Canadian Medical Association

The CMA is governed by a board of directors made up of the president, president-elect, immediate past president, chair, a member from each province and territory with at least 40 CMA members, a medical student, a medical resident and a non-physician. The board meets regularly to provide direction to the senior management team and set the CMA strategic direction. We identify priorities for health care system improvements at our Health Summit, as well as through member health policy proposals, member forums and member surveys.

Highlights from past Board of Directors meetings

Dr. Suzanne Strasberg, Chair

Dr. Strasberg’s interests include pediatrics, adolescent medicine, gynecology and palliative care. She has worked closely with the CMA, including as a board member, co-chair of the committee on public/private interface and member of a committee dedicated to health care and education.

Learn more about Dr. Suzanne Strasberg, Chair

Dr. Kathleen Ross, President

Dr. Ross is a family physician in Coquitlam and New Westminster, British Columbia. She is recognized for her interest in advancing technology in front-line clinical care, serving as physician lead and chair of the Pathways Patient Referral Association, serving physicians in BC and the Yukon. She is also an avid volunteer and a past president of Doctors of BC.

Learn more about Dr. Kathleen Ross, President

Dr. Joss Reimer, President-Elect

Dr. Reimer is currently the chief medical officer for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Before this, she worked as medical lead and official spokesperson for Manitoba's COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Taskforce and as the medical director of public health for Winnipeg.

Learn more about Dr. Joss Reimer, President-Elect

Dr. Alika Lafontaine, Past President and Nominations Committee Chair

Dr. Lafontaine practises anesthesia in Grande Prairie and has served in medical leadership positions for almost two decades. He co-led the Indigenous Health Alliance project, helping to successfully advocate for millions in federal funding for Indigenous health transformation and in 2020, launched Safespace Networks, an online platform that empowers marginalized patients to navigate health systems.

Learn more about Dr. Alika Lafontaine, Past President and Nominations Committee Chair

Dr. Nigel G. Walton, British Columbia

Dr. Walton practised in northern Saskatchewan and rural British Columbia before settling as a general practitioner in West Vancouver. For 18 years he was a director of the British Columbia Medical Association (now known as Doctors of BC), where he served on various committees; his roles included being a delegate to 13 General Councils of the CMA.

Learn more about Dr. Nigel G. Walton, British Columbia

Dr. Amanda Brisebois, Alberta

Dr. Brisebois has been involved in many levels of health care leadership over her career, including as medical director of the Grey Nuns Community Hospital, medical director of the Palliative Institute and associate chief medical officer, all with Covenant Health. She also serves as a physician consultant for the Alberta Medical Association and physician advisor for the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association, and is actively involved in promoting healthy workplaces.

Learn more about Dr. Amanda Brisebois, Alberta

Dr. Clare Kozroski, Saskatchewan

Dr. Kozroski is a rural family physician practising in southwest Saskatchewan. She has worked in several provinces and was an active member of the Canadian Forces Health Services reserves for over 20 years. She has served as a Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) regional delegate since 2006, on the board of directors for eight years and as SMA president in 2013.

Learn more about Dr. Clare Kozroski, Saskatchewan

Dr. Aaron Chiu, Manitoba

Dr. Chiu is a neonatologist in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is a clinician educator and clinical researcher with a focus on improving patient experiences and outcomes. He is passionate about caring for newborns and for their families. He is an advocate for medical learners, with a focus on high-quality medical education and ensuring personal finance is not a barrier to entering medical school.

Learn more about Dr. Aaron Chiu, Manitoba

Dr. Rachel Forman, Ontario

Dr. Forman is a Toronto-based specialist in obstetrics and gynecology and sub-specialist in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. She is the pharmacology lead (clerkship) for U of T’s MD program and is a representative on the University Governing Council. Dr. Forman has been an Ontario Medical Association (OMA) director since 2014 and is a member of the OMA’s Governance and Nominations Committee.

Learn more about Dr. Rachel Forman, Ontario

Dr. Jean-Joseph Condé, Quebec

Dr. Condé practises family medicine in Val-d’Or and has been an active member of the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue since 1987, where he has worked in family medicine, emergency care and obstetrics. He served as president of the Canadian Medical Protective Association from 2016 to 2018.

Learn more about Dr. Jean-Joseph Condé, Quebec

Dr. Allison Kennedy, New Brunswick

Dr. Kennedy is a family physician in Perth-Andover, New Brunswick. He received his medical training in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and British Columbia.  He has worked in all aspects of comprehensive rural practice.

Learn more about Dr. Allison Kennedy, New Brunswick

Dr. Gerard MacDonald, Nova Scotia

Having graduated from Dalhousie Medical School in 1979, Dr. MacDonald first practised rural family medicine in Cape Breton. Since the early 1990s he has been an otolaryngologist, currently located in Amherst, Nova Scotia, and he has done locums in Yellowknife. He has chaired and participated in several committees over the years and is currently on the board of Doctors Nova Scotia.

Learn more about Dr. Gerard MacDonald, Nova Scotia

Dr. Paula Cashin, Newfoundland and Labrador

Dr. Cashin is a Mi'kmaw physician who has worked in rural Newfoundland since 2009 and is Canada's first Indigenous radiologist and nuclear medicine physician. She is an advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion in medicine and openly discusses these challenges and the systemic barriers to focus attention on changing the culture of medicine.

Learn more about Dr. Paula Cashin, Newfoundland and Labrador

Dr. Larry Pan, Prince Edward Island

Dr. Pan is a radiation oncologist and head of Prince Edward Island’s provincial radiation oncology service. He served as president of the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island in 2017–18 and as chair of its board of directors in 2018–19, and has a strong interest in medical professionalism and health system innovation.

Learn more about Dr. Larry Pan, Prince Edward Island

Dr. Alexander Poole, Yukon

Dr. Poole is a rural and remote multidisciplinary general surgeon. He has practised general surgery in the Yukon for 18 years. His background in engineering and rural and remote surgery has fostered an interest in virtual care. He served five years on the board of the Yukon Medical Association, two as president and CEO.

Learn more about Dr. Alexander Poole, Yukon

Dr. Courtney Howard, Northwest Territories

Dr. Howard is an emergency physician in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. She was first author on the 2017 briefing for Canadian policymakers on behalf of the Lancet Countdown on Climate Change and Health and the Canadian Public Health Association. She is president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and sits on the board of directors of the Global Climate and Health Alliance.

Learn more about Dr. Courtney Howard, Northwest Territories

Santanna Hernandez, Student

Mrs. Hernandez is a military medical student at the University of Calgary. She served as the first Indigenous president of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students and continues to support the federation in the position of past president.

Learn more about Santanna Hernandez, Student

Janet Ecker, Non-physician

Ms. Ecker is the former president and CEO of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance, a concept she turned into a growing and influential public–private partnership dedicated to building Toronto as an international financial services centre. During her political career, she served as minister of finance for Ontario, minister of education, minister of community and social services, and government house leader.

Learn more about Janet Ecker, Non-physician
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