LHIN Leads - updated February 10, 2012

Helen Brenner – Vice President, Patient Services and Chief Nursing Executive, Northumberland Hills Hospital - Co-Chair, Central East LHIN Vascular Health Strategic Aim Coalition.

Helen currently holds the position of Vice President, Patient Services and Chief Nursing Executive at Northumberland Hills Hospital in Cobourg.   A Registered Nurse by profession, in 2001 Helen completed a Masters of Business Administration through Athabasca University.  She holds an Assistant Professorship at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and fulfills the role of Faculty Advisor for 4th year Baccalaureate Nursing Students.  Helen currently serves as past chair of the Renal Administrative Leaders’ Network of Ontario and has served as a board member and chair for a not for profit organization. 

With over 25 years tertiary and community leadership experience in the acute care sector, Helen has successfully lead a number of diverse clinical programs and has had extensive experience working with a broad array of stakeholders in the health care sector in creating partnerships to support the smooth transition of patients from the acute care setting back to the community.  Inherent in her experience, Helen has experience in formal/informal team/group facilitation skills, committee experience both as chair/member and has presented at various professional conferences. 

Helen Briggs - Co-Chair, Central East LHIN Health Professionals Advisory Committee (HPAC)

Helen Briggs is currently the Drug Utilization Pharmacist for Lakeridge Health, a position she has held since 2003.

She worked in the Community Practice of Pharmacy before transitioning to Hospital Practice. Her community pharmacy experience includes small independent drugs stores and large national chains in both downtown Toronto and in the smaller town of Whitby. Ms. Briggs also has experience working at the Ontario College of Pharmacists and with the undergraduate pharmacy program at the University of Toronto, communications course and pharmacy practice labs. She worked as a managed care consultant to facilitate the Simcoe County Flu Vaccine program, prior to the advent of provincial flu vaccine clinics.

Ms. Briggs is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Faculty of Pharmacy.

She is a member of the Canadian Stroke Strategy, Professional Training and Development Committee and the current Chapter Chair, for the Lake Ontario East Chapter of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists.

Dr. Robert Drury - Primary Care Lead for the Durham and North East (Northumberland County, Peterborough City and County, City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County) Clusters 

Dr. Drury, a Lindsay-based family physician with over 35 years of experience practising across Canada including Northern Ontario, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island is the former Chief of Staff at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay and was a member of the executive committee that oversaw the development of the Central East LHIN’s Clinical Services Plan. He has also served as the hospital’s Vice President and President of Medical Staff, Chief of Obstetrics, Chief of Pediatrics and Utilization Physician.  As a surveyor for Accreditation Canada, he has surveyed small community hospitals and larger tertiary centres from Vancouver to St. John’s Newfoundland.  Recently Dr. Drury travelled to Ghana in West Africa as part of a medical team to provide care in isolated communities.

Dr. Christopher Jyu - Primary Care Lead, Scarborough Cluster and Co-Chair, Primary Care Working Group, Central East LHIN

Dr. Jyu is a comprehensive care physician who practices at a private office, a walk-in clinic, and a number of local Emergency Departments in the GTA. 

Dr. Jyu has enjoyed a successful career, which has included his championing a number of major initiatives, such as the creation of the first after-hours patient care delivery system in Scarborough (Centenary After-Hours Clinic Inc.) in 1989, the creation of the first Family Health Group (FHG) in Scarborough in 2003, and the implementation of the first Alternative Funding Arrangement (AFA) Program at Emergency Department, The Scarborough Hospital (TSH), General Campus, in 2004. 

Dr. Jyu is an elected Board member of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and OntarioMD.  He is a member of the Chinese Canadian Medical Society (CCMS).  As the Primary Care Lead for the Ontario Diabetes Strategy in the Central East LHIN, Dr. Jyu works with the Regional Co-ordination Centre and his primary care colleagues on implementing consistent standards and practices for diabetes care.

Dr. Jyu is an active staff member at both the Rouge Valley Health System and The Scarborough Hospital.  He is a courtesy staff member at the Toronto East General Hospital, North York General Hospital, and Lakeridge Health Corporation.  He is involved in a number of charitable activities, including being a member of the Scarborough Chinese Outreach Committee (SCOC). He chairs several Continuing Medical Education (CME) Committees. 

Dr. Jyu is a Collaborative Member and Co-Chair of the Primary Care Working Group (PCWG) of CE LHIN. He is a member of Emergency Department Task Group (EDTG) and Steering Committee for Clinical Services Planning (CSP) of CE LHIN. Dr. Jyu is the Lead Family Physician, Orthopedic Expert Panel, Ontario.  He is a committee member of Physician-LHIN-MOHLTC Tripartite Committee (PLTC), Ontario.  He chairs the OMA-CE LHIN Physician Engagement Committee.

Dr. Jyu graduated from the University of Manitoba with a degree in Science (B.Sc.) and Medicine (M.D.).  He obtained his Executive MBA degree at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.  Dr. Jyu is a Certificant in both Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine from the College of Family Physician of Canada with the designation of CCFP and CCFP (EM).  He holds a Fellowship from the College of Family Physician of Canada with the designation of FCFP. He has a Diploma from the American Board of Urgent Care Medicine. Dr. Jyu is a Lecturer at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto.

Dr. Robert Kyle - Co-Chair, Central East LHIN Health Professionals Advisory Committee (HPAC)

Dr. Robert J. Kyle has been the Commissioner and Medical Officer of Health for the Regional Municipality of Durham since 1991. He is a former Medical Officer of Health for the Peterborough County-City Health Unit.

He obtained his medical degree and Master of Health Science degree from the University of Toronto. He is a certificant in the Specialty of Community Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and holds a certificate in Family Medicine from the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Dr. Kyle is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American College of Preventive Medicine.

Dr. Kyle is an active member of many provincial and regional health organizations, including the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Public Health Performance Management Working Group. Currently, he is Vice-Chair of the Public Health Physicians Section of the Ontario Medical Association and Chair of the Port Hope Community Health Centre.

Dr. Gary M. Mann – Emergency Medicine Physician Lead, Central East LHIN

Dr. Gary Mann is the Program Chief in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Rouge Valley Health System’s  Ajax and Pickering Campus where he has been a full-ime Emergency Medicine physician for nearly 30 years.

Dr. Mann came to work at the then Ajax and Pickering General Hospital in the fall of 1982, shortly after a residency program in General Surgery at the University of Toronto Affiliated Hospitals.  From the very beginning of his tenure in Ajax, Dr. Mann has championed Pre-hospital Emergency Care, teaching Emergency Ambulance Attendants who were the precursors to the high level paramedics we enjoy today.

To that end, Dr. Mann, established a new model of Pre-hospital care known as the Emergency Medical Response Unit. This entity made an Emergency Physician available to the Ambulance Attendants in the field for major incidents such as mass-casualty events, industrial accidents and even home births.

Prior to the advent of LHINs, Dr. Mann served on the Durham District Health Council and chaired two of its committees.  He has also been involved in Clinical Research and has served on the Rouge Valley Health System's Ethics Board.  Medical Students, nurses, paramedics and Interns and Residents have all benefited from teaching experiences that Dr. Mann has provided over the years.

In his capacity as Central East LHIN E.D. Physician lead, Dr. Mann chairs the Central East LHIN Emergency Department Chiefs Group.  He is also a member of the Provincial Emergency Physician LHIN Leads, chaired by Dr. Howard Ovens, and a member of the G.T.A. Emergency Department Chiefs Group.

Dr. Mann was raised in North York. He attended the University of Louisville where he graduated with a combined degree in Science-Medicine and graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1979, after which he returned to Toronto for Post-graduate training in General Surgery.  Since then, Dr. Mann has proudly provided Emergency Medical care to the communities of West Durham Region. Dr. Mann continues to teach Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support, and Emergency Dept. Echo (EDE), the use of Point of Care Ultrasound.

Lisa Shiozaki – Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive, Lakeridge Health Corporation, Co-Chair, Central East LHIN System Surge Management Committee 

Lisa Shiozaki is a Registered Nurse with a Masters in Public Administration.  Lisa's career begain in Peel Memorial Hospital gradually moving from front-line nursing to leadership positions in a number of areas including leadership for Women & Children's Services, Surgery, Oncology (Cancer), Medicine, Complex Continuing Care (i.e. Chronic Care), Critical Care & Intensive Care, and Medicine & Cardiology.  In addition to Peel Memorial Hospital, Lisa has provided leadership at the William Osler Health Centre, York Central Hospital and Halton Healthcare.  In addition to her professional nursing affiliations, she also contributes to the Quality Healthcare Network and Canadian Patient Safety Institute.  Ms. Shiozaki has contributed to future generations of healthcare professionals through her teaching at Sheridan College and Dorothy M. Wylie Nursing Leadership Institute.

Dr. Andrew Steele – Nephrologist, Diabetologist and Internist, Lakeridge Health Corporation, Co-Chair, Central East LHIN Vascular Health Strategic Aim Coalition.

Dr. Steele has been at Lakeridge Health for 10 years after coming from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto where he formerly held positions as Chief Medical Resident and Active Medical Staff in the Division of Nephrology.  He received training at the University of Toronto in the fields of Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Clinical Epidemiology. He is a former member of the Canadian Diabetes Association Clinical Guidelines Committee and has authored several book chapters, including the chapter on Diabetic Nephropathy in Gerstein’s Evidence Based Diabetes.  He has a clinical interest in diabetes, cardiovascular disease in CKD patients and in clinical epidemiology.  He is still active in clinical research and is part of a busy clinical nephrology group practice at the Oshawa Clinic and Lakeridge Health Corporation where he is the current Medical Director and Section Chief of Nephrology. Dr. Steele has recently been appointed as the Medical Director of the Durham Diabetes Network.  Dr. Steele is Past President of the Toronto Regional Dialysis Committee and has been involved locally and provincially in government sponsored task forces and committees to improve the delivery of CKD care.  In addition, Dr. Steele has served on the Canadian Society of Nephrology Education Committee and as an examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.  He lives in Durham with his wife and four children, plays and coaches soccer and is an avid golfer.

Dr. Randy S. Wax, Critical Care Lead, Central East LHIN, Co-Chair, Central East LHIN System Surge Management Committee

Dr. Wax received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Toronto in 1994. He completed training in Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto in 1998, and subspecialty training in Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in 2000. He has completed additional graduate training in Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto, awarded a Master of Education degree in 2005.

Dr. Wax is currently the Medical Director and Section Chief for Critical Care and Resuscitation Services at Lakeridge Health Corporation in Durham Region. He also serves as the Medical Director for Education and Simulation at the Lakeridge Health Education and Research Network (LHEARN). Dr. Wax is the Medical Consultant for the Ornge Academy of Transport Medicine and is active clinically as a Transport Medicine Physician for Ornge supporting air and ground transport of critically ill patients throughout the Province of Ontario.

Dr. Wax has an international reputation in Critical Care, and has held leadership roles with national and international organizations. He recently served as the Chair of the H1N1 Task Force, Chair of the Fundamental Disaster Management Course Committee, and Co-Chair of the Rapid Response System Task Force for the Society of Critical Care Medicine. He was a founding member of the Canadian Resuscitation Institute. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, has lectured extensively at international meetings ,and has published many articles and book chapters in the fields of Critical Care Medicine, Medical and Interprofessional Education, Patient Simulation, Disaster Preparedness and Management, and Patient Safety.