Our Board & Committees

RHI's Board of Directors and Program Committee Members represents the breadth and diversity of the international SCI community, each committed to helping improve the quality of life for individuals with SCI.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors provides strategic guidance that helps RHI work towards its vision and mission.

Ian Rigby (Chair)
Emergency Physician, University of Alberta

Ben Almond (Vice Chair)
Regional Director, Canada, Jacobs

Shari Hughson (Vice Chair)
Director, Master of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Smith School of Business, Queens University

Ross Mason (Secretary)
Executive Director and Founder, Healthcare Institute for National Renewal and Innovation

Jeff Charpentier (Treasurer)
CFO for Proactive Immune Sciences Corporation and former CFO of viDA Therapeutics Inc., Lifebank Corp., Inex Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Chromos Melcular systems Inc., and Lignol Energy Corporation

Maria Barrados
Executive in Residence at Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Partner, Barrados Consulting, Inc.

Michael Beattie
Professor of Neurological Surgery; Co-Director, Brain and Spinal Injury Center, University of California, San Francisco

Dean Bergeron
Vice-President, Administration and Customer Relations, Group Insurance, La Capitale Financial Security

Doug Brown
Associate Professor; Executive Director, Spinal Research Institute

Kristine Cowley
Assistant Professor, Physiology & Pathophysiology, Spinal Cord Research Centre

Christine Sang
Director, Translational Pain Research, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Jerome So
Investment Advisor, Certified Retirement Specialist, TD Waterhouse

Nava Swersky Sofer
Director, International Speaker, Innovation & Commercialization Expert

Cure Committee

The Cure Committee provides ongoing strategic advice in cure-related activities and recommendations on future activities regarding RHI's Cure Program.

Brian Kwon (Chair)
Associate Professor, Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia

Steven Casha
Assistant Professor, Clinical Neurosciences (Surgery), University of Calgary

Michael Fehlings
Professor, Neurosurgery, University of Toronto

James Guest
Clinical Professor, Neurological Surgery and the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis Miller School of Medicine

Susan Harkema
Rehabilitation Research Director, Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center

Wolfram Tetzlaff
Director, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD)

Mark Tuszynski
Professor, Neurosciences, University of California San Diego

Scott Whittemore
Scientific Director, Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center

Care Committee

The Care Committee provides ongoing strategic advice in care-related activities and recommendations on future activities regarding RHI's Care Program.

Cathy Craven (Chair)
Physiatrist, Medical Lead, Brain and Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network

Mark Bayley
Medical Director, Brain and Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network
Associate Professor, Division of Physiatry, University of Toronto

Lise Bélanger
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Acute Spine Program, Vancouver General Hospital

Daniel Bourbonnais
Professor, Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation (CRIR) du Montréal-Métropolitain, Site Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal

Sean Christie
Associate Professor, Research Division of Neurosurgery, Dalhousie University
Vice Chair and Director of Research Division of Neurosurgery, Dalhousie University

Teren Clarke
Chief Executive Director, Spinal Cord Injury Alberta

Janice Eng
Associate Dean, Funding, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of British Columbia
Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

Chester Ho
Professor and Division Director, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta

Brian Kwon
Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury
Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Spine Surgeon, Vancouver Spine Program, Vancouver General Hospital

Eldon Loh
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Western University

Sonja McVeigh
Associate Professor, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Dalhousie University

James Milligan
Director, Research Institute for Aging, Mobility and Falls, Centre for Family Medicine Mobility Clinic
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University

Colleen M. O'Connell
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University

John Shepherd
PhD Candidate (Rehabilitation Science), University of Toronto

Blayne Welk
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Urology, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario

Dalton Wolfe
Assistant Professor, School of Health Studies, Western University

Commercialization Committee

The Commercialization Committee guides the strategic direction of RHI's Commercialization Program. Its mandate is to advise RHI on how it can best leverage its strength, while ensuring alignment with the Cure, Care and Consumer Programs.
Committee list in progress

Consumer Committee

The Consumer committee provides a representative voice for SCI consumers and their supporters in the Blusson Integrated Cures Partnership, as well as activities in the Consumer Program strategy.

Keiko Honda (Chair)
Consumer; Public Health Research Scientist

Peter Athanasopoulos
Consumer; Manager, Public Policy and Government Relations, Spinal Cord Injury Ontario

Mary-Jo Fetterly
Consumer

Chris McBride
Executive Director, Spinal Cord Injury BC

Ian Rigby
Consumer; Emergency Room Physician, Foothills Medical Centre

Barb Schober
Consumer

Program Leadership Committee

This committee provides recommendations to the Board of Directors that aligns the development of RHI's four programs to its vision and mission.

Katharina Kovacs Burns (Chair)

Gary Birch

Kristine Cowley

Cathy Craven

Keiko Honda

Brian Kwon

Ross Mason

Canadian SCI Pressure Ulcer Strategy Working Committee

Pamela Houghton, PhD – Chair
Professor, School of Physical Therapy, University of Western Ontario

Chester Ho, MD – Chair
Associate Professor and Head, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Foothills Medical Centre

John Cobb, BScOT
Occupational Therapist II, Vancouver General Hospital Acute Spine Program

Keith Hayes, PhD
Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Western Ontario

Vanessa Noonan, MSc PhD PT
Director of Research & Best Practice Implementation, Rick Hansen Institute

Heather Orsted, MSc RN BN ET
Principal, eQuadra Solutions Inc.

Shannon Sproule, BScPT
Physical Therapist, GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre

Michael Stacey, MD
Professor and Surgeon in Chief, Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, McMaster University

Dalton Wolfe, PhD
Research Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute

All committee members were asked to disclose to RHI and ONF any conflicts of interest that may potentially influence their recommendations on the Canadian SCI Pressure Ulcer Agenda.