Faculty

Dr. Catherine Van Vliet brings more than 25 years of executive leadership in the public and private sectors, with portfolios encompassing the health continuum, including small and community hospitals, tertiary mental health, primary health leadership, accreditation and governance.

Catherine served as the chief executive officer of the Roberts/Smart Centre in Ottawa, a provincial leader and tertiary Centre of Excellence in youth mental health treatment. Prior to that, she served as CEO of a primary health hub. Additionally, she has held executive vice-president and CIO roles in the hospital sector with responsibilities for patient services, integration, information technology, allied health, diagnostics, partnerships and community programs. A strategic innovator and collaborator, Catherine has acquired funding and led three capital builds in the hospital, primary and community care, and tertiary mental health sectors, achieving funding and program growth of up to 400%.

Catherine has a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration from Virginia University of Lynchburg and a Master of Health Studies (Athabasca University). She is a Registered Pharmacist (Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science).

Catherine has been recognized internationally, serving as a member of the Harvard Business Review’s Advisory Council. Provincially, her health-care leadership has been recognized with a three-year appointment to the Ontario Quality Standards Committee by Ontario Health, followed by appointments to the Ontario Health Quality Advisory Council and the Children’s Mental Health of Ontario board of directors.

Catherine has also been recognized for her work in total joint replacement programming, including an Ontario Hospital Association Leading Practice for Patient Experience Award. Her leadership in electronic health records adoption and e-connectivity have been recognized regionally and provincially.

As a senior health-care executive, Catherine is a team lead surveyor and instructor for Accreditation Canada with an extensive portfolio including health systems, hospitals, mental health organizations, long-term care, addictions services, primary care and Indigenous health. She is an inaugural board member and co-chair of the Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Program. She has also served as preceptor for the University of Ottawa Telfer School of Management, reviewer for Hospice Palliative Care Ontario and assessor for the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada.

Chantale LeClerc is currently the executive director of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, and a part-time professor at the Telfer School of Management. A registered nurse, Chantale has devoted her career to improving the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities. She has done this through roles in clinical care, research, education, professional practice and senior administration in various public sector settings. Most recently, she was CEO of a large regional health authority in eastern Ontario, where she led efforts to improve population health, significantly reducing wait times for many services, increasing access to innovative supports and transforming the way health care is delivered.

In her current role, Chantale helps ensure access to quality education for Canadians of all ages. She is keenly aware of the important interplay between health and education and lends her strategic management, partnership development and improvement skills to support the provinces and territories in their collective efforts.

A life-long learner, Chantale is passionate about developing the next generation of leaders. In addition to teaching at Telfer, she is a quality improvement coach for the EXTRA executive training program at Healthcare Excellence Canada. She also donates her time as a mentor, providing practical guidance to students and newcomers seeking to advance their careers.

Chantale has published in peer-reviewed journals and books, and has received several awards, including an honorary degree from Algonquin College and an award of excellence from the Ontario Hospital Association.

In her spare time, Chantale enjoys touring the country by bicycle and engaging in outdoor activities.

Professor Bruce Millar has taught in both professional graduate and undergraduate programs, contributing to course development and industry academic programs (including CPA) for over 25 years.  Over this time, he has taught a wide range of courses in the fields of accounting, corporate finance, business, strategy and governance.  In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he works with Nurses Specialized in Wounds, Ostomy and Continence Canada as chief financial officer. Bruce also volunteers with many not-for-profit organizations in the greater Ottawa community, recently serving as chair of the board of directors for the Winchester District Memorial Hospital.

Gabriela Prada, MD, MHA, is a physician and global health-care leader with over 25 years of experience in clinical practice, stakeholder engagement, policy and education. She is a senior program director  at Medtronic, supporting the cardiovascular and neuroscience portfolios, where she leads pricing policy, value-based health-care strategies and market-shaping initiatives. Since 2022, she has been a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa and has also served as a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto and Harvard University.

Passionate about improving patient outcomes, Dr. Prada is recognized as an expert in value-based health care and procurement. She has extensive experience leading international teams, working effectively across cultures, mentoring talent and advancing the adoption of innovative therapies worldwide.

Samantha Hamilton is an executive leader in quality, patient safety, risk management and infection control with over 25 years of experience across a variety of health-care sectors. She has worked within the pharmaceutical, medical device, blood, long-term care and home care sectors, as well as the acute (hospital) care sector, heading up the quality and patient safety program at the Ottawa Hospital. Samantha is currently the vice-president, quality and performance, at Bruyere Health.

Samantha has a Master of Health Administration (MHA) from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the University of Waterloo (microbiology specialization). She is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) and holds certificates in risk management, strategy, health law and the PROSCI change practitioner methodology. She has experience with quality management systems design, quality and patient safety risk management processes, IPAC practices and a variety of quality improvement tools and techniques. 

Samantha is also a program director with Telfer Executive Programs and a part-time professor with the University of Ottawa MHA and EHA post-graduate programs and lead faculty with CHA Learning. 

Samantha serves on the VON Canada board  and is board chair of the Ottawa Christmas Cheer Breakfast Foundation.  

Dr. Diener is an associate director in the Health Policy Branch at Health Canada, where he leads the Policy Research, Economics and Analytics Unit. He received a PhD in economics from McMaster University, and has held positions at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), where he was a consultant in the Health Division from 2011 to 2013. Alan has also been teaching health economics at Telfer for over 20 years.

Alan’s research interests include public health economics, economic evaluation, health expenditures and health-care system funding. While at the OECD, Alan contributed to the international guidelines on deriving expenditures by disease age and gender. In recent years, Alan has conducted research and analysis related to health human resources, primary care and modelling of hospital demand, as well as working on issues related to data interoperability and policy in the health sector.

PhD (Human Resources and Industrial Relations), Laval University Seconded Professor, Leadership Development Program in Healthcare at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa Renée Légaré is a professor in the Master of Health Administration program at the Telfer School of Management, teaching human resources management in healthcare. She specializes in talent management and development, HR strategy, total compensation strategy and implementation, performance management, and organizational effectiveness. Renée is the former executive vice president and chief human resources officer at The Ottawa Hospital, where she was known for her strong leadership skills, but also her energy, passion for people, and genuine desire to make a difference to improve our healthcare system.

Anne-Marie Parent is a dynamic and purpose-driven leader with over 20 years of experience, 12 of which have been dedicated in the health sector. Passionate about driving meaningful change, she combines systems thinking, collaboration, and change management to tackle complex challenges and inspire innovation.

Anne-Marie currently serves as Manager, Engagement and Mobilization at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), where she leads cross-organizational efforts in strategic planning, governance, performance, and partnership development. Her work focuses on fostering a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and shared leadership.

With a rich background as a management consultant, Anne-Marie has worked across public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, guiding teams through large-scale transformation and navigating complex systems. She holds certifications in PRINCE2 project management, Prosci change management, and is a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders. She also holds a Black Belt in Lean Healthcare and has completed training in Flow Coaching and Organizational and Relationship Systems Coaching.

In the “virtual classroom”, Anne-Marie brings her real-world experience into teaching, encouraging critical thinking, reflective practice, and systems leadership among emerging healthcare leaders. Her goal is to help students explore not just what to do—but how to think and lead in complex, evolving environments.

Salim Hasham is a practicing healthcare executive with 30-plus years’ experience in executive international health care, private equity and health systems management. He currently serves as President and CEO of a global healthcare firm. He has served in chief executive positions at Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Hawaii Medical Centers USA and Aga Khan University. He has been an adviser and consultant for IFC, WHO and AKDN and continues his work serving as a faculty member for executive programs to build capacity in healthcare leaders.

James (Jim) Lambley is the director of strategic planning at The Royal. In addition to strategy, he works to enhance enterprise risk management and innovation portfolios. A Certified Health Executive with the College of Canadian Health Leaders, he earned a Master of Health Administration (MHA) from the Telfer School of Management. At the Royal, Jim leads cross-organizational / cross-functional teams and chairs working groups to further innovation and digital health initiatives, with a client/family focus. He leverages his Six Sigma Black Belt, LEAN training background and continuous improvement tools to drive diverse projects. Jim’s career has spanned many areas across healthcare and business in the private and public sectors, always with a focus on client satisfaction, problem solving, analytics, and connecting the dots.

Helen Zipes is an experienced healthcare leader and consultant who has worked in many facets of the Canadian healthcare continuum. Helen has more than 35 years’ experience working in the healthcare continuum of Quebec and Ontario – first as a Physiotherapist and then after receiving her MBA from The University of Ottawa, as Clinical Director of The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre and Academic Family Health Team. Ms. Zipes currently works as a consultant in healthcare management and as a part-time professor at The University of Ottawa, in the Telfer School of Management, MHA Program.  She has developed and teaches courses on Governance and Ethical Management in Healthcare and is also working on redeveloping the course for a University of Ottawa Healthcare Leadership Certificate with the UAE.