CNIS Staff
Dr. Ronald Lett - CEO and Director of Curriculum Development
Founder of the Canadian Network for International Surgery (CNIS), Dr. Ronald Lett did his undergraduate medical training and 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, residing in Ethiopia. Dr. Lett is 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 and at the University of British Columbia.
Maia Joseph, PhD - Administrator
Maia Joseph brings a background in healthcare communications as well as extensive experience as a researcher, writer, editor, and teacher to her work for CNIS. She earned her doctorate in English from UBC, where she also taught for several years before shifting her focus to the health sector. She is passionate about improving healthcare for marginalized populations, both at home and abroad.
Sung Yang, MBA - Accountant
Sung Yang is responsible for all CNIS accounting matters. He completed his Masters of Business Administration at the University of Victoria in 2000. With over ten years of accounting experience, he is devoted to providing outstanding accounting services to both internal and external customers by maintaining accurate accounting records and the financial health of the organization.
Dr. Jan Christilaw - Obtetrical Associate and Director of Women's Health
As President of BC Women’s Hospital, Dr. Christilaw is a powerhouse for advancing women’s health in British Columbia and a global leader in maternal care. Her 25+ years of accomplishments include: President of BC Women’s Hospital; Expert Advisor, Canadian Institute for Health Information for Maternity; UBC Clinical Professor; Founding Chair, Aboriginal Maternity Committee; and Chair, BC Consensus Panel on Cesarean Birth – all while delivering thousands of babies in British Columbia.
Gavin Thornton - Chief Technology Officer
Gavin is developing the CNIS technology initiative including the CNIS MOST project. Also about to release the first CNIS app, a KTS calculator tool and learning application for use by African doctors and surgeons.
Gavin has also taken on the task to regenerate the CNIS website.
Adrian Soltani - IT Support
Adrian is responsible for the Canadian Network for International Surgery website. He completed his Social Media Marketing degree at British Columbia Institute of Technology in 2015. With over five years of experience in web development and internet marketing, he provides technical services for editing content and debugging code.