformation initiatives. Working across multiple markets and languages (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese), Ms. Flores has been a member of Senior Leadership Teams at the country, regional and global levels.

Ms. Flores holds an MBA in International Business from École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) and a B.A. in Anthropology from McGill University. She has also completed the Non-For-Profit Governance Program with the Institute of Corporate Directors. Ms. Flores is Corporate Secretary for the International Women’s Forum (IWF) Montreal Chapter, a prestigious organization committed to advancing women’s leadership worldwide. She is also a member of numerous boards including La Dauphinelle, the Women’s Circle of Influence of the Museum of Fine Arts of Montreal, the McGill University Women’s Alumnae Association and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Advancement Board.

 

Robert Bloom

Role on the CSCA: Family Advisory Forum Representative

Member since: 2012

 

Seeta Ramdass

Role on the CSCA: Family Advisory Forum Representative

Member since: 2021

Seeta Ramdass, currently the longest standing member of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Forum, represents the MUHC Patients’ Committee on the Board of Directors of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and is known for her dedication to the advancement of equitable health care for patients and families, in particular for encouraging cultural sensitivity with respect to ethnicity, race, religion, language, disability, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic factors. A member of the Conseil de la protection des malades , she also serves as the co-chair for the Committee for Action on Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (C-AIDE) on behalf of the MUHC Board, as a key member involved in the consultation process with the Québec government’s Groupe d’action contre le racism, and a member of the SCSA of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada.

Ms. Ramdass is also a co-founder and leader of Community Health Montreal, a patient and clinician initiative that is working with marginalized communities to tailor the delivery of healthcare services to the needs of each community. She has a solid understanding of McGill teaching hospitals, as well as the needs of patients and their families, thanks to a career spanning over 25 years in the public relations and communications field, including as Director of Public Relations and Communications for St. Mary’s Hospital Center, and patient advocacy roles in the Montreal community. Throughout her career, she has promoted the clinical, teaching and research successes of the hospitals, universities and foundations with which she has worked. She has also been instrumental in producing medical reports, news stories and documentaries, including over 100 broadcasts on a variety of health topics, medical features with Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Doctor*ology medical series starring Leslie Nielsen for the Discovery and Learning channels. She also supported documentaries on the 2006 Dawson College shooting in Montreal, managed the media for the Montreal General Hospital’s Trauma Centre and assisted families, patients and authorities at the time of the tragedy. An alumna of McGill University, Seeta Ramdass has also completed training programs in patient safety. She has been honoured for her work in the community with an Award of Recognition from the City of Montreal and as Spokesperson of the Year by the Indo-Canadian Cultural Association, amongst other awards.

Jonathan Amiel

Role on the CSCA: MCH Foundation

Member since: 2015

Jonathan Amiel joined the Board of Directors of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation in November 2011 and is currently serving as Chair of the Board and Interim Chair of the Human Resources Committee. He is President and CEO of Maroline Distributing Inc., the Canadian wholesale distributor of Sub-Zero and Wolf luxury kitchen appliances. Prior to joining the MCH Foundation’s Board, he served on the Best Care for Children capital campaign cabinet, which raised critical funds for the new MCH at the Glen site. Mr. Amiel attended the Faculty of Law at McGill University from which he graduated in 2002 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Relations.

 

Katrin Nakashima

Role on the CSCA: MCH Foundation

Member since: 2016

Katrin Nakashima joined the Board of Directors of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation in 2001. She is currently serving as Vice-Chair and Secretary of the Board, as well as Co-Chair of the Investment Committee. She is also a member of the Executive Committee, the Governance Committee, the Nomination Committee and the Young Leaders’ Circle Advisory Board. From May to October 2017, she acted as Interim President. Ms. Nakashima has been an attorney since 1982 and has extensive experience in governance, business law, and investment administration which provides valuable perspective to Boards. She worked as a senior executive for Imasco Limited from 1991 to 2000.

 

Dr. Martin Gignac

Role on the CSCA: Chief Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Member since: 2019

 

NON VOTING MEMBERS

 

Martine Alfonso

Role on the CSCA: Associate Executive Director – MUHC

Member since: 2013

Martine Alfonso worked as a physiotherapist for 14 years before becoming a member of the management team of the Montreal Gingras-Lindsay Rehabilitation Institute in 2003. In 2009, she joined the ranks of the MUHC as Administrative Director of the Neurosciences Mission, which included overseeing clinical activities at the Neuro and the Montreal General Hospital, as well as related ambulatory services. In January 2013, Ms. Alfonso was named Associate Director General of the Montreal Children’s Hospital. In June 2016, she was appointed Associate President and Executive Director of the MUHC, and from October 2016 to June 2018, Ms. Alfonso served the MUHC as Interim President and Executive Director. 

 

Dr. Pierre Gfeller

Role on the CSCA: MUHC President and Executive Director 

Member since: 2018

Dr. Pierre Gfeller is the President and Executive Director of the McGill University Health Centre. A family physician by training and Master in Business Administration, Dr. Gfeller has been dedicated to hospital administration for the past 20 years.  Before joining the MUHC, Dr. Gfeller served in the same capacity at the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, where he oversaw the successful integration of hospitals, specialized clinics, CHSLDs and CLSCs and the recruitment of a strong and diverse management team, while balancing the budget. Previously, Dr. Gfeller had also held the role of Executive Director at Sacré-Coeur Hospital. 

Peter Kruyt

Role on the CSCA: Chairman – MUHC Board

Member since: 2018

Mr. Peter Kruyt has been Vice-President of Power Corporation since 1996. He is Chairman of Power Pacific Corporation Limited, a subsidiary of Power Corporation and of Sagard China, one of the Corporation’s equity investment funds. He is Vice-Chairman of Power Energy Corporation and Potentia Renewables Inc. and also serves as a director of Potentia Solar Inc. and Eagle Creek Renewable Energy Inc. He has been Chairman of the Canada China Business Council since 2003 and became a member of the board of directors of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada in 2016. He was appointed Chairman of the Board of the McGill University Health Centre in 2017.

 

Renée Vézina

Role on the CSCA: President, MCH Foundation

Member since: 2018

Renée Vézina has more than 30 years of legal expertise in the Canadian and Quebec commercial real estate industry in terms of negotiation, leasing, management, acquisitions, dispositions, construction and financing. In 2001, she founded the Montreal Real Estate Foundation for Kids. The organization has had a unifying effect in the real estate community as owners, managers, suppliers, professionals, and brokers have been getting together to help young Montrealers in need. She is the recipient of several awards, including the Pro Bono Award by the Canadian Bar Association, given to an attorney who has made an exceptional contribution to the community.