Speakers
Marcus Savoi Bortolan
Marcus Savoi Bortolan is the General Manager of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Canada. He has spent more than 20 years at Johnson & Johnson, serving patients, healthcare professionals, and business partners across the healthcare and consumer goods industries. Throughout this time, Marcus has held leadership roles in commercial, marketing, and sales. Before taking on his role in Canada, he led Johnson & Johnson Vision Care in Brazil. He began his career at McKinsey & Company and holds degrees in Business Administration and Law.
Glenn Brimacombe
Glenn is currently the Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the Canadian Psychological Association. Over the course of his thirty-five plus years in the health sector, Glenn has held a number of senior positions with the Canadian Medical Association, Health Canada, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, and spent seventeen years as the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations and the Canadian Psychiatric Association. He is also a Board Trustee at The Royal Ottawa Hospital, and a past Board member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Representing psychologists, physicians, hospitals and the research community, and the public interest has given him a deep appreciation for the breadth of policy perspectives that are brought to bear on a range of challenging health system issues. It also underscores the need, wherever possible, to identify shared policy solutions that are achievable and sustainable. Throughout his career, Glenn has spent much of his focus on the development of health policy and its linkages to strategy and advocacy. Importantly, this has emphasized the need to translate complex issues into user-friendly narratives that align with the priorities of decisionmakers. It also underscored the importance of identifying, developing and sustaining a wide range of strategic alliances where a common destination was shared. Glenn is a past-Chair of the Organizations for Health Action (HEAL) and the Science Media Centre of Canada. He is also a past-Chair of the Public Affairs Committee for the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) and was a founding member of the Canadian Health Leadership Network (CHLNet). Glenn earned his Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Ottawa (1988). He is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Advanced Health Leadership Program (2010) and is a certificant from the Harvard-MIT Public Disputes Program (1993).
Dr. Brendan Carr
Dr. Brendan Carr is a distinguished health system leader who served as the President & CEO of the Nova Scotia Health Authority, William Osler Health System, and Island Health in British Columbia.
He brings an array of expertise in strategic health system leadership and governance with a focus on improving outcomes and rethinking the delivery of care. Dr. Carr’s vast experience in enacting positive improvements and large scale initiatives make him uniquely-suited to providing guidance to Santis clients in the areas of stakeholder engagement, transformation, and strategic implementation.
Dr. Carr has served as the President and Chief Medical Officer of Innoneo Health Enterprise, an organization focused on dramatically impacting health through an innovative ecosystem model that addressed systemic issues such as provider fatigue, service fragmentation and affordability. In this role, Dr. Carr led efforts to rethink health care delivery in response to global trends in patient expectations, demographics, emerging technology and artificial intelligence.
Dr. Carr also served as the President & CEO of the Nova Scotia Health Authority where he led the province’s comprehensive COVID-19 response and ensured minimal disruption to the health system’s core services. As President & CEO of William Osler Health System in Ontario, Dr. Carr led the shift to a learning organization culture, commissioned several large capital projects, and collaborated with government and external stakeholders to position Osler as an efficient and high-performing organization. Dr. Carr spearheaded the rebranding of the Vancouver Island Health Authority in British Columbia to Island Health as President & CEO. In this capacity, he also established regional leadership nodes to promote community engagement and partnerships to address local health needs.
Dr. Carr holds a BSc, MBA and MD from Dalhousie University. He completed his medical residency at the University of Ottawa in emergency medicine and family medicine. He has served as a director of numerous Pan-Canadian and provincial organizations including Canada’s Drug Agency, Canadian Resident Matching Services (CaRMS), and HealthCare Can. He has also worked extensively with boards to strengthen governance, manage enterprise risk, and build agile, future-ready organizations.
Dr. Carr is the recipient of several distinctions including the Healthcare Excellence Canada Naimark award and a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. Brendan holds a Certified Health Executive (CHE) designation with the Canadian College of Health Leaders, a Certified Canadian Physician Executive (CCPE) designation with the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders and is an EXTRA Fellow.
Peter Cleary
Peter joined Santis after spending over a decade supporting five cabinet ministers, in three different governments, including supporting two Health Ministers at both the federal and provincial level. Since 2017, Peter has supported a wide range of clients across Canada including health charities, not-for-profits, think tanks, health systems and companies on a range of government affairs, communication and strategic planning approaches. This work focused on how to understand the nexus between client objectives, health system needs and government priorities to then develop and help implement impactful proposals, whitepapers, and engagement strategies to drive towards a meaningful outcome.
Prior to Santis, served as senior staff for the Hon. Jane Philpott, Minister of Health in the Government of Canada. During his time on Parliament Hill, Peter maneuvered key initiatives through the legislative process including the government’s landmark assisted dying legislation, the federal response to the acute-opioid crisis, supported a robust process to legalize cannabis safely, as well as the successful negotiation of a 10-year health accord agreement with provinces and territories – which served as the basis for numerous agreements to follow throughout and following the pandemic.
At Queens Park, Peter served as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs at a critical moment for the agricultural community when Canada was negotiating both the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. While supporting the Minister of Health in Ontario, Peter supported efforts to successfully negotiate on a physician services agreement, implement the Health-Based Allocation Method in Ontario’s hospitals, address critical issues at Orange air ambulance service as well as the implementation of Ontario’s Action Plan to transform the health care system and deal with the demographic challenges as well as the then provincial deficit. Peter also served in several advisory capacities for the Minister of Community and Social Services.
Dave Clements
Dave has nearly 30 years of experience in the health care and higher education industries and brings expertise in health and science policy, communications and stakeholder engagement.
He has served in executive roles at the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Queen’s University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. He also spent nearly a decade working for the federal government and B.C. provincial government, including as Director of Communications and Senior Advisor for the Hon. Jane Philpott, Canada’s former Minister of Health. In 2014 and 2015, he served as executive director for the Advisory Panel on Healthcare Innovation, appointed by the Hon. Rona Ambrose, then Minister of Health for the Government of Canada. He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Carleton University.
Dave completed a Master of Public Administration at Queen’s University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria. Over the years, he has volunteered his time on numerous boards and committees, including the Institute for Work and Health, the Canadian Council for Tobacco Control, and the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre. He is also actively involved in Sit With Me, an Ontario and Quebec-based dog rescue run entirely by dedicated volunteers.
Dr. Mark Eltis
With over twenty years in practice and fifteen years part-time in academia, Dr. Eltis has practiced in New York, California, and Toronto. He is the current president of the College of Optometrists of Ontario and a director of the American Board of Optometry. He has been a consultant for academic institutions overseas, law firms, and a subject matter expert for competency evaluations.
Avis Favaro
Avis Favaro is an acclaimed medical journalist with decades of experience. As a Senior Advisor at Santis Health, Avis leverages her extensive background in uncovering and reporting health stories that matter to Canadians to help bolster our media training program.
Based in Toronto, Favaro was Canada’s longest-serving television Medical Correspondent, having started this beat for CTV News in 1992. She continues to contribute to the news programming as a freelance contributor. She is also a host of The CHIP – a podcast by the Canadian Institute for Health Information
Favaro has been recognized with a multitude of awards for her work, and holds an honorary PhD from McMaster University. She also has an honorary membership to the Federation of Medical Women of Canada. She is a graduate of Western University where she earned a Master’s Degree in Journalism.
Vanessa Johari Hansen
Vanessa Johari Hansen is Country Business Unit Head at Alcon Canada. She holds an undergraduate degree in Biology & Pharmacology and an International MBA, combining her passion for patient well being, science, and business. Her career spans sales and marketing in Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Packaged Goods, OTC, and Medical Devices, with the last six years at Alcon. Born in Ottawa and based in the Toronto area, Vanessa has also lived for school or work in Montreal, Boston, Paris, London, Tokyo, and Singapore – experiences that shape her global perspective. She loves the work Alcon does partnering with Optometrists to build mutually beneficial relationships that help patients thrive. A culture builder at heart, Vanessa champions inclusive, high performance teams, cultivating diverse talent and inspiring people to perform at their best.
Dr. Evelyn Lo
Dr. Evelyn Lo earned her Bachelor of Science from Simon Fraser University and completed her Doctor of Optometry at Pacific University in Oregon, graduating with distinction and receiving the Outstanding Graduate Award. She has since been recognized with several honours, including the Young Optometrist of the Year Award from BC Doctors of Optometry and most recently, BC’s Ministry of Health Excellence in Clinical Practice Award.
Dr. Lo is the co-owner of Mount Pleasant Optometry Centre, a leading multi-doctor clinic in Vancouver. She is actively involved in research and global eye care outreach through AMIGOs Eye Care, and collaborates with the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in Guangzhou to advance continuing optometric education.
She has previously served on several committees at the BC College of Optometrists. Dr. Lo is currently the President of BC Doctors of Optometry and recently completed a dual executive MBA from Cornell and Queen’s University. Outside of work, she enjoys travelling, hiking, and is an avid LEGO collector.
Dr. Bronwyn Mulherin
A graduate of the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science, Dr. Mulherin practiced first in Ottawa, where she served as co-president of the local Ottawa Society of Optometrists. Dr. Mulherin moved to Fredericton in 2007 and is an active member of the New Brunswick Association of Optometrists (NBAO), sitting on its Council and serving as the NBAO rep to CAO’s Council.
A general practice OD with a special interest in treating Dry Eye, Specialty Contact Lenses and Myopia Management, Dr. Mulherin owns and manages her practice, which includes four associate optometrists and a fabulous support team. When spare time permits, Dr. Mulherin enjoys hiking, skiing, cycling and weightlifting.
Dr. David M. Redman
1989 : Admission au Barreau du Québec
Années 1990-2000 : Avocate en pratique privée et procureure de la Couronne
2001-2009 : Négociatrice pour le Conseil du Trésor et le Ministère de la Santé
2010-2012 : Directrice générale Corporation de services du Barreau
2013 à aujourd’hui : Directrice générale AOQ
Gordon Petrovic
Gordon Petrovic is Market Access Head, Pharma at Alcon Canada. He holds an undergraduate degree in Science and an MBA with specialization in Health Services Management (HSM) both from McMaster University, as well as a Master of Science in Education from Canisius College. He has extensive experience within the Canadian market access sector and new drug commercialization. Gordon enjoys exploring new adventures and is passionate in helping Canadians receive access to therapeutic innovations enabling them to live to their life's full potential.
Ana Pocovi
Ana Pocovi, PharmD, MBA is an experienced pharmaceutical marketing leader with over 20 years in specialized therapeutic areas, including Ophthalmology, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Rheumatology. She has spearheaded product launches and market strategies across Europe and North America, collaborating closely with medical and clinical teams to support evidence-based adoption of innovative therapies. Mrs. Pocovi holds a Pharmacy Degree from the University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain and an MBA in Pharmaceutical business by the Louisiana State University, USA.
Dr. Sheldon Pothier
Dr. Sheldon Pothier has been practicing Optometry in Wolfville, Nova Scotia since graduating from Waterloo in 1986. Currently, he is the Registrar of the Nova Scotia College of Optometrists. This is a position he held from 2006-2015 and was reappointed in 2017. He was president of the Nova Scotia Association (NSAO) of Optometrists from 1993-1995. Dr Pothier was Chair of the former NSAO Board of Examiners from 2000 to 2005 and first Chair of the newly created NSCO in 2005. In 2014, Dr. Pothier was honoured when he became the first recipient of the Nova Scotia Association of Optometrists Legacy Award. He enjoys practicing full time in Wolfville in a group practice which includes his daughter Lillian!