Dr. Catherine Zahn, Chair
Dr. Catherine Zahn became Board Chair of Ontario Health in March 2024.
Dr. Zahn has a 40-year history of contributions to the Ontario health care sector, both as a practicing physician and in progressive leadership roles at the University Health Network. Prior to this appointment with Ontario Health’s board, she served as Deputy Minister of Health (2021 – 2024) and as President and CEO of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (2009 – 2021).
Throughout her career, Dr. Zahn has worked to promote equitable access to health care for Ontarians, including those with mental illness. She has made numerous contributions through her leadership in hospital integration, technology assessment, chronic disease management, stroke care coordination and health care system integration.
Dr. Zahn is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto (U of T) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She received her MD (honours) from the Faculty of Medicine at U of T, where she completed her residency training in neurology. She also holds an MSc in health administration from U of T and has completed the Directors Education Program at the Rotman School of Management. Recent honours include membership in the Order of Canada, Doctor of Laws degrees (honoris causa) from Western University and Toronto Metropolitan University, the Bryden Award for Outstanding Achievement (York University) and the Faculty of Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award (U of T).
Major General (retd) Jean-Robert Bernier
Major General (retd) Jean-Robert Bernier served Canada for over 40 years in Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Canadian and US defence intelligence, and the Royal Canadian Medical Service (RCMS). Among other responsibilities, he chaired NATO's Health, Medicine, and Protection research committee, led the military public health agency, and was responsible for health services to military operations, including the Ebola treatment mission to Sierra Leone and the hospital in Kandahar for which Canada received NATO’s highest medical honour. In 2012, he was appointed Canada's 38th Surgeon General, Honorary Physician to Her Majesty the Queen, Head of the RCMS, and Commander of the fully-integrated military health system. In 2015, he was unanimously elected chief medical adviser to the North Atlantic Alliance as chair of the committee of NATO Surgeons General. He has also served on the NATO Science and Technology Board, the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Council of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the board of the University of Ottawa Institute for Mental Health Research. He is also a Franco-Ontarian.
Tom Flynn
Tom Flynn is a corporate director and retired as Vice-Chair of BMO Financial Group in 2022. Tom was Bank of Montreal’s Chief Financial Officer from 2011 to 2020 and Chief Risk Officer from 2008 to 2011. Tom also held other leadership positions, including Executive Vice-President, Finance and Treasurer, and Head of the Financial Services Corporate and Investment Banking Group in BMO Capital Markets. Tom is a director of Telus and previously served as Chair of the Boards of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and Symcor Inc.
Tom obtained his MBA and his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Business Administration from the Ivey School of Business at Western University. Tom also holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Fellow of CPA Ontario.
Neil D. Fraser
Neil Fraser is a former medical technology executive and officer at Medtronic where he led the implementation of innovative technologies and services in the Canadian health system. Formerly, he was industry association chair with Medtech Canada, where he led strategic planning and rebranding initiatives. He is a trusted health innovation and policy advisor at the federal level with Health and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, as well as with the ministries of Health and Economic Development in Ontario and the Ministry of Health in British Columbia. He has been an active participant in numerous health policy think-tanks and has been an academic advisor for Canadian universities in health care management and biomedical engineering. In 2022 he received the Distinguished Leader Award from the Canadian College of Health Leaders. Mr. Fraser serves as a board member or advisor to various organizations, including ICES, Diabetes Canada and University of Toronto Rotman School Health program.
Cally Hunt
Cally Hunt is a financial services executive who is currently Head, Finance Technology Transformation at the Bank of Montreal. She is responsible for modernizing process and technology to support the role of finance as a strategic partner in driving business performance. She is a member of the Chief Financial Officer’s Senior Executive Team and was a member of the Bank’s Leadership Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Ms. Hunt is a former Chair of the Board of Trustees of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University Health Network and the Board of the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation. She is also a current member of the Financial Services Tribunal of Ontario. Ms. Hunt received her LLB from the University of Western Ontario in 1980 and her Chartered Accountant designation in 1984. She was made a Fellow of the Ontario CPA Institute in 2013.
Gillian Kernaghan
Gillian Kernaghan, MD, CCFP, FCFP, CCPE, began her career as a family physician, joining the medical staff of St. Joseph's, Parkwood Hospital and London Health Sciences Centre in 1984. Most recently, she served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Joseph's Health Care London from 2010 to 2021. Previously, she served for 17 years as Vice President, Medical for various hospitals in London and led the medical staff during complex restructuring in which four hospitals merged to form St. Joseph’s. She has also served on numerous regional, provincial and national committees and boards. She is the recipient of the YMCA Women of Excellence Award in Health, Science and Technology (2015), the Studer Group Fire Starter Hall of Fame Award (2017), and the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders Excellence in Medical Leadership Award (2018). Dr. Kernaghan retired from her role as Associate Professor, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University in 2020. She is currently on faculty of CMA Joule providing leadership training nationally.
Lynda Hawton Kitamura
Lynda Hawton Kitamura, a Chartered Professional Accountant and member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, is an experienced executive with extensive financial and operational expertise as well as national and international experience in the technology sector. She is currently Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, Operations, with Electronic Products Recycling Association, a not-for-profit, industry-funded organization. She is also Chair of the Board of Governors of Wilfrid Laurier University and an advisor to Bialogics Analytics. Previously, Ms. Kitamura served as Vice President, Finance, Global Technology Services, with Hewlett Packard. With expertise in mergers, acquisitions and strategy development, she is a two-time recipient of the Women's Executive Network Top 100 Women in Canada.