CADTH Welcomes New Members to the Board of Directors

CADTH is pleased to announce the appointment of 5 new members to the CADTH Board of Directors.

“I am pleased to welcome Hamida Bhimani, Avram Denburg, Chad Mitchell, Mark Wies, and Eric Bélair to the Board of Directors and look forward to the insight and leadership they will bring to CADTH,” said David Agnew, Board Chair. “They join CADTH at a critical time, when Canadian health systems are depending on us for trustworthy evidence to help them harness pandemic learnings and use health technologies to drive better outcomes for patients.”

Mr. Agnew also thanked the following Board members who concluded their terms of office: Mitch Moneo (Jurisdictional Member, Western Provinces), Karen Stone (Jurisdictional Member, Atlantic Provinces), Marcel Saulnier (Jurisdictional Member, Federal), Dr. Brendan Carr (Health Systems Member), and Dr. Stuart Peacock (Academic Member).

The 13-member CADTH Board of Directors is composed of an independent chair; a regional distribution of jurisdictional federal, provincial, and territorial representatives; and non-jurisdictional representatives from health systems, academia, and the public.

The Board has overall responsibility for administering the affairs of the Corporation and providing the strategic direction to guide CADTH’s success as the Canadian “go-to” provider of evidence and advice on the use of drugs and other health technologies.

New Board Members

Hamida Bhimani (Health Systems Member)

As the Head of Nursing Practice for York Region, Hamida Bhimani has extensive experience executing strategic initiatives in the areas of nursing practice and leadership, and in leading organizational excellence initiatives in health care. Hamida has held leadership and project management roles in the academic, research, and government sectors and currently co-facilitates a dynamic leadership program for women at the Schulich Executive Education Centre at York University’s Schulich School of Business.

Hamida is a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from McMaster University. She also holds a Master of Health Science in Administration and a Certified Health Executive designation.

Dr. Avram Denburg (Academic Member)

Dr. Avram Denburg is a staff oncologist and clinician-scientist in the Division of Haematology/Oncology at SickKids, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Dr. Denburg’s research centres on the analysis and strengthening of childhood cancer care systems, with specific focus on issues related to pharmaceutical policy and drug access for children in Canada and internationally. His lab at SickKids Research Institute is engaged in projects on health technology assessment and cancer drug access in various health system contexts globally. He has served as an expert member on the CADTH pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review and the Ontario Steering Committee for Cancer Drugs, and chairs the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee at SickKids.

Dr. Denburg has a Master of Science in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and a PhD in Health Policy from McMaster University.

Chad Mitchell (Jurisdictional Member, Western Provinces)

Chad Mitchell is the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Pharmaceutical and Supplementary Benefits Division at Alberta Health. As a seasoned health care executive and with a background as a pharmacist, Chad provides leadership to a high-performing team responsible for drug and health benefits programs, the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan, interprovincial health agreements, Alberta blood and plasma, and the Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Registry.

Chad is also an adjunct professor with the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta, where he received his master’s degree focused in health outcomes research.

Mark Wies (Jurisdictional Member, Eastern Provinces)

Mark Wies is the Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Services and Programs, for the New Brunswick Department of Health. In this capacity, Mark is responsible for primary care, acute care, addictions and mental health, health workforce planning, pharmaceutical services, and innovation and e-health.

Mark has extensive governance acumen and health system leadership experience, having served since 2016 as the Assistant Deputy Minister of Health responsible for various other branches, including Policy and Legislation, Intergovernmental Relations, Corporate Privacy, Medicare, and Physician Services. Mark has a BA in Economics from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and has completed professional programs through the University of Western Ontario and the Royal Bank of Canada in leadership, financial analysis, and marketing.

Eric Bélair (Jurisdictional Member, Federal)

Eric Bélair is Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy Branch, at Health Canada. His responsibilities include leading on pharmaceuticals management and pharmacare policies. Mr. Bélair previously worked at Natural Resources Canada on clean energy and climate change policy. He also has over ten years of experience working in central agencies, including at the Privy Council Office, where he provided advice on the government’s overall policy agenda, as well as at the Treasury Board Secretariat.

The complete list of Board Members is available on our website.

About CADTH

CADTH is an independent, not-for-profit agency funded by Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments to provide credible, impartial advice and evidence-based information about the effectiveness of drugs and other health technologies to Canadian health care decision-makers.

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