Philip Hassen
President
phassen@cnis.ca
Phil Hassen became president of CNIS on April 1, 2010. He recently left the position of Chief Executive Officer for the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, after a distinguished career in health service management and policy. Phil has been board member for CNIS for a decade, and volunteer vice president for the last two years. Serving initially on the Finance Committee, Phil progressed through the various roles on the board, eventually becoming Chair for two terms. During his years on the board, he guided CNIS through very difficult financial and organizational issues, ultimately seeing CNIS become a stable and successful NGO. Phil has assisted the Injury Control Centre – Uganda with improving their administration and management. With his wife, Jane, he taught a course on leadership and management to senior physicians in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ronald Lett
International Director
lett@cnis.ca
Founder of the Canadian Network for International Surgery (CNIS), Dr. Ronald Lett did his undergraduate medical training and his post-graduate surgical training at the University of Alberta. He completed his Masters in Injury Epidemiology at McGill University. In 1996, Dr. Lett co-founded the Injury Control Centre – Uganda, the first lead-agency for injury control in sub-Saharan Africa and the Injury Prevention Initiative for Africa (IPIFA), a 10-country network. He is currently the International Director of the CNIS, Co-chair of the African Canadian Committee for Essential Surgical Skills (ACC-ESS), Scientific Associate of the Injury Control Centre-Uganda (ICC-U) and ICC-Tanzania, honorary member of the IPIFA steering Committee and Adjunct Professor of Surgery at McGill University.
Elizabeth Schaefer
Office Manager
elizabeth@cnis.ca
Elizabeth is the Office Manager at CNIS and has been working for CNIS since September 2001. She enjoys contributing to the life-saving work of the organization and working with other staff, volunteers or donors. Elizabeth plays an essential role in the organization and whether it involves making telephone calls, providing information, or setting up a room for an event, she is the one who ensures that everything runs smoothly in the office. Elizabeth finds that contributing positively to the lives of others in Africa is a very rewarding experience!
Robert Taylor
Surgical Associate
surgeon@cnis.ca
Dr. Robert Taylor is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia. Over the years he has been involved in a number of countries, both in surgical service and surgical training, including establishing the Essential Surgical Skills (ESS®) course at two centres in Malawi for CNIS. Bob is currently developing and editing new surgical curriclum material for CNIS.
Barry Elkin
Chartered Accountant
belkin@cnis.ca
Barry is the Accountant at CNIS. He is a Chartered Accountant with experience in both the public and private sectors. Barry was a Special Advisor, Canada Revenue Agency; Principal, Office of the Auditor General of Canada; and a Senior Partner in a National Accounting Firm. He is a member of the Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia’s Audit Advisory Committee.
Tim Steeves
IT Projects Coordinator
Tim is a Business Analyst and IT Consultant from iTeam. For over 10 years, he has led the development of multiple projects deployed in large-scale mission critical systems throughout the IT industry. Tim works with the CNIS to help improve the web and software systems, coordinate IT volunteers, and facilitate Public Engagement activities digitally.
Contact Tim on Twitter or LinkedIn
Lorne Braun
Program Associate
lbraun@cnis.ca
Lorne is an International Development Consultant, currently working on contract with CNIS as a Program Associate. His responsibilities include drafting documents and proposals, fulfilling reporting requirements for agreements that CNIS has with the Canadian International Development Agency, the Donner Canadian Foundation and the Wild Rose Foundation, among others.
Karethe Linaae
Public Engagement Coordinator
karethe@cnis.ca
Karethe has a MFA in Creative Writing and a Graduate Diploma in Communication Studies and worked more than a decade with design for film and advertising (snobb). She is co-founder of Art for Aids Orphans, an international art fundraiser for South African Aids Orphans. She joined CNIS as Public Engagement Coordinator in 2008 wishing to ‘make a difference’. She is in charge of organizing CNIS events, designing and producing information material and web content, recruiting and coordinating volunteers and implementing CNIS’ global classroom, the Salama Safari. Karethe sits on the board of Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce.
Contact Karethe on LinkedIn
Grace Green
Office Assistant
ggreen@cnis.ca
Grace is the current Assistant to the Office Manager. Having worked in both the government and corporate worlds, she is happy to be working for the non-profit sector for the first time. She is proud to be a part of the dedicated team at CNIS and enjoys contributing to its meaningful work in Africa.
