Health Commons’ Oversight Committee
Our Oversight Committee is an important sounding board, guiding us on what to prioritize, where new opportunities are emerging, and how to advocate for real change.
Ruth Crammond
Vice President, Community Investment and Development, United Way
Ruth Crammond is the Vice President of Community Investment & Development with responsibility for a broad range of United Way investments and agency partnerships in Community Services, as well as the place-based work in our Building Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy. She joined United Way in 2014 as the Director of Community Services and Capacity Building. In that role she oversaw the transformation to a new investment model for United Way for the largest portion of United Way investments in the community.
Gary Newton
Chair, President and CEO, Sinai Health
Dr. Gary Newton assumed the role of President and CEO of Sinai Health in 2016. He served as Chair of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) from 2017-2021, and was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors, Hospital Diagnostic Imaging Repository Services (now known as the Ontario Clinical Imaging Network) in June 2021. A well respected physician leader, Dr. Newton previously held the position of Physician-in-Chief of Mount Sinai Hospital from 2013 to 2015, and was appointed to the role of Chief Medical Strategy Officer and Physician-in-Chief of the newly formed Sinai Health System in 2015.
Adalsteinn Brown
Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Professor Adalsteinn (Steini) Brown was appointed Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) beginning July 2018 after serving as Interim Dean. He previously served as Director of the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation (IHPME) and the Dalla Lana Chair of Public Health Policy also at the University. He has worked closely with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care (MOHLTC) and other government and international agencies and has served as Assistant Deputy Minister in MOHLTC and Assistant Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Research and Innovation.
Dr. Eileen de Villa
Medical Officer of Health, City of Toronto
Dr. de Villa leads Toronto Public Health, Canada’s largest local public health agency, which provides public health programs and services to 2.9 million residents. Prior to joining Toronto Public Health, Dr. de Villa served as the Medical Officer of Health for the Region of Peel serving 1.4 million residents.
Patrick Dicerni
Assistant Deputy Minister and General Manager, OHIP, Ministry of Health
Patrick Dicerni is OHIP and Drug & Devices ADM, OHIP General Manager and Executive Officer in the Ministry of Health. Prior to his current roles, Patrick worked in the Deputy Minister's Office as Director of Policy and Delivery. He played an important role in implementing the Ministry's policy agenda and delivering on a number of key ministry priorities. During his time in the Deputy Minister's Office, he served two ministers and provided strategic advice and support to three deputy ministers. Prior to joining the Ministry of Health, Patrick held a number of increasingly senior positions at the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
Safia Ahmed
Executive Director, Rexdale Community Health Centre
In the last 25 years, Safia Ahmed held various leadership positions in the public and in the not-for-profit sectors. Since 2008, Safia has been the Executive Director of Rexdale Community Health Centre. Prior to that, she was the Director of Primary Health Care at Parkdale Community Health Centre; District Officer with Ombudsman Ontario; and Manager of Finance at Nellie’s Shelter for Women and Children. Safia also worked with The United Nations Development Programme as a Programme Officer. Safia is the current Chair of the Rexdale Community Hub Board and was the Chair of the Nellies Shelter Board of Directors.
Adrienne Spafford
Vice President, OHT Strategy and Policy, Ontario Health
Adrienne Spafford is currently the VP, Ontario Health Teams Strategy & Policy, Ontario Health. She is a values-driven leader with 20 years of experience in public policy, advocacy, communications, and stakeholder relations. Passionate, focused, and collaborative, she is well-known among Ontario's health care sector for her commitment to quality, equity and humanity in the delivery of care. Most recently, Adrienne was the CEO of Addictions and Mental Health Ontario and has held senior positions at the Ontario Long Term Care Association, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Infrastructure Ontario, and with a former Premier of Ontario.
Frances Garwe
CEO, Carea Community Health Centre
Francis is a systems leader in the health care sector, with expertise in leading strategic clinical expansion and integration, system design for medical interprofessional teams, and sustainable partnership building. He is a leader in strategic change enablement and integration. He has successfully led the development of an integrated full clinical service delivery model throughout the Durham Region urban catchment service areas. He has fostered multi-faceted partnership agreements with universities and several community service organizations to provide seamless services for patients and clients across the region.
Dr. Lawrence Loh
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, College of Family Physicians of Canada
Before his current appointment, he had served Peel since 2016 as Associate Medical Officer of Health and then Medical Officer of Health. Prior to his time at Peel, Loh worked at all three levels of government in two provinces at five agencies, including the Public Health Agency of Canada, Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia, and Public Health Ontario, where he was seconded as a senior medical consultant to the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
Helen Angus
Distinguished Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
Helen Angus is a creative and dynamic executive with a 30 year progressive career in the public sector including 20 years working in the Government of Ontario,10 years in government agencies as well four years working in management consulting. From June 2018 until September 2021, Helen served as Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Health and led the health response to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the most ambitious health sector modernization in decades. Helen has also served as Deputy Minister in a number of portfolios including Treasury Board Secretariat, International Trade, Women’s Issues, Seniors Affairs and Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade.