Advisory Committee

Members:

Catherine Gaulton (Chair) Ms. Gaulton is Vice President, Quality & System Performance and Chief Legal Officer of the Nova Scotia Health Authority. She has over 30 years of experience in the health system, starting her career as a registered nurse and then becoming a lawyer, where her focus has included health, governance, quality, patient safety, ethics, and malpractice. Ms. Gaulton recently served for ten years as VP of Performance Excellence and general counsel for Capital Health, prior to which she was a senior solicitor for the NS Department of Health. Ms. Gaulton is past board chair for both the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and the Nova Scotia Health Organizations Protective Association and currently sits as a board member for Feed Nova Scotia; she is a frequent lecturer and writer for Dalhousie University.

Dr. Andrew Lynk (Vice Chair) Dr. Lynk is a consultant pediatrician, Medical Director of the Cape Breton Cancer Care Center, and former VP Medicine of the Cape Breton District Health Authority. He is past President of the Canadian Paediatric Society. His interests include Early Year Investments, quality and safety, advocacy, leadership and governance.

Theresa Fillatre Ms. Fillatre is a Registered Nurse, Social Worker and healthcare leader with extensive experience in acute care, community, mental health and continuing care sectors. Her areas of expertise include the application of quality and client/staff safety science and methods using a systems approach. Theresa has 20 years Canadian and international experience with the application of accreditation standards and processes to assess and improve system performance; has served on the national Boards of the Canadian College Health Leaders and the Canadian Nurses Protective Society; has been the recipient of national leadership awards for her collaborative work in quality and client/staff safety; and led the Canadian Patient Safety Institute’s flagship program “Safer Healthcare Now!” and the Atlantic Quality and Patient safety Collaborative until 2014.

Dr. Thomas Marrie Dr. Marrie is an infectious diseases physician and clinician researcher. His research involves many aspects of community acquired pneumonia including pathways of care and quality of care studies. He was Dean Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University from September 2009 to June 2015.

Sheila Peck Ms. Peck is the Administrator of Wynn Park Villa, a Long Term Care facility in Truro. She has 35 years of experience working in Long Term Care in many capacities and has worked extensively with Geriatric and Mental Health clients. Sheila is the past chair of the Colchester East Hants Health Authority as well as the Continuing Care Association of Nova Scotia and the Health Care Human Resource Sector Council.

Dr. Linda Courey Dr. Courey is the Senior Director, Mental Health and Addictions of the Nova Scotia Health Authority and was the former Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the Cape Breton District Health Authority. She has been involved in work at the national level related to prescription drug misuse, patient safety issues in mental health and suicide risk assessment, and more locally, the treatment of concurrent disorders, stigma/discrimination related to mental illness and addictions, and supported housing, education and employment. She has participated in the regulation of psychologists as a board member and as chair of the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology. She is now responsible for province‐wide planning and management for mental health and addiction services within the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Dr. John Chiasson Dr. Chiasson is a full service family physician practicing in Northern Nova Scotia for more than 35 years. He has served in many leadership roles in his local area as well as with Doctors Nova Scotia and the Department of Health. His expertise is in physician engagement and community consultation with special interest in health quality and safety.

Dr. Stacy Ackroyd Dr. Ackroyd is an occupational therapist and health services researcher with the Department of Emergency Medicine at Dalhousie University. Her research focuses on patient safety in older adults in acute care. She has been actively involved in developing patient safety education for medical students and postgraduate medical educators.

Janet Knox Ms. Knox is the President and CEO of the Nova Scotia Health Authority. She is an accomplished health executive and leader with extensive experience across the health system in Nova Scotia, Canada and beyond. She has passion for developing best practices in healthcare and a commitment to innovation and managing resources effectively to achieve positive outcomes. She is a strategic thinker who focuses on the future while preserving the best of the past and honouring the lessons learned.

Tracy Kitch Ms. Kitch is President & CEO of the IWK Health Centre. A recognized health care executive and transformational leader, Ms. Kitch is known for her ability to set strategic vision and effectively lead and align teams. Ms. Kitch is a member of the IWK Health Centre Board of Directors, and a member of the IWK Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Ms. Kitch also serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Health Centre, the Nova Scotia Health Employees’ Pension Plan, and is currently a member with the Institute for Corporate Directors.

Ex-Officio Members

Suzanne Rhodenizer Rose Ms. Rhodenizer Rose is Director of Quality, Patient Safety, and Infection Prevention and Control Nova Scotia for the Health System Quality branch at the Department of Health and Wellness. She is also national president of Infection Prevention & Control Canada (IPAC Canada) and has fulfilled many roles in nursing and leadership positions.

Terrilyn Hayward Ms. Hayward is a Senior Policy Analyst for Health System Quality at the Department of Health and Wellness. Prior to this she worked for nearly ten years in the field of Addiction Services as a Program Administration Officer, Health Promotion and Protection and as a Research and Statistical Officer for South Shore, South West, and Annapolis Valley health authorities. Her areas of expertise are quality and information management systems; business intelligence and analysis; project management; and outcomes monitoring. She has a strong interest in health promotion and public engagement and is actively involved in her community