PHSA Executive
Lynda Cranston, President and CEO
Lynda Cranston came to the PHSA with a significant background in health care. Prior to joining PHSA, Mrs. Cranston was President and CEO of the Fraser Health Authority, which was created by the amalgamation of the former South Fraser, Fraser Valley and the Simon Fraser Health Regions. Mrs. Cranston had been the CEO of the Simon Fraser Health Region. Mrs. Cranston was the first CEO of the Canadian Blood Services (CBS) until her return to British Columbia in 2001. Prior to CBS, Mrs. Cranston held various CEO positions in BC. Mrs. Cranston is the recipient of a number of awards, and has been named as one of the top 100 women in Canada three times. In 2007, she was inducted into The Women’s Executive Network (WXN)™ Top 100 Hall of Fame.
Mark Allen, Chief Human Resources Officer
Mark Allen joined the PHSA after working as the Vice-President Human Resources at Rogers Cable in Ontario. Prior to that he held the position of Vice-President of Human Resources at Pillsbury Canada Ltd. Mr. Allen has an extensive background in human resources management and through his employment has worked with large organizations, all of which have been faced with considerable change. He has broad human resources and labour relations skills.
John Andruschak, Vice President
In 2009, John Andruschak was appointed to lead the consolidation of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology services in the Lower Mainland. In addition to this ongoing initiative, John is also responsible for the Provincial Blood Coordinating Office, BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Renal Agency, BC Transplant, and Cardiac and Perinatal Services BC. Prior to this role, John was Vice President, Corporate & Clinical Services at PHSA. His extensive health care experience spans 28 years, including previous roles as the Provincial Director of the BC Perinatal Health Program, and Director of Health Services in Fraser Health.
Leslie Arnold, President – BC Mental Health and Addiction Services
With a background in social work, Leslie Arnold has more than 25 years in public service. She has held senior administrative positions for a number of government agencies and health facilities, including the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission and Riverview Hospital. Ms. Arnold is responsible for PHSA’s comprehensive range of mental health programs and services for children, youth and adults in BC.
David Babiuk, Provincial Executive Director – Cardiac Services BC
David Babiuk was appointed Provincial Executive Director, Cardiac Services BC in April, 2008. He has 30 years experience in provincial governments having served as the Associate Deputy Minister of Health in both Saskatchewan and British Columbia. David joined the British Columbia public service in 1990 serving in a number of positions within the Ministry of Health prior to joining the PHSA in 2002.
Dr. Robert C. Brunham, Provincial Executive Director – BC Centre for Disease Control
Dr. Robert C. Brunham is a distinguished physician scientist with an international reputation in the field of infectious diseases. For 12 years he led the Microbiology and Infectious Disease programs at the University of Manitoba, establishing it as the national leader in infectious disease research and training. Since 1999 he has been the Medical Director of the BCCDC, providing scientific leadership and contributing to the Centre’s mandate in delivering evidence-based public health programming.
Thomas Chan, Chief Financial Officer
Thomas Chan is responsible for heading up the PHSA’s strategic finance support functions. Before joining the PHSA, Mr. Chan spent 13 years with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). During that time, he held progressively more responsible positions culminating in the role of Vice-President and CFO. Mr. Chan was responsible for the cost effective operation of a full range of services within the Finance and Corporate Services Division.
Ellen Chesney, Chief Administrative Officer, Research
With nearly 20 years of senior management experience, including more than five years as the PHSA's chief communications officer and nearly two years as PHSA's VP Communications & Research Administration, Ellen Chesney brings a strong background in health care and strategic management to her role as chief administrative officer, research. Prior to joining the PHSA, Ms. Chesney was the director of public affairs and communications with Children’s & Women’s Health Centre of BC. As chief administrative officer, research, Ms. Chesney works with our agencies to ensure we are maximizing opportunities for efficiencies and effectiveness in research administration. She also works to strengthen PHSA’s role as an academic partner in collaboration with key academic institutions.
Dr. Jan Christilaw, President, BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre
Dr. Christilaw has over 25 years of experience in women’s health and extensive experience at BC Women’s, including Aboriginal women’s health, the Oak Tree Clinic for HIV positive women, and all Specialized Women’s Health programs. Dr. Christilaw is past President of the Society of Obstetrician-Gynecologists of Canada and is currently a Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology at UBC. Dr. Christilaw is also Vice President, Medical Affairs, BC Women’s; Senior Medical Director, Provincial Women’s Health Team, BC Women’s; and Co-Leader, Provincial Women’s Health Network.
Larry Gold, President - BC Children's Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children
Larry Gold brings to PHSA extensive clinical and administrative experience, the majority of which has been in pediatric environments. He has provided consulting and advisory services to domestic and international pediatric acute care providers and related organizations, including the planning and commissioning phases of a state-of-the art Children’s Hospital in Cairo, Egypt, which will be the largest pediatric cancer hospital in the world. In addition to his recent consulting work, he was the president and CEO of the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
Dr. Greg Grant, Provincial Executive Director - BC Transplant
Dr. Greg Grant joined BC Transplant in 2010, as an established critical care specialist who concurrently practices as an Attending Physician at St. Paul’s, Mount Saint Joseph Hospitals’ Intensive Care Units, and the Hyperbaric Unit at Vancouver General Hospital. Dr. Grant also acts in the capacity of Critical Care Transport Advisor for the BC Ambulance Service and Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course Director for the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation. He completed Medical School and Specialty in Internal Medicine in Calgary, Alberta and completed sub-specialty training in Infectious Diseases and Critical Care in Vancouver, He pioneered the introduction of organ donation after cardiac death in BC and brings significant expertise in this area to BC Transplant.
Sherry Hamilton, Chief Nursing Officer, Government Liaison & Patient Focused Funding
Sherry Hamilton has a varied background in clinical practice and management, strategic planning and consulting with regional health authority stakeholders. Her career as a nurse has spanned a number of communities in BC and, prior to moving into a corporate role, she was the Director of the high-risk antepartum/postpartum program at BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre. Ms. Hamilton holds an MBA in Executive Management from Royal Roads University in addition to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Dr. Adeera Levin, Provincial Executive Director – BC Provincial Renal Agency
In addition to her PHSA role, Dr. Adeera Levin is a professor of medicine at UBC, the Co-Director of the UBC Clinical Investigator Program BC, the Chair of the Fellowship and Scholarship Committee for the Kidney Foundation of Canada, and Chair of the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative, based in the US. Since 1990, she has developed a series of multi-centre observational and interventional trials with Canadian and international investigators and has been involved in almost 100 peer reviewed publications.
Jennifer MacKenzie, Vice President, Strategic Planning, Transformation Support and Innovation
Jennifer brings more than a decade of clinical and administrative experience to the PHSA. She is responsible for strategic planning, organizational performance management and supporting health care improvement initiatives with project management, change management and system and process improvement expertise. Ms. MacKenzie has a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and a Masters of Business Administration.
Dr. Stuart MacLeod, Vice President, Academic Liaison and Research Coordination
Dr. MacLeod is responsible for leading PHSA agencies in developing and capitalizing on research and academic partnerships. In January, 2010, Dr. MacLeod stepped down from the roles of Executive Director of the Child and Family Research Institute and Associate Dean, Research at UBC’s Faculty of Medicine to focus his attention on his PHSA portfolio and on his interests in health policy and international child health research. Prior to joining PHSA, Dr. MacLeod held executive positions in health and research administration in Ontario and practiced internal medicine.
Georgene Miller, Chief Administrative Officer, Quality, Safety & Outcome Improvement
Georgene Miller brings more than 25 years of health care leadership to her role as Chief Quality, Safety and Medical Affairs Administrative Officer. With a diverse background in clinical practice, health care administration, strategic planning and education, Ms. Miller has worked provincially and nationally on a variety of patient safety initiatives. Prior to taking on the role of, interim Vice President, she was Corporate Director Strategic Services, Medical Affairs, Quality, Safety & Risk Management for PHSA.
Barry Rivelis, Chief Information Officer, IMITS
Barry Rivelis was appointed Chief Information Officer at PHSA on June 15, 2009. In the fall of 2009, Barry also assumed leadership of the IMIS organizations of Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care. Prior to joining PHSA, Barry held the position of Vice President, Healthcare at TELUS Corporation, where he was responsible for leading TELUS’s national healthcare strategy. Barry brings an extensive background in information technology and management through experience gained in a variety of settings, including senior level positions with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (CGEY) in Vancouver and Ernst & Young Consulting in Toronto. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from York University and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.
Carl Roy, Senior Vice President
As Senior Vice President, PHSA, and Executive Officer, Emergency and Health Services Commission, Carl Roy’s portfolio includes the Emergency Health Services Commission (EHSC) and its services, the BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) and BC Bedline. He also has responsibility for Finance. Mr. Roy has over 30 years of health care leadership, which includes serving as President & CEO of Providence Health Care (PHC) from 2001 - 2006.
Darwin Sauer, Chief Communications Officer
With more than 20 years of communications and marketing experience, Darwin Sauer is responsible for managing and driving all PHSA communications services including strategic planning, internal communications, online, marketing, media relations, issues management, social media and stakeholder relations. Mr. Sauer joined PHSA in August 2011 after holding senior communications positions with four different governments including the BC Ministry of Health and Alberta Health and Wellness.
Brian Schmidt, Senior Vice President
Brian Schmidt is responsible for Strategic Planning, Transformation Support & Innovation within PHSA, as well as major development projects within PHSA including the redevelopment of the Childrens & Women's Hospital and Northern Cancer Strategy. He also has responsibility for corporate services that include Strategic Human Resources, Legal & Privacy, Emergency Management & Business Continuity, and Enterprise Risk Management. Brian has wide-ranging experience in health care administration in senior capacities at the BC Cancer Agency and BC Children's Hospital. He is a surveyor for Accreditation Canada, a Clinical Professor at UBC and sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian College of Health Leaders.
Jeannie Wexler, Vice-President
In June 2011, Jeannie Wexler was named vice-president and senior point person for services provided to PHSA through Lower Mainland Consolidation initiatives. Other responsibilities in her portfolio include Human Resources, IMITS, the Medical Mobile Unit and performance measurement & reporting. Prior to assuming her current role, Ms. Wexler was the executive lead for Health Shared Services BC, a position she held since its inception in early 2008. Throughout the course of her career, Ms. Wexler has specialized in organizational design, and strategic and business planning, helping organizations through startup and major changes.
Kim Williams, Provincial Executive Director, Perinatal Services BC
Kim Williams’ passion for perinatal nursing began as a front line nurse over 20 years ago. As her career has progressed, she has remained committed to providing the best services for women, infants and children in BC. As a nurse leader, health care administrator, planner and most recently as the director of Provincial Specialized Perinatal Service, Kim has worked collaboratively with clinicians, families and other stakeholders across the province to strengthen the network of maternal and newborn services, with a goal of seeing women and newborns receive the best high quality perinatal care as close to their home community as safely possible.