Medical Supplies and Equipment Advisory Committee

Denise Lalonde-Niccoli, Registered Nurse (British Columbia and Saskatchewan)

Denise Lalonde-Niccoli is a non-status Métis.

Ms. Lalonde-Niccoli graduated from the University of Athabasca in 2013 with a Bachelor of Applied Science, Registered Nursing. She is a registered nurse specializing in wound, ostomy and continence care.

Ms. Lalonde-Niccoli has worked in First Nations communities for 37 years providing nursing care mainly in northern Saskatchewan, as well as in northern British Columbia. She currently works in primary care and serves as a consultant with WOC Consulting Inc.

Danielle Bourque, Registered Nurse (Alberta)

Danielle Bourque is a member of Beaver Lake Cree Nation (ᐊᒥᐢᑯᓵᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ amiskosâkahikanin) in Treaty 6 Territory. Ms. Bourque currently resides in the traditional area of (ᐊᐧᐊᐧᐢᑫᓯᐃᐧᓴᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ wawaskesiwisakahikan) known as Elk Lake. Ms. Bourque's English name is Danielle Bourque-Bearskin.

Ms. Bourque has over a decade of registered nursing expertise spanning acute and public health care settings. She has demonstrated leadership and passion to advancing Indigenous health across the continuum of care. Including managing First Nation health programs, providing crisis and recovery support, and ensuring the health and wellness of Beaver Lake Cree Nation community members as a Nurse Manager. Blending Ms. Bourque's cultural, academic, and nursing backgrounds, she continues to invest in approaches that are responsive to the community needs and health policy that is built upon the self-determination of Indigenous communities.

Kash Shade, Registered Nurse (Alberta)

Kash Shade is a proud Blood Tribe member, working on his home reserve in Southern Alberta.

Mr. Shade is a registered nurse and is the current chief operating officer of the Blood Tribe Department of Health Inc.

Mr. Shade holds a Bachelor of Nursing (2012) and a Master of Health Services Management (2022) from the University of Lethbridge, Alberta.

Mr. Shade worked as a home care nurse for his community before transferring into the Non-Insured Health Benefits navigator role. Through his nursing background, he assisted clients with NIHB-related questions and concerns and advocated regarding gaps in health services.

Chris Anderson, Pedorthist (British Columbia)

Chris Anderson is a certified pedorthist and a Mid Island Métis Nation member. He is Métis with Cree, Swedish and Irish heritage.

Mr. Anderson completed a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and a diploma in physical education. He then qualified as a doctor of chiropractic, where he dispensed custom-made foot orthotics. He returned to school and completed training as a Certified Pedorthist, in the United States, and completed a bridging program through the University of Western Ontario to qualify as a Canadian Certified Pedorthist. He has taken additional training through the United States Department of Health and Human Services in the management of neuropathic foot and amputation prevention.

Mr. Anderson has operated a clinic at the Stz'uminus Health Centre for the last 5 years and has a specific interest in the pedorthic management of complications of diabetes.

Mr. Anderson has served as a member of the Pedorthic Education Advisory Panel for the College of Pedorthics Canada, as a director for the College of Chiropractors of British Columbia since 2013 and on the Discipline, Patient Relations, Quality Assurance, Chief Executive Officer Oversight and Executive committees.

Tracy-Joann Andrews, Podiatrist (Manitoba)

Tracy-Joann Andrews is a podiatrist working in private practice for a rural service area of 250,000 people in Brandon, Manitoba, located on Treaty 1 and 2. Before her work in Canada, Ms. Andrews worked for the British National Health Service in Wales.

Ms. Andrews holds a doctorate in podiatric medicine and a Master of Science with distinction from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Derby University, United Kingdom.

Since 2006, Ms. Andrews has been the referral podiatrist for the Canadian Forces Base Shilo, providing custom-made foot orthotics and minor surgical procedures for their members. Currently, she is the registrar for the College of Podiatrists of Manitoba.

Karen Diane Ethans, Physiatrist/Rehabilitative Medicine (Manitoba)

Dr. Karen Ethans is a physician specializing in rehabilitation medicine and provides care to people with spinal cord injury, spasticity and other neurologic disabilities. She has practiced as a rehabilitation medicine specialist in Manitoba for 23 years.

Dr. Ethans completed her medical and specialty training at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Dr. Ethans works with people with new spinal cord injuries (for example, tetraplegia and paraplegia) from the acute care hospital through rehabilitation, and lifelong afterwards to help prevent and treat secondary complications and symptoms.

Indigenous clients make up a large proportion of her patient population. She also provides outreach care to some northern communities and provides telehealth and in-person care to patients all over Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.

As a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, Dr. Ethans works closely with an interdisciplinary team including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing and social work to troubleshoot coverage issues. In addition, she prescribes equipment and supplies for patients in rehabilitation and long-term outpatient settings.

Dr. Ethans conducts clinical research and articling and has published work on the economic savings of doing remote outreach clinical care.

Mark Fenton, Respirologist (Saskatchewan)

Dr. Mark Fenton is the director of the Lung Transplant Program, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Centre, and program director of the Respirology Training Program at the University of Saskatchewan and Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. He is also the past pandemic chief of staff for the Saskatoon area with the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Dr. Fenton earned his undergraduate, master's and medical degrees at the University of Saskatchewan. He first trained in internal medicine and later in respirology, in addition to completing fellowships in lung transplantation and sleep medicine.

Dr. Fenton's clinical interests are in the areas of general respirology, lung transplantation, sleep medicine and pulmonary hypertension.

Simone Gruenig, Physiotherapist (British Columbia)

Simone Gruenig is a physiotherapist with 20 years of wide-ranging clinical focus.

Ms. Gruenig completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Ottawa in 2000, her Master of Science in Physical Therapy and her Master of Science in research at the University of Toronto in 2004. She completed post-graduate work in seniors care, pelvic floor therapy, community therapy, trauma-informed care, cardiorespiratory therapy and Indigenous cultural humility.

Since 2007, Ms. Gruenig has been working part-time for Vancouver Coastal Health and since 2015 has been collaborating with an outreach community health team, servicing the diverse needs of an inner-city Indigenous patient population. She is also a part-time instructor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia, primarily instructing clinical cardiorespiratory therapy, physiology and complex patient populations.

Ms. Gruenig is part of numerous committees including the Indigenous Health Subcommittee (part of the Global Health Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association), the Public Practice Advisory Committee of the Physical Therapy Association of British Columbia and the Initiatives for Indigenous Advocacy Committee at the University of British Columbia.

Scott Hedlund, Certified Prosthetist(c) (British Columbia)

Scott Hedlund first entered the Prosthetics and Orthotics profession in 1993 as an Orthotic Technician. Mr. Hedlund graduated in 1998, from the BCIT Clinical Prosthetics & Orthotics program and became a Certified Prosthetist in 2000. Throughout his career, he has served on a number of provincial and national volunteer committees, including as the President of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Association of British Columbia and the President of the Orthotics Prosthetics Canada. Mr. Hedlund has been in private clinical practice since 1998. He has worked as a clinical educator for the Prosthetics & Orthotics component manufacturer from 2010 to 2016. Mr. Hedlund is currently on the Board of Directors of a not-for-profit organization, providing clinical education and improved patient care in low to middle income countries.

Linda Laakso, Orthotist (Ontario)

Linda Laakso has been a Canadian Board Certified Orthotist since 1995. She is a graduate of the University of Guelph with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics and a Minor in Biomedical Sciences. Linda graduated with a Master of Science (Rehabilitation) from McMaster University in June 2013. She is a full-time practicing clinician and an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) at McMaster University in Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Science, and occasional Clinical Professor at George Brown College.

Ms. Laakso volunteers with Orthotics Prosthetics Canada in various leadership roles and with the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics in education and accreditation.

Ms. Laakso's clinical interests include management of the diabetic foot and diabetic foot ulcers. She completed the Canadian Association of Wound Care Institute Levels 1 to 3 for advanced knowledge in wound care and is a student of Wounds Canada Institute's Wound Care Champion Program. She continues to provide care daily to help people protect and keep their feet from the complications due to diabetes and neuropathy.

Ken Roberts, Ophthalmologist (New Brunswick)

Dr. Ken Roberts is a practicing ophthalmologist in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He obtained his medical degree from Dalhousie University in 2007 and his Royal College certification in Ophthalmology in 2012.

Since graduation, Dr. Roberts has been providing medical and surgical services to the central and western portions of New Brunswick. This catchment area includes several First Nations communities including the Tobique First Nation and the St Mary's First Nation.

Dr. Roberts has been a consultant for the NIHB program for 6 years, providing medical opinions on a variety of eye-related claims.

Benoit Tousignant, Optometrist (Quebec)

Dr. Benoit Tousignant is an optometrist and an associate professor in Optometry and Public Health at the University of Montreal. He obtained his doctorate in optometry in 2000 at the University of Montreal, followed by a residency in primary eye care from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (2001), a Master of Science in Visual Science at the University of Montreal (2005) and a Master's in Public Health from Harvard University (2008).

Dr. Tousignant's clinical and research interests are eye care for marginalized and underserved populations such as Indigenous, homeless, migrant and carceral populations. For the past 20 years, he has served on various boards and committees of regulatory bodies, governmental and non-governmental instances regarding eye care and public health.

Since 2011, Dr. Tousignant has been clinically practicing among the Inuit population of Nunavik, mostly in the communities of Akulivik, Ivujivik and Salluit. More recently, he has also become involved in direct clinical care and supervising residents who travel to some Innu communities in northeastern Quebec.