Appropriate Use Advisory Committee: Canadian Drug Agency Transition Office

Stephen Samis is the former Deputy Minister, Health and Social Services, for the Government of Yukon. Previously he worked for the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Stephen has extensive experience in federal, provincial and territorial relations, health policy and health program delivery. He currently holds an Adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Community Health, and is the Associate Scientific Director, Policy and Partnerships and Director, Centre for Health Policy, at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. He is also a member of the O'Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary. Stephen is the chair of the Appropriate Use Advisory Committee.

Michael Allan is the Director of Programs and Practice Support at the College of Family Physicians of Canada and Adjunct Professor in Family Medicine at University of Alberta. He has practiced over 20 years. He co-leads the regular evidence-based updates called Tools for Practice, the Simplified Guideline Program with the primary care group PEER (Patients, Experience, Evidence, Research) and the Best Science Medicine Podcast.

Julia Bareham is a pharmacist with RxFiles Academic Detailing Service in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She also works casually as a community pharmacist. Julia joined the RxFiles team in 2009 and until 2015 she provided academic detailing services on a variety of topics including medication optimization in the long-term care population. In late 2015, Julia joined the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan where she held the position of Pharmacist Manager for the Prescription Review Program. In early 2019, Julia returned to RxFiles where her professional interests include geriatrics and substance use disorders. Her work at RxFiles involves providing academic detailing services across the province of Saskatchewan, and the development of evidence-based drug therapy educational materials.

Julia also serves as a committee member for the Drugs and Therapeutics Advisory Committee for Non-Insured Health Benefits of Indigenous Services Canada as well as for the Saskatchewan Health Authority Research Ethics Board.

Chantal Faucher-Francoeur is a key member of Green Shield Canada's pharmacy team, bringing her deep knowledge of the pharmacy landscape in Quebec to develop local and national strategies and provide oversight of Green Shield's pharmacy services in the province.

She is a qualified pharmacist (B. Pharm) and a Member of the Ordre des pharmaciens du Quebec since April 2000, Her expertise spans the insurance industry, retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry. Over the past ten years, she has established and implemented drug management strategies, shared market insights with clients, presented at industry events and contributed to various Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association committees.

Chantal is also a Quebec registered attorney, with more than 15 years of experience in litigation and commercial law. She reviewed commercial contracts and negotiated commercial terms on behalf of clients as a legal consultant. She has supported the Ordre des pharmaciens du Quebec with investigations into alleged violations by members of the Ordre.

Sudha Kutty is the Executive Vice-President of Evidence, Products, and Services at the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH). She is responsible for leading CADTH's pharmaceutical reviews, as well as their medical device and clinical interventions portfolios.

Recognized as a seasoned health care executive, she has more than 25 years of strategic, health care leadership experience. Sudha is passionate about health care and she brings a wealth of experience in promoting health system improvements by actively supporting the adoption of evidence into practice.

Before joining CADTH in January 2023, Sudha was the Vice President of Strategy and External Relations at Humber River Hospital. Prior to that role she was the Interim Vice President of Quality Improvement at Health Quality Ontario (Ontario Health).

Sudha holds an Honours BSc in Human Biology and International Relations from the University of Toronto, a degree in law from the University of Western Ontario, and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. She is also a member of the Law Society of Ontario.

Wendy Levinson is a Professor of Medicine and Past Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is a national and international expert in the field of physician-patient communication, studying topics like informed decision making. She is the Chair of Choosing Wisely Canada and Choosing Wisely International.

Stan Marchuk is the past President of the Nurse Practitioner Association Canada. He is a family nurse practitioner with a specialized practice in oncology; providing expert care to patients with cancer requiring radiotherapy treatment.

He holds adjunct faculty appointments at the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria.

Connie Newman is the Executive Director for the Manitoba Association of Senior Communities (MASC). MASC leads the Age-Friendly and Social Prescribing initiatives in Manitoba. As Executive Director, she plays a leading role in the Coalition for Healthy Aging in Winnipeg. Additionally, MASC is a member of the MB Seniors Coalition.

Nationally Connie is the chair of the public relations committee for Canadian Association for Deprescribing Network. Connie also represents Manitoba at the Public Health Agency of Canada's Age Friendly Reference Group.

Dr. Danielle Paes is the Chief Pharmacist Officer (CPO) at the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA), where she is driving strategic efforts in the areas of pharmacy practice, workforce sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion. She believes a thriving profession, will enable pharmacists to continue to meet the emerging health needs of their patients.

In addition to her genuine passion, her unique pharmacy portfolio gives Dr. Paes a national lens enabling her to provide leadership and guidance on key issues facing pharmacy and health care in Canada. Most recently she was practicing as a pharmacist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto; she has held previous roles in community pharmacy, industry and academia.

Dr. Paes is recognized as a dynamic and forward-thinking leader, committed to advancing the profession, engaging and supporting front-line pharmacists and advocating for effective use of our Canadian health care system to help optimize patient care.

She earned her bachelor and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the University of Waterloo and holds a Bachelor of Science in applied pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of Guelph.

Dawn Richards, PhD, lives with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. At Five02 Labs Inc., she helps people and organizations design and execute initiatives that include patients as partners, using leading practices tailored to their approaches. Some of her clients include Clinical Trials Ontario, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, and the University Health Network. She has contributed to the literature and practice in patient engagement around compensation of patient partners, authorship with patient partners, recognizing patients as people with various skills and who lead fulfilling lives, and education around patient engagement in research. As a volunteer, Dawn is Vice President of the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance and a member of The British Medical Journal's Patient Advisory Panel.

Dr. Ambreen Sayani, MD, PhD, is a scientist at the Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital and an Assistant Professor (status) at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She is Principal Investigator for the Improving Cancer Care Equity Research Program that aims to improve cancer outcomes for all population groups by promoting equitable cancer prevention, early detection and access to high quality care. Dr. Sayani holds a six-year, transition-to-leadership stream career development award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. She is a health equity expert advisor for the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, a member of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network, co-founder of Equity Mobilizing Partnerships in Community (EMPaCT).

Jim Silvius is the co-founder of the Canadian Medication Appropriateness and Deprescribing Network (CADeN) and is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Calgary. He is also a senior medical director for Provincial Seniors & Continuing Care of the Alberta Health Services (AHS); a position he has held since its formation.

Dr. Cara Tannenbaum is a researcher and physician in the field of geriatrics, women's health and gender research. Cara co-founded the Canadian Medication Appropriateness and Deprescribing Network (CADeN) and continues her work on deprescribing trials involving patients, pharmacists and primary care practitioners across Canada. She is a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Montréal, and has been the Scientific Director of the Canadian Institute of Health Research Institute of Gender & Health.