CNIS has a twelve-member board from across Canada which functions through 4 committees: Executive, Program, Finance and Digital Advisory.
dR. Samuel Bugis
CHAIR
Dr. Bugis is a General Surgeon with subspecialty training and expertise in Head and Neck and Endocrine Surgery. After his General Surgery residency, he did a Clinical Fellowship in Head and Neck Surgery as a Clinical Scholar at MacMaster University in Hamilton and a research fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas. He has been a recipient of the General Surgery Teacher of the Year award and was a Fellowship Examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in General Surgery. In addition to his clinical interests, Dr. Bugis has held numerous leadership positions including Medical Staff President at Royal Columbian Hospital and Chief of Surgery at Royal Columbian Hospital and Royal Alexandra Hospital. He has been Head, Section of General Surgery, and Specialist representative on the BCMA Statutory Negotiating Committee. He is now the Executive Director, of the Physician and External Affairs, Doctors of BC, and the BCMA.
dR. Hassan Shenassa
VICE-CHAIR
Dr. Shenassa graduated from the University of Ottawa Obstetrics and Gynecology program and then spent two years in Fellowship training in Advanced Pelvic Floor and uro-gynecology surgery and minimally-invasive gynecology in Canada, United States, and France. His main areas of interest are pelvic floor and minimally-invasive surgeries and cervical pathology. His research and education interests are focused on patient safety and surgical education as well as capacity building and knowledge-transfer within the international medical community. Dr. Shenassa is the director of International Women’s Health at the Ottawa Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology department, is the Co-Chair of the International Women’s Health (IWH) at the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and is a CNIS board member. Dr. Shenassa’s areas of expertise involve program development in the developing world with an emphasis on sexual health, labour management, and operative delivery. Dr. Shenassa is the medical team leader for the Surgical Obstetrical Team (S.O.T), a multi-disciplinary team dedicated to helping moms and babies through complex operative deliveries. He is the founder and Executive Director of Oister Global, an organization dedicated to working with professional associations, NGO’s and health practitioners in developing nations to improve the quality of women’s health care through the transfer of obstetrical, surgical, and perioperative care skills. He is the Medical Director of the Gynecology program as well as the Colposcopy program at the Harmony Health Centre in Ottawa. Dr. Shenassa brings his advocacy for women’s health into all aspects of his work to improve maternal and newborn health.
Dr. Wylam FaughT
Past chair
Wylam Faught is currently the Medical Head of The Ottawa Hospital Regional Cancer program, a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Ottawa, and a Clinical Investigator with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. An active member in the medical field, his leadership roles have included chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Alberta and the University of Ottawa; Residency Program Director, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Ottawa; Coordinator, Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Trials, Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre; Chief of Women’s Health, Royal Alexandra Hospital; Chief of Obstetrics/Gynecology/Newborn Care at The Ottawa Hospital; Regional Obstetrics & Gynecology, medical lead for the Champlain Maternal-Newborn program; Past-President of the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Canada; a Past Board member of Ovarian Cancer Canada and the Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health, and is currently the Vice-Chair of the Royal College Specialty Committee in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Wylam is also actively involved in Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Care, research and education, along with surgical skills teaching in Tanzania with the Canadian Network for International Surgery. In October 2012, Wylam was presented with a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee award.
Dr. Rebeca Rivera
Dr. Rebeca Rivera works as a General Obstetrician Gynecologist at Richmond Hospital, British Columbia, and is a Clinical Faculty Instructor for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UBC. She attended medical school and residency at the University of British Columbia, which is where she first became a member of CNIS. Rebeca became a certified FIRST instructor and volunteered with CNIS in Tanzania in 2014. She is also an ALARM/AIP instructor with the SOGC most recently in El Salvador, her country of origin.
Dr. Heather scott
Obstetrical Co-Director, Reproductive Care Program of Nova Scotia. Dr. Heather Scott is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dalhousie University. She is primarily a High-Risk Obstetrician (Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist) but is also the Obstetrical Director of the Reproductive Care Program of Nova Scotia. Recently she has become the Medical Director of the Global Health Unit in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dalhousie. Dr. Scott has worked in a number of African countries including South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Ghana teaching and providing clinical care. She is an ALARM International instructor and is a member of the ALARM International Committee at the SOGC. She is also an instructor of the “Essential Surgical Skills” course developed by the CNIS. While on sabbatical in 2011, she worked for six months at the WHO in Geneva in the Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health Division developing a course entitled Essential Care During Labour and Childbirth and has continued to work intermittently as a consultant for the WHO. She was on sabbatical in South Africa from July to December 2014 where she worked as a consultant for the National Department of Health RSA and the UNFPA, evaluating the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths in South Africa.
ROBERT MASHOHN
FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR
Robert Mashohn is a finance executive with 25 years of accounting and finance experience both in public practice and industry. After starting his business career at a Chartered Accountant firm he moved on to Controllership roles in industry and a 10-year career in advisory services. He currently serves as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer at a well-established civil construction firm with nationwide operations.
Mr. Mashohn received his Certified Management Accountant designation in 2002 and is a Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia member in good standing. In 2013 he completed his Masters of Business Administration at Queen's University at Kingston with a specialization in financial strategy. As part of his MBA, he completed an international study at China Europe-International Business School in Shanghai, China.
DR. IVAR MENDEZ
Dr. Ivar Mendez is the Fred H. Wigmore Professor and Chairman of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan and the Unified Head of Surgery for the Province of Saskatchewan. As a Clinician/Scientist, Dr. Mendez is an internationally recognized expert and pioneer in cell restoration procedures for brain repair and the use of remote presence robots for health care. He has pioneered the use of Remote Presence Robotic devices. In 2010, he established the first remote presence robotic program in the Canadian North to provide access to primary and specialized medical care to underserviced First Nations communities. Dr. Mendez has taken an active role in humanitarian and global health issues. He has been instrumental in establishing and equipping neurosurgical units in several developing countries. Through the Ivar Mendez International Foundation, he has instituted programs for school breakfast, dental care and computer education in his native Bolivia. For his pioneering work in the use of remote presence devices to deliver health care to underserviced populations, Dr. Mendez received the Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian Award in 2010 and in 2011 the Health Canada Award for Contribution to the Improvement of the Health of Canadians. In 2016, he received the Government of Canada Public Service Award of Excellence for the use of remote presence robotic technology to improve healthcare in the North.
DR. ABDULLAH SALEH
Dr. Abdullah Saleh is a General Surgery resident at the University of Alberta and is the founder and Chief Executive Director of Innovative Canadians for Change (ICChange). Born in Iraq, he lived in France and Malaysia before moving to Canada in 2000. He obtained a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the University of Calgary and his MD from the University of Alberta. He also co-founded the Kenya Ceramic Project in 2006 with Dr. Abraam Isaac, a partnership that would later inspire the creation of ICChange. His interests include system thinking and architecture, development technology and its implementation, human rights, and improving access to medical services and surgery in remote settings. He is currently pursuing a Pediatric Surgery Fellowship at McMaster University.
Kathy o'donoghue
DIGITAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHAIR
Kathy O'Donoghue is an experienced software development leader, with a background in Computer Science and over 20 years of shipping commercial technology products. Kathy has been working with CNIS since 2016 on the Digital MOST and TBSI projects.
Kathy helps companies bring digital products to market. Whether it's a new idea, a pivot, or an existing product that needs traction, Kathy works across organizations and disciplines to plan Digital RoadMaps and get teams on the path to building and deploying technology products and solutions.
Kathy's background spans gaming, mobile apps, big data, and consumer packaged goods. Working with industry leaders such as Electronic Arts, Crystal Decisions, Pfizer, Conquer Mobile, and Digital Payment Technologies. Kathy has managed teams of 100+, managed an $80M annual revenue product, and has been involved in 7 acquisitions. Her specialty is taking on products with the potential to scale. Having recently led the development of a successful research app for Parkinson's patients, Kathy is always on the lookout for opportunities to develop apps with impact and is inspired by the potential for CNIS to impact global health.
NICOLA COLLINS
Nicola Collins is a lawyer originally from New Zealand with a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration majoring in Marketing and a Bachelor of Laws. Her areas of practice include business law, estate planning, and real estate as a Senior Associate. Originally, she practiced law at a boutique business law firm and joined Hammerco Lawyers LLP in 2014, a multi-practice firm located in Mount Pleasant, Vancouver. Nicola is also a Registered Trademark Agent, a member of the Canadian Bar Association, Law Society of BC, and various other networking groups.
DR. DAN JENKINS
Coming soon