Who we are
CASCADES’ staff and executive leads are located across the country, from Vancouver to St John.
Partner Organizations
Executive Leads
Our executive leads each represent one of the founding partner organizations.
Centre for Sustainable Health Systems
Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
The Centre for Sustainable Health Systems, the leading organization for this project, housed at the University of Toronto, is committed to working with health sector partners to support environmentally sustainable healthcare and health systems. As a research and innovation lab, a training shop, and a network of allies and partners, the Centre serves as a proving ground for a transition to truly sustainable health and social care.









Fiona Miller
Director, CASCADES; Director, CSHS; Professor









Fiona Miller
Director, CASCADES; Director, CSHS; Professor
As Director of the Centre for Sustainable Health Systems at the University of Toronto and CASCADES, Miller leads and supports efforts to improve the sustainability of health systems, through research, education, practice change and policy advocacy.
As a policy scholar, Miller brings a critical political economy perspective to the analysis of technological innovation and sustainability transitions. Her work aims at sustainable ‘demand driven’ innovation.





Nicole Simms
Executive Lead & Regional Coordinator (Central Canada), CASCADES





Nicole Simms
Executive Lead & Regional Coordinator (Central Canada), CASCADES
Healthy Populations Institute
Dalhousie University
The Healthy Populations Institute (HPI) is a multi-faculty research institute at Dalhousie University that aims to improve population health in Atlantic Canada and beyond by understanding and influencing the complex conditions that affect the health of communities.



Gillian Ritcey
Managing Director



Gillian Ritcey
Managing Director



Sean Christie
Professor; Neurosurgeon



Sean Christie
Professor; Neurosurgeon
The Planetary Healthcare Lab
University of British Columbia
The Planetary Healthcare Lab—representing the first of its kind in Canada—not only examines the environmental effects of healthcare delivery and services in British Columbia, but generates solutions to chart a path forward to net zero emissions.



Andrea MacNeill
Clinical Associate Professor; Surgical Oncologist



Andrea MacNeill
Clinical Associate Professor; Surgical Oncologist
Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care
The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care strives to build capabilities and capacity in individuals and organizations to enable the development of green health policies and practices.



Linda Varangu
Senior Advisor, Climate Change



Linda Varangu
Senior Advisor, Climate Change
Staff



Ernest Byers
Training and Education Coordinator



Ernest Byers
Training and Education Coordinator
Ernest’s experience centres on educating healthcare professionals in methods to create and sustain organizational cultures and workplaces of continuous improvement and excellence. His experience is supported by formal degrees (Ed.D and M.A.) and certifications as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Global Leadership Coach.



Katy Devitt
Project Coordinator



Katy Devitt
Project Coordinator



Naba Khan
Project Assistant



Naba Khan
Project Assistant



Sarah Machane
Regional Coordinator (Quebec)



Sarah Machane
Regional Coordinator (Quebec)



Cate MacLeod
Communications and Events Coordinator



Cate MacLeod
Communications and Events Coordinator



Aubree Mcatee
Regional Coordinator (Western Canada)



Aubree Mcatee
Regional Coordinator (Western Canada)
Aubree leads the development and implementation of innovation projects across Western Canada as the regional project coordinator, working within the Planetary Healthcare Lab at The University of British Columbia. Alongside this work, she is a lecturer with the UBC Climate Teaching Connector program where she integrates climate justice-related content into undergraduate courses. In her free time, she enjoys cooking with friends, going on bikepacking adventures, and tending to her garden. She is grateful to work and live on the unceded Coast Salish territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations in Vancouver, B.C.









Fiona Miller
Director









Fiona Miller
Director
As Director of the Centre for Sustainable Health Systems at the University of Toronto and CASCADES, Miller leads and supports efforts to improve the sustainability of health systems, through research, education, practice change and policy advocacy.
As a policy scholar, Miller brings a critical political economy perspective to the analysis of technological innovation and sustainability transitions. Her work aims at sustainable ‘demand driven’ innovation.



Jessica Nowlan
Regional Coordinator (Atlantic Canada)



Jessica Nowlan
Regional Coordinator (Atlantic Canada)





Dr. Nicole Simms
Executive Lead and Regional Coordinator (Central Canada)





Dr. Nicole Simms
Executive Lead and Regional Coordinator (Central Canada)
Trainees
CASCADES’ work is supported by trainees and graduate students from universities across Canada and RAs at our partner organizations.
Meet our full-time trainees:
- Kelechi Agu, University of Toronto (Summer 2022)
- Negar Ghasemi, University of Toronto (Summer 2022)
- Stefan Navarrete Lansall, University of Toronto (Summer-Fall 2022)
- Drew Nart, University of British Columbia (Summer 2022)
- Lihani DuPlessis, University of Alberta (Winter 2022)
Our committees
Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee:
- Reviews activities and plans to achieve objectives and meet Key Performance Indicators
- Identifies opportunities and guide the development of clear plans of action to address opportunities
- Advises on strategic directions given objectives, activities and opportunities
- Contributes to success by promoting CASCADES activities, facilitating outreach and advising on key challenges identified by the CASCADES leadership



Penny Ballem, Chair
Vancouver Coastal Health



Penny Ballem, Chair
Vancouver Coastal Health
Dr. Ballem is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. She has had a 35-year career as a health leader and academic clinician in British Columbia. She served as the B.C. deputy minister of health from 2001-06. She also served as the city manager for the City of Vancouver from 2008-15.
She has extensive board experience, having served on public sector, non-profit and private sector boards. She has received significant public recognition for her work in medicine and public service, including the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for Public Service, the 2012 Wallace Wilson Award for leadership, the Marion Powell Award from Women’s College Hospital for leadership in Women’s Health, the Cannell Award from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada for her contributions to leadership in reproductive health and others. She advises governments across Canada on health policy, health systems and health human resources.



Alain Doucet
Canadian College of Health Leaders



Alain Doucet
Canadian College of Health Leaders
Before moving into senior leadership positions, Alain held various product and marketing management positions in the financial services, business services and consumer goods sectors. Alain holds a BCom (Honours) in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa (1983) and an MBA (with Distinction) from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University (1987).



Krista Halliday
Canadian Medical Association



Krista Halliday
Canadian Medical Association



Terry Hawrysh
Patient Partner



Terry Hawrysh
Patient Partner



Maria Judd
Healthcare Excellence Canada



Maria Judd
Healthcare Excellence Canada



Tyler Levitan
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions



Tyler Levitan
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions



Amy Ma
Patient Partner



Amy Ma
Patient Partner









Fiona Miller
CASCADES









Fiona Miller
CASCADES
As Director of the Centre for Sustainable Health Systems at the University of Toronto and CASCADES, Miller leads and supports efforts to improve the sustainability of health systems, through research, education, practice change and policy advocacy.
As a policy scholar, Miller brings a critical political economy perspective to the analysis of technological innovation and sustainability transitions. Her work aims at sustainable ‘demand driven’ innovation.



Jonathan Mitchell
HealthCareCAN



Jonathan Mitchell
HealthCareCAN



Kathleen Morris
Canadian Institute for Health Information; Canadian Nurses Association



Kathleen Morris
Canadian Institute for Health Information; Canadian Nurses Association



Kaye Phillips
Health Standards Organization



Kaye Phillips
Health Standards Organization





Jodi Sherman
Yale New Haven Health





Jodi Sherman
Yale New Haven Health
Dr. Sherman is an internationally recognized researcher in the emerging field of sustainability in clinical care. Her research interest is in life cycle assessment (LCA) of environmental emissions, human health impacts, and economic impacts of drugs, devices, clinical care pathways, and health systems. Her work seeks to establish sustainability metrics, paired with health outcomes and costs, to help guide clinical decision-making, professional behaviors, and organizational management toward more ecologically sustainable practices to improve the quality, safety and value of clinical care and to protect public health. Dr. Sherman routinely collaborates with environmental engineers, epidemiologists, toxicologists, health economists, health administrators, health professionals, and sustainability professionals. Dr. Sherman is a member of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change and was contributing analyst for the UK National Health Service Net Zero Initiative, and serves on the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative for Decarbonization of the U.S. Health Sector.
Scientific Evaluation Committee
The Scientific Evaluation Committee:
- Reviews submitted applications for support for test innovations
- Recommends test innovations that should be supported by CASCADES
- Makes recommendations regarding the level of support a test innovation requires from CASCADES
- Recommends experts for additional evaluation and feedback during the selection process





Jodi Sherman, Chair
Yale New Haven Health





Jodi Sherman, Chair
Yale New Haven Health
Dr. Sherman is an internationally recognized researcher in the emerging field of sustainability in clinical care. Her research interest is in life cycle assessment (LCA) of environmental emissions, human health impacts, and economic impacts of drugs, devices, clinical care pathways, and health systems. Her work seeks to establish sustainability metrics, paired with health outcomes and costs, to help guide clinical decision-making, professional behaviors, and organizational management toward more ecologically sustainable practices to improve the quality, safety and value of clinical care and to protect public health. Dr. Sherman routinely collaborates with environmental engineers, epidemiologists, toxicologists, health economists, health administrators, health professionals, and sustainability professionals. Dr. Sherman is a member of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change and was contributing analyst for the UK National Health Service Net Zero Initiative, and serves on the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative for Decarbonization of the U.S. Health Sector.



David Bligh
Efficiency Nova Scotia



David Bligh
Efficiency Nova Scotia



Kori Jones
Vancouver Coastal Health



Kori Jones
Vancouver Coastal Health









Fiona Miller
CASCADES









Fiona Miller
CASCADES
As Director of the Centre for Sustainable Health Systems at the University of Toronto and CASCADES, Miller leads and supports efforts to improve the sustainability of health systems, through research, education, practice change and policy advocacy.
As a policy scholar, Miller brings a critical political economy perspective to the analysis of technological innovation and sustainability transitions. Her work aims at sustainable ‘demand driven’ innovation.



Edward Rubinstein
University Health Network



Edward Rubinstein
University Health Network
Both UHN and Ed’s leadership in the field of “greening health care” have been acknowledged with several awards, including from the Ontario Hospital Association, Canadian College of Health Leaders, Natural Resources Canada, Practice Greenhealth, the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care and the Canadian Council of Ministers for the Environment; Ed was recognized as one of “Canada’s Clean 16” in 2018.



Steven Young
University of Waterloo



Steven Young
University of Waterloo