Fellows 16 - Action Canada

Freddy
Abnousi

2004/2005 Fellow

Freddy aspires to reduce inequities in health through medicine and policy, both in Canada and abroad. “I want to even the playing field,” says the Armenian-born North Vancouverite, who has a BSc from the University of British Columbia, an MSc from the London School of Economics and an MBA from Oxford. Currently in second year at UBC medical school, Freddy plans to specialize in trauma surgery and also become a provider of generic medicine to developing countries.

He wants to help ensure Canada’s healthcare sustainability as well, through the implementation of medical information technology, and he recently consulted on a key project to decrease barriers to medical IT. Internationally, he has led projects for the Kenyan Agency for Rural Development, the British Medical Association, the American Enterprise Institute, the NESsT Venture Fund in Chile and the World Bank in India. Freddy regards Action Canada as a rare opportunity to meet public-minded contemporaries “who have already proven themselves as leaders at a very young age.”

George
Roter

2004/2005 Fellow

George believes technology can profoundly improve the lives of the world’s poor – and he’s acting on that conviction. Engineers Without Borders (EWB), the Canadian non-profit group he co-founded in 2000 and currently leads as co-CEO, has some 10,000 professional and student members coast-to-coast. EWB has sent over 100 volunteers to projects in more than 20 developing countries, helping local entrepreneurs spread simple technologies such as pedal-operated irrigation pumps that are transforming their impoverished communities. His efforts have earned him numerous awards, and Time magazine has called him one of the country’s next generation of social leaders.

George is also a fervent believer in social change at home and says Action Canada has introduced him to “a quality and diversity of people” who have been very successful in numerous different fields. “It has allowed me to grow as a person,” adds the Toronto native, who holds a BASc in mechanical engineering from the University of Waterloo, “and to explore public policy issues I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Craig
Cameron

2004/2005 Fellow

Craig is a quintessential people person. “I’m passionate about the energy people have within them and how you can help bring that out,” says the Regina native, who is completing an MA in physical education at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s. After graduation, Craig hopes to use the inspirational power of sport to tap into that energy in disadvantaged children, enriching their lives and communities, especially in developing countries. It’s a goal that crystallized during his volunteer work in West Africa as a program coordinator for Right To Play (formerly OympicAid) after completing a BA in physical activities studies at the University of Regina.

Craig has been politically active throughout his academic career and is extremely impressed by the social and political awareness of the people he has met through Action Canada. He believes his Fellowship “will introduce me to a lot of opportunities and also open up my eyes to the kind of issues that are facing Canada in the future.”

Beverly
Sembsmoen

2004/2005 Fellow

Beverly never expected to be selected as an Action Canada Fellow. “I don’t have any initials at the end of my name,” jokes the legislation development manager with the Carcross/Tagish First Nation (CTFN) near Whitehorse, Yukon. What Beverly does have is considerable experience forging aboriginal land-claim and self-governing structures. She has also been instrumental in numerous grass roots initiatives and has a distinguished record of commitment to the environment, health, education and traditional values of her people. A Dakl’aweidí clan member of Tagish and Tlingit heritage, Beverly played a key role in negotiating the CTFN’s treaty and self-government agreements with the federal government from 1996-2004.

She also chairs the Four Mountains Resort development, a $24-million facility scheduled to open around 2007. The CTFN-affiliated resort will create a sustainable tourism economy in the region while protecting aboriginal culture and traditions. Though initially sceptical, Beverly says the genuine compassion other Action Canada Fellows have shown regarding aboriginal issues “has given me an incredible boost of hope.”

Nadine
Caron

2004/2005 Fellow

Nadine was astounded to learn, in 1997, that she was the first aboriginal woman to graduate from the University of BC’s medical school. The Kamloops native now regularly encourages aboriginal kids throughout the continent to attend university. “I tell them they can achieve anything if they work hard and believe in themselves,” says Nadine, who also holds a BSc from Simon Fraser University and a master of public health degree from Harvard, earned while completing her surgical residency. Nadine has won more than 20 major academic awards and was named one of Maclean’s 100 Faces of the Future.

She is passionate about aboriginal health and Canadian health policy, and has served on committees with numerous stakeholders including the BC and Canadian medical associations and the BC health ministry. Nadine is currently studying endocrine surgery at the University of California at San Francisco, with plans to practice medicine in northern BC. She says Action Canada “has exceeded all my expectations, both from the other Fellows and our mentors.”

Josh
Silvertown

2004/2005 Fellow

Josh is the Senior Manager, Medical Affairs Strategist (Oncology) for Bayer Canada leading the medical affairs for targeted therapies in Canada. Prior to this role, Josh was the Medical Scientific Advisor (Hematology) overseeing medical affairs for the hemophilia portfolio.
Josh was the CEO and Founder of Armour Therapeutics Inc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of first-in-class anti-hormone therapeutics for the treatment of prostate and ovarian cancers. Josh is currently a Board Director.
Josh was Chief Operating Officer of Quantum Dental Technologies (QDT), which developed and launched The Canary System™, a dental device which uses a low-powered laser to detect tooth early tooth decay. As COO of QDT and co-inventor of the technology, Josh oversaw all operations, including clinical and regulatory affairs, quality systems and processes, product development, and developing strategic partnerships with manufacturers and key players in the dental community.
Josh came to QDT from AXON Clinical Research where he was most recently Director of Scientific Affairs and Business Development. At AXON, Josh worked in a hybrid role consulting for medical device and biopharma companies in Canada, US and Europe who were engaged in clinical research and medical communications, while leading the global business development program. In April 2009, Josh opened the NYC office and managed the consulting, operations and business development activities for AXON’s US clients.
Josh spent three years as an NSERC Post-Doctoral Fellow conducting prostate cancer research at the Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto. He holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences and an Honours BSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the University of Guelph. Josh is a graduate of the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University, where he completed an MBA as a Canadian Institutes of Health Research “Science to Business” Fellow.
Josh is an Action Canada Fellow of 2004, and in 2012, Josh was chosen as a ‘Top 40 Under 40’ in the medtech sector by the Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry. Josh is the author of over 30 scientific publications (in notable oncology, endocrinology, and dentistry journals) and an inventor on 23 issued and pending patents.
In 2005, Josh founded DreamCatcher Mentoring (DCM). DCM is an award-winning e-mentoring program for northern Canadian high school students. In 2014, after 10 years as the volunteer Executive Director and President, Josh facilitated the acquisition of DCM to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada for integration and roll-out to over 100 member agencies across Canada. In 2017, Josh was honoured with a Meritorious Service Medal from Governor General Julie Payette for his role in founding and leading DCM from inception to acquisition.

Kevin
Chan

2004/2005 Fellow

Kevin is Director of Policy, Parliamentary Affairs and Research in the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, an independent Agent of Parliament protecting the privacy interests of Canadians. In this role, he leads the teams providing strategic advice to the Commissioner on a wide variety of privacy issues, such as those related to public safety and the digital economy. Previously, Kevin worked at the centre of both Government and politics. From 2009 – 2011 he was Director of Policy, and Senior Policy Advisor and Transition Secretary, to the Leader of the Opposition. From 2004 – 2009 Kevin served under two Prime Ministers in the Privy Council Office – including as Director, Office of the Clerk of the Privy Council. He also completed an Executive Interchange to the Government of Nunavut. Earlier, he was a management consultant at Monitor. Kevin was Visiting Policy Fellow at Simon Fraser University’s School of Public Policy in 2011, and Visiting Faculty in SFU’s Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue in 2012.

He is a co-founder of DreamCatcher Mentoring, which won a Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative Award. He is also an associate of the Wosk Centre for Dialogue, a Loran Scholar mentor, and a past member of the Lawrence Centre for Policy and Management advisory council. His writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail and The Ottawa Citizen. Kevin graduated from Harvard Kennedy School and the Ivey School of Business, where he was a President Scholar. He also studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and is an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music. A 2004 Action Canada Fellow, Kevin was awarded the Public Service Award of Excellence in 2006, was selected a member of the 2008 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, and received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. He is fluently bilingual. Kevin is married to Andréa Armijo Fortin and they have two children, Isaac and Éva.

Severn
Cullis-Suzuki

2004/2005 Fellow

From fishing on the seawall in Vancouver, to visiting small communities all over BC with her family, Severn Cullis-Suzuki has been ‘studying’ ecology and society since she was small. She started speaking out about social justice and environmental issues as a child, delivering a powerful speech at the UN Earth Summit at 12 years old (1992). She has continued to speak worldwide about the importance of understanding our interconnections in a globalized world, and to recognize our responsibility to it. Severn was a Commissioner for the UN’s Earth Charter, and an advisor to the Secretary General for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002).

She is an Action Canada Fellow (’04 -’05) and co-edited the book ‘Notes from Canada’s Young Activists’ (Greystone, 2007). Severn has an MSc in ethnoecology from the University of Victoria and a BSc from Yale University. She is currently focussed on language revitalization of the Haida language on Haida Gwaii. She sits on the board of directors for the David Suzuki Foundation and the Haida Gwaii Higher Education Society, and is a ‘Spark’ for the Girls Action Foundation, and a Champion for Earth Summit 2012 Canada.

Sara
Ehrhardt

2004/2005 Fellow

Born in Atlantic Canada, Sara has alternated her career between the non-profit and public sectors, focusing on the intersection between politics, economic development and environmental resource management.As a student she helped to create Engineers Without Borders. She then served as the national water campaigner of the Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest public interest group.As a public servant, Sara managed the Alberta Government’s first policy team dedicated to oil sands environmental management, and served on the G20 Finance Ministers Expert Group on Climate Change Financing in the lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Accord and launch of the Green Climate Fund. She also served as a Community Relations Officer to the Premier of Nova Scotia in the province’s first New Democratic government.

Sara has been recognized for her achievements by the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers, Action Canada, and Canada’s Public Policy Forum. She has degrees in engineering from the University of Waterloo and in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Sara has recently relocated to Stockholm, Sweden to join the Global Water Partnership, an intergovernmental organization dedicated to building a water secure world.

Kris
Frederickson

2004/2005 Fellow

Kris is the Director of Sustainability at Keyera, one of Canada’s largest midstream energy companies, where he leads a team to enable best-in-class environmental, social and governance performance through strategic alignment, implementing best practices in sustainability, and stakeholder engagement. He has also held sustainability roles with Suncor Energy and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.

Kris has undergraduate and masters degrees in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Manitoba and an MBA in Indigenous Business & Leadership from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. He is also an Indspire Laureate and Action Canada Fellow.

In addition to work, Kris is an active volunteer, most recently as a member of the Board of Governors for the University of Calgary where held the positions of Vice-Chair of the Board and Chair of the Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability Committee.

Ginger
Gosnell-Myers

2004/2005 Fellow

Ginger Gosnell-Myers – of Nisga’a and Kwakwak’awakw heritage is passionate about advancing Aboriginal rights and knowledge, while breaking down barriers between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.Throughout 2008-2011 Ginger worked on the Environics Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study as both Project Manager and Public Engagement Director. The UAPS is Canada’s largest research study on Aboriginal people living in urban environments, and has become the leading research on urban Aboriginal people’s values, aspirations, experiences, and identity. In 2010 the UAPS received the Public Policy Impact Award by the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, and the IPAC/Deloitte Public Sector Leadership Award for not for profit organizations.

She has facilitated and spoken at several provincial, national and international events, including the International Indigenous Women & Wellness Conference, the Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, and the United Nations Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples. Her commitment to advancing Aboriginal issues led her to work as the Western Assistant to the late and former Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Development Andy Scott, advising the Minister on issues pertaining to BC and Alberta.

Ginger is the Aboriginal City Planner with the City of Vancouver where she is central to advancing the Year of Reconciliation.

Jason
Hein

2004/2005 Fellow

Jason is a 2004 fellow and an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of British Columbia. He is a founding member of UBC’s Center of AI Decision Making and Action and co-lead of Canada’s first Mission Innovation research challenge. Jason also serves on the scientific advisory board of Standard Lithium; a Vancouver-based junior mining company developing disruptive technology to supply raw materials for sustainable energy storage. Jason’s research program is defined by creative application of technology to chemical science and engineering. These include designing new tools to study chemical reactions in real time, developing novel techniques to manufacture pharmaceuticals and building first-in-class automated technology to speed up the research and discovery process.

Jason’s research program is defined by creative application of technology to chemical science and engineering. These include designing new tools to study chemical reactions in real time, developing novel techniques to manufacture pharmaceuticals and building first-in-class automated technology to speed up the research and discovery process. Most recently, his team has developed one of the world’s first self-driving chemical robots, capable of not only executing experiments but also interpreting the results and deciding what experiment to try next.

Jason Hein, received his B.Sc. in biochemistry in 2000 from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. He then began his Ph.D. studies as an NSERC postgraduate fellow under the guidance of Professor Philip G. Hultin at the University of Manitoba. In 2006, he became an NSERC postdoctoral fellow with Prof. K. Barry Sharpless and Prof. Valery V. Fokin at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, and then joined Prof. Donna G. Blackmond as a senior research associate in 2010. He started his independent research career at the University of California, Merced in 2011 and was recruited back to the University of British Columbia in 2015.

Roxanne
Joyal

2004/2005 Fellow

Roxanne Joyal is CEO of Me to We, an innovative social enterprise providing socially conscious products and experiences that support the work of Free The Children. Half of Me to We’s net profit is donated to Free The Children, while the other half is reinvested to grow the enterprise and its social mission.Roxanne Joyal is also a founding member of Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner that empowers youth to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change. Since 1995, the organization has worked in more than 40 countries and built more than 650 schools and school rooms in developing regions, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day.A former parliamentary page in the Canadian House of Commons, her involvement with development work began at a young age when she spent six months in the Klong Toey slum of Bangkok, Thailand, caring for mothers and children afflicted with AIDS.Roxanne graduated with distinction from Stanford after completing a degree in international relations. A Rhodes scholar, she went on to complete a law degree at Oxford University with an emphasis on family and labour law. Roxanne completed her legal training by clerking for the Supreme Court of Canada in 2005. In 2012, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Nipissing in recognition of her innovative work in education and human rights.

She is directly responsible for corporate and family engagement at Me to We, seeking to create bridges and sustainable change by changing the way we live, act and conduct business. Roxanne created and established Bogani Cottages and Tented Camp, a first-of-its-kind facility designed to educate and engage youth, adults, families and corporate groups through international volunteer adventures. She is now heading up the expansion of Araveli Cottages and Tented Camp in Rajasthan, India.

Roxanne also leads social and economic empowerment initiatives for women in Kenya, India and Ecuador as founder of Me to We Artisans. Me to We Artisans empowers women in Free The Children countries through financial literacy and employable skills. This initiative currently employs more than 600 women and their families, and proves that every dollar earned by a mother directly impacts her home, her children and her community.

Me to We Artisans is growing at a rapid pace, having been warmly received and featured in media outlets such as Chatelaine, The Globe and Mail, National Post, Fashion and Canadian Living. A French-Canadian, Roxanne has been featured as “Faces of the Future: 100 Young Canadians to Watch” in Maclean’s magazine, and she is an Action Canada Fellow. In 2005, Roxanne was selected for the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100: Canada’s Most Powerful Women. Her work has been extensively covered by the CBC, The Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen and the Winnipeg Free Press.

Jamie
Ross

2003/2004 Fellow

Jamie is a Partner with Deloitte, based in Victoria, BC. Jamie has over 25 years of experience in IT, risk management and information protection, with a focus on security and privacy.

In the past 14 years, he has focused exclusively on serving the BC Public Sector (including core Government ministries, Crown Corporations and Health Authorities) in matters related to information security and privacy. During this time, his work has focused on helping organizations assess their current cybersecurity posture, identify strengths and gaps, and develop and implement enhancement programs to address security risks.

Prior to joining Deloitte, Jamie completed his PhD at the University of British Columbia, during which he worked with the health sector and private sector technology partners to develop predictive tools for drinking water quality risk in rural areas of BC’s Lower Mainland. Jamie is also a member of the board for the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.

Matthew
Sullivan

2003/2004 Fellow

Matthew Sullivan is a young lawyer in the Department of Justice with an interest in Canadian human rights. His early studies lay in theatre and creative writing, though he graduated with a B.A. from the University of British Columbia after specializing in religious studies and classical Latin. These disparate studies naturally resulted in a career in law. Matthew also attended the University of Glasgow and the University of Toronto, where he earned a Masters in criminology. Matthew’s passion lies in law reform—not simply reforming the laws we enact but revising the way we think about and practice law as a society dedicated to human rights.

He explores the use of interdisciplinary approaches to constitutional litigation, as well as ways of promoting greater access to justice for all Canadians. During law school, he worked in a poverty law clinic and now hopes to apply these principles to government service and legal scholarship.

Denise
Taschereau

2003/2004 Fellow

Denise Taschereau is Mountain Equipment Co-operative’s Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER) manager. She is responsible for strategic oversight and implementation of MEC’s national sustainability strategy. Denise’s priorities include developing energy conservation and zero waste management plans for MEC, creating a social and environmental management system and creating the policies that guide its ethical sourcing efforts. Denise started work with MEC in June of 2000 after a three-year stint as the Recycling Council of BC’s Policy and Communications Director.

She is also the Vice President of BEST (Better Environmentally Sound Transportation), an environmental non-profit organization focussed on alternative transportation issues. Denise has a Masters in Resource and Environmental Management from SFU where her research focus was on the sustainable urban development proposed for Vancouver’s Southeast False Creek.

Jan
Stefan Eperjesi

2003/2004 Fellow

Jan Eperjesi studied medicine in Mexico and Puerto Rico. He is currently a resident physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Duke University. From 2002-2004 he worked as a consultant in the Education and Culture sectors at UNESCO in Indonesia and East Timor. He subsequently joined the Department of Canadian Heritage as executive assistant to Canada’s Commissioner General for the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan.

His professional interests include international medical education and health diplomacy as components of foreign policy, ethics, ethnography, management of high risk pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and infertility. He graduated medical school Summa Cum Laude and was recognized with several awards for clinical activities. He holds an undergraduate degree in Physiology from McGill University, and advanced degrees in Laboratory Medicine and Education from the University of Toronto. He is married and a proud father of one son.

Léonie
Tchatat

2003/2004 Fellow

Executive Director of the Centre des Jeunes Francophones de Toronto, editor of the magazine Taloua and Ontario representative on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Steering Committee, Léonie Tchatat has been in Toronto since 1990. While she was a student, she encountered many difficulties that prompted her to become actively involved in the francophone community and especially in assisting young francophones from ethnocultural minorities. For over ten years, Léonie has been giving her time as a volunteer to work for social and cultural change. She also has a vast knowledge of the issues facing racial and ethnocultural minorities in the francophone community.

In recognition of her leadership in both francophone and anglophone communities, Léonie was a recipient of the Youth Pioneer Award, given by Skills For Change for her accomplishments, actions and community leadership. An outstanding manager and communicator, Léonie always finds a creative solution that is appropriate to the situation, in order to provide assistance to young people.

Alia
Ali

2003/2004 Fellow

A major part of Alia Ali’s academic and work experience has been in Pakistan. She worked in legal awareness and health with Pakistan’s oldest women’s NGO for many years. Alia graduated with honours from a highly competitive medical school in Pakistan, specializing in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She actively worked for patient welfare, with a particular focus in the area of blood services. Her experience in public-sector healthcare has included clinical, financial, training and management aspects.

She has worked on projects with local/international NGOs, including UNICEF. She has also led surgical camps in remote areas in the Himalayas. Alia’s ambition to make a difference in healthcare/development policy motivated her to complement her skill set with financial, economic and management tools. While completing her MBA from the University of Oxford (UK) on scholarship, she worked on a strategy project with a successful UK Biotech company, and helped coordinate ‘The Oxford Business Forum’—inviting business leaders to mentor students. Alia is currently completing post-graduate work in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and compiling a report on women and discriminatory laws in Pakistan. She has been active in initiating the Toronto chapter of the Oxford Business Alumni, where Alia and her family are making their new home in Canada.

Janet
Vertesi

2003/2004 Fellow

Janet Vertesi is keen to change how Canadians think about science and stimulate informed debate about current technologies through public education and broadcasting. To this end, she has worked with radio, television, museums and high school programs, and pioneered internet safety workshops with Vancouver Police and the BC Crime Prevention Agency. In addition to running her own small business, Janet has held leadership positions with the first ever Imagine UBC orientation, the Leon & Thea Koerner Foundation, UBC’s Student Recruitment and International Programs offices, Point Grey Mini School, and Girl Guides of Canada.

Janet is also an accomplished vocalist and jazz harpist, with a passion for travel and foreign languages. A former Commonwealth Scholar and BC Premier’s Award winner, Janet holds an M.Phil. in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge and a BA from UBC; she will begin a PhD in Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University this fall.

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