CMAT 2015 Board Elections – List of Candidates

Canadian Medical Assistance Teams has two positions on the board of directors posted for election.  Voting by registered members will be held using online balloting between November 1st and November 15th. The results will be announced at the CMAT Annual General Meeting of Members being in held in Toronto on November 21st.  The following terms are up for re-election.

• Director at Large (2 positions) – 1 year term each

Beginning at 12:01am (Pacific) on Sunday November 1, 2015, registered CMAT members will be sent a one-time, user-specific link to the voting webpage by email, and will be asked to choose up to two candidates for the open positions. Voting closes Sunday November 15, 2015 at 23:59 (Pacific).

Below you will find the list of nominated candidates, in alphabetical order:

List of Candidates

Carolyn Davies – Nurse Practitioner: Amherstburg, ON (nominated by Aric Rankin)

Brandon Duncan – Registered Nurse: Windsor, ON (nominated by Katie Dunham)

Lesley Eltom (incumbent) – Government Relations Consultant: Toronto, ON (nominated by Kate Auger)

David Johnson – Air Traffic Controller: Vancouver, BC (nominated by Kate Auger)

Patricia Malloy – Assistant Professor of Nursing: Regina, SK (nominated by Valerie Rzepka)

Dr. Pat San Agustin (incumbent) – ER Physician: Edmonton, AB (nominated by Martin Metz)

Dr. Tonia Timperly-Berg – Physician: Vancouver, BC (nominated by Deb Mossington)

 

Carolyn Davies – Nurse Practitioner
Amherstburg, ON

(nominated by Aric Rankin)

I am a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, graduated Nursing in 1971 as an RN, 1979 as a nurse practitioner from McMaster University and received my BA with a major in cultural Anthropology in 1987.  I  received my RN(EC) designation in 1999. I have wide range of clinic practice in primary care from prenatal to palliative and end of life. I am presently a Community Nurse Practitioner providing primary care primarily for complex home bound patients. I have been a significant player in initiating, establishing and developing several organizations and agencies.

As a volunteer member of CMAT since 2005 working in Pakistan (Kashmir), in Bangladesh, in Haiti as the Team 1 team leader, and recently in May 2015 on the first team in Nepal. I have also worked in Metangwe, West Kenya, providing primary care as well as developing prenatal and other programmes for the village clinic. I have qualifications in the Sphere Humanitarian Charter & Minimum Standards in Disaster Response.

I have been an elected councillor of a municipal council for 4 years and enjoy developing policies and procedures that will enhance the community, organizations and agencies.  I am putting my name forward for the Directorship of CMAT.  I am confident my skills and experience will enhance and strengthen  CMAT’s processes and procedures for transition before, during and follow-up of deployments for volunteers responding to diasters.

Respectfully,
Carolyn Davies, Nurse Practitioner.
CMAT volunteer since 2005.

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Brandon Duncan – Registered Nurse
Windsor, ON

(nominated by Katie Dunham)

Brandon is a long standing CMAT volunteer and RN in the Emergency Department at London Health Science Centre’s University Hospital.  He has participated in numerous missions, and has been a benefit to his team every time.  He is always positive, energetic, and ready to help.  He is an amazing mentor and someone I personally feel comfortable looking to in a time of need.  Moreover, he is always there for you in a time of need.  He has proven his commitment to the CMAT team and team members numerous times in the past, and often speaks about his beliefs in what CMAT stands for, and the work they strive to achieve.  He is eager to be more involved in the behind the scenes coordination and administration.  His incredible work ethic and vigour would be an attribute to any board of directors, and as a past and hopeful future CMAT volunteer, I whole-heartedly endorse his nomination.

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Lesley Eltom (incumbent) – Government Relations Consultant
Toronto, ON

(nominated by Kate Auger)

Lesley has been an active member of CMAT since 2013, aiding in CMAT’s Toronto warehouse coordination and organization and jumped at the chance to deploy with CMAT’s team 1 Philippines response in 2013 as the team’s logistician. In 2014 Lesley was elected to the Board of Directors and began serving CMAT as its Director at Large (Communications).

Lesley brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to CMAT, a small handful of which include:

• Certification in Humanitarian Disaster Response (HTI, Toronto).
• Sphere e-learning initiatives
• United Nations – Security in the Field II
• Basic Emergency Management certification (Province of Ontario).

Prior to pursuing her passion for assisting those in need, Lesley worked as a logistician at a transportation company while attending university (Honours B.A. Political Science, McMaster, Hamilton). Upon completion of her degree, Lesley worked in politics on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for 7 years before moving to Toronto to work as a government relations consultant.

Lesley is a firm believer that you ‘catch more flies with honey’ and that supporting local capacity through open dialogue while preserving dignity are the best approaches to effective leadership in disaster response. In her off hours Lesley can be found, volunteering with local community organizations, hanging off of a rock-climbing wall, or enjoying opportunities to experience new and diverse cultures outside of her humanitarian relief efforts.

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David Johnson – Air Traffic Controller
Vancouver, BC

(nominated by Kate Auger)

Proven Team Leader, Logistics, Security, and SAR volunteer who engages individuals, groups and agencies to deliver results together in  humanitarian, time-sensitive events.  With over 25 years in aviation as an Air Traffic Controller and Airline Transport, Air Ambulance Pilot I have assumed significant responsibilities and executed them in a safe, professional manner. I hold a degree in Aviation Flight Management and post-graduate training in Flight Safety, Advanced First Aid, Volunteer Firefighting, Outdoor Survival Instructor, and Humanitarian Response.

I am accustomed to repeatedly assessing, prioritizing, and managing safety-critical and time-sensitive situations.  I remain focused and strategic in decision-making while leading in high-pressure, unstructured events.  I rapidly analyze information, assess the critical path, align resources, and prioritize responses to optimize outcomes.  I also possess a thorough understanding of CMAT through my multiple deployments since 2005, including as Transportation Logistics Coordinator for the Nepal deployment in 2015.

My CMAT vision includes:

• Building Reputation
• Organize and Structure
• Secure Financial Stability

The WHO and United Nations have progressively placed an importance on integrating logistical planners within Foreign Medical Teams. In 2005 I was the first to join CMAT as a logistical planner. I believe our organization exhibited a forward-vision by incorporating this function before its evolution within the International Standards. As a Board member I would be committed to a cohesive alignment to enable the Board to function with the organization’s interests as a primary goal. I strongly believe that those volunteering for a seat need to possess adequate availability for their role. My career and commitment provides me this availability.

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Patricia Malloy – Assistant Professor (Nursing)
Regina, SK

(nominated by Valerie Rzepka)

I am masters prepared registered nurse who has worked in a wide range of health facilities providing care for all ages. Early on in my nursing career, I worked in the high arctic which laid the foundation for future work in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Nepal. This experience also introduced me to the social determinants of health and their influence on an individuals health.

After graduating from Northeastern University in Boston, I accepted a position with the Hospital for Sick Children; this was a combined nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist role in the division of Infectious Diseases. I developed this role that included forming strong working relationships with the public health departments. I also worked on an interprofessional team to provided care for government assisted refugees; we wanted to develop a stream line approach. While working at SickKids, I had the opportunity to be part of a CMAT team that went to Pakistan in 2005.

I am currently teaching at the University of Saskatchewan. I feel that I would be an effective board member given my vast experience and the strong skill set that I have developed in the many roles that I have held. I feel that I can contribute to the education of new volunteers. I can use my social and professional network to assist in fundraising and raising CMAT’s profile in the aid community.

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Dr. Pat San Agustin (incumbent) – ER Physician
Edmonton, AB

(nominated by Martin Metz)

I would like to humbly apply for a position on the CMAT board. A few words about myself. I’m a practicing ER doctor in Edmonton with 14 years experience. My interests have been in education, assessment and administration of my department. My goals have always been to provide safe and careful care while promoting efficiency of clinical practice patterns. I’ve tried to accomplish these goals by becoming the educational site chief at my ER, and also assuming roles of making exit exams for medical students and being on the national board of examiners for the CFPC emergency medicine program.

I have been associated with operational medical activities since 1993. I have worked  along the borders of Burma and Thailand in refugee camps and had mobile medical excursions into the Karin territory. I have since been back 6 times, bringing medicines, equipment and medical students and residents with me.

I was first associated with CMAT in 2010 during the Haiti event. I was deployed on the second team. It was here that I appreciated the efforts of CMAT. It’s organizational capabilities and camaraderie were what made it a success. The support from home while being able to provide the needed services with an experienced group were the keys to making a difference while maintaining safety for the CMAT operatives. It is with this experience in mind that I would want to be involved in the administration of CMAT. When a disaster occurs, I would want to have CMAT begin its mission quickly, safely and courteously. This has been what CMAT does already and I would like to help those efforts. My other objectives would be to help provide assistance in maintaining the organization in day to day activities and administration while CMAT is not deployed.

I find that the more work done prior to disaster response, the quicker we can make things happen. This would be the motto I apply to my work if successful in obtaining the position.

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Dr. Tonia Timperly-Berg – Physician
Vancouver, BC

(nominated by Deb Mossington)

As a physician for the CMAT Earthquake relief mission in Nepal and for the remote and rural Surmang clinic in Tibetan plateau, I have led and collaborated on teams that have worked to change the global medical landscape through rural aid work, education, and the development of sustainable programs for years to come.

Prior to my work with the CMAT team, I worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) facilitating international aid work to help Vietnam’s most marginalized populations of drug addicts, sex workers, and people living with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi. With this goal of sustainability, I spearheaded the program’s fundraising, including a negotiation of over $200,000.00 from the Finnish Embassy.

In 2012, I co-founded of the first ever Student-Run Interprofessional Rehabilitation Clinic, which targeted underserved patients afflicted by chronic and acute neuromuscular injuries in the Greater Vancouver community. Our team was awarded the UBC Teaching & Learning Enhancement Fund grant for two consecutive years, and continues to bring services to the community to this day.

Most recently, deep in the Tibetan plateau at 4000m, where electricity is sparse and the average daily income is 15cents/day, I taught Tibetan village doctors on basic human anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology of common diseases, and targeted antibiotics prescription to decrease resistance rate.  I believe that my strong educational background, leadership in tackling difficult problems, and ability to develop and implement tangible changes on a large scale make me an excellent candidate for the CMAT Board of Directors.

Thank you for your consideration.
Tonia Berg
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