Cynthia Davis is a widely respected leader in Canadian health care who began her career as a registered nurse, bringing more than 30 years of experience and a strong commitment to patient-centred care.

Since joining Lakeridge Health in 2021, she has led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic while advancing major initiatives, including a new long-term care home, a leading-edge health and wellness centre, and a first-of-its-kind family medicine training program with Queen’s University.

Known for her empathy, decisiveness, and strategic vision, she continues to champion a more integrated and accessible health-care system for communities across Durham Region and beyond.

Sarah Downey is a senior healthcare leader whose career spans 25+ years across a broad range of hospitals including community, academic, and complex multi-institutional organizations. In 2022, Sarah was appointed President and CEO of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre in this field.

Sarah has held progressive leadership positions at CAMH, University Health Network, The Ottawa Hospital and Michael Garron Hospital. She has made numerous contributions to health care in Ontario through her leadership of cancer and mental health programs, capital and strategic planning, workplace safety and wellness, and community building.

 Jason Hann is Executive Vice President, Patient Care and Chief Nursing Executive at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), and Regional Vice President, Cancer Care for Ontario Health in the Southeast Region.

With over more than 30 years in healthcare, he has advanced from frontline clinical practice to senior executive leadership, building extensive experience across academic, community, pediatric, and long-term care organizations. Jason brings expertise in governance, enterprise leadership, strategic planning, and organizational transformation, having led large and complex portfolios across multiple healthcare sectors.

He holds a Bachelor of Nursing Science, an MBA from Queen's University's Smith School of Business, and completed the Rotman Advanced Health Leadership Program at the University of Toronto

Dr. Kitts is a distinguished leader in the Ontario hospital sector. He led The Ottawa Hospital as President and CEO for 18 years. Upon his retirement, he was appointed Commissioner of Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission. 

Dr. Kitts is an anesthesiologist, has a Master’s degree in business administration from the University of Ottawa and has been the recipient of several accolades, including the Order of Canada.

Marie-Josée Martel is a seasoned public sector executive whose career spans central agencies and departments across the Government of Canada, including the Privy Council Office, the Treasury Board, Health Canada, Justice Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency, Public Works Canada and Service Canada. She concluded her federal career as Assistant Deputy Minister, Services, at Library and Archives Canada.

She developed a deep expertise in service excellence and citizen-centred delivery. She remains an associate with the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service. She has facilitated numerous training sessions and seminars on continuous service delivery improvements to frontline employees and managers, at all levels of government.

Marie-Josée chairs the Board of Directors of Hôpital Montfort and sits on the boards of Collège Boréal, the Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC), and Montfort Renaissance. She holds a Master’s degree in Public administration (MPA) from the École nationale d'administration publique.

Rob is Managing Director & Head of Life Sciences at OMERS Capital Markets where he leads a specialized team focused on providing financing solutions to the life sciences industry. He joined OMERS in 2008 as Principal and Team Leader of Healthcare Equity Research and subsequently served as Director of Research and Co-Head of the Fundamental Equity Team within OMERS Capital Markets.

Before joining OMERS, Rob was a Portfolio Manager at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), an Assistant Portfolio Manager at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and an Equity Research Associate at RBC Capital Markets.

Rob is a CFA® charterholder, has an MBA from the University of Toronto and has a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science (BMLSc) from the University of British Columbia.

Melissa Prokopy is the Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), responsible for advancing the advocacy efforts in support of hospitals and their partners. She also teaches the Law and Ethics Course at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

Melissa has a law degree from the University of Windsor. With more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of health care policy and the law, she has a deep understanding of the complex issues facing hospitals and broader health care system in Ontario.

Mark is an investment executive with deep experience in investment strategy, portfolio management and governance. He has chaired several health care organizations, including Hamilton Health Sciences and not-for-profit boards, including as a member on the Ontario Hospital Association board. He volunteers his time and leadership in capital development campaigns for charitable organizations.

Mark has a Bachelor of Arts and a Chartered Director certification from McMaster University.

Jessica is a leadership advisor with over 20 years of experience in talent assessment and development for top executive succession. Her strength lies in aligning talent development initiatives to business strategy to build bench strength for succession and organizational growth. She combines an acute understanding of business strategy with insights into people’s capability, motivation and potential. 

Jessica has a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from University of Guelph and is a registered psychologist.