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January 30, 2018

New appointments to HQC Board of Directors include leaders in Indigenous health research, public policy, and business


The Province has appointed three new members to the Board of Directors of Saskatchewan’s Health Quality Council (HQC). Joining the HQC Board are a career public servant and a business leader from Saskatchewan, and an Indigenous community-based researcher from this province who is based in Ontario.

Carrie Bourassa is Research Chair in Indigenous and Northern Health and Senior Scientist at Health Sciences North Research Institute in Sudbury and Scientific Director of the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Doug Moen is Director of Executive Education at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. Serese Selanders has more than 20 years of business experience in the financial services and technology industries. 

Dr. Susan Shaw, Chair of the HQC Board and Chief Medical Officer with the new Saskatchewan Health Authority, says she’s looking forward to working with the three new members. “We are sure to benefit from the fresh insights and experiences Carrie, Doug, and Serese bring to the HQC Board table,” says Dr. Shaw. “Their willingness to serve signals their strong commitment to help accelerate improvement in this province’s health care system.”

As part of the same Order-In-Council, Cheryl Craig, who was CEO of the Five Hills Health Region has been named Vice-Chair. Board members Liz Crocker, Yvonne Shevchuk, and Ross Baker have been reappointed to serve until December 2019; Cheryl Craig, Tom Kishchuk, and Dan Fox have been reappointed to February 2019. Terms have ended for Dr. Dennis Kendel (Vice-Chair), Eber Hampton, and Charlyn Black, who all served from 2002 to 2017. Dr. Werner Oberholzer, who joined the HQC Board in 2015, stepped down in late 2017.

“We are grateful to Dennis, Eber, and Charlyn, who are all founding members of the HQC Board, and for the contributions of Werner,” says Dr. Shaw. “Their years of dedication and the wisdom and guidance they contributed have shaped the work of our organization and the ways in which we are helping make health care better and safer for patients.” 

HQC accelerates improvement of health and health care across Saskatchewan. We do this by building improvement capability and spreading innovation throughout the province, through education, improvement initiatives, and research.

For more information, contact:

Greg Basky
Director of Communications
gbasky@hqc.sk.ca / 306-668-8814

Carrie Bourassa
Carrie Bourassa is Research Chair in Indigenous and Northern Health and Senior Scientist at Health Sciences North Research Institute in Sudbury, Ontario and the Scientific Director of the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Prior to taking on these roles, she served her communities as a Professor of Indigenous Health Studies at First Nations University of Canada (Regina) for 15 years. Carrie’s research interests include the impacts of colonization on the health of Indigenous people, creating culturally safe care in health service delivery, dementia among Indigenous people, and Indigenous women’s health. Carrie is Métis, belonging to the Regina Riel Métis Council #34.

Doug Moen
Doug joined the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy in November 2016 as an Executive in Residence and in July 2017 became the School’s Director of Executive Education. He served as Deputy Minister to the Premier of Saskatchewan from June 2009 to July 2016, and Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Saskatchewan from 2002 to 2009. Before that, Doug was Executive Director of the Public Law Division and the Executive Director of the Community Justice Division in the Ministry of Justice. He has held roles of increasing responsibility and accountability in the legislative services, public law, and policy areas with Justice since 1983.

Serese Selanders
Due to challenges with her aging parents, Serese recognized that there was an opportunity to leverage technology to vastly improve the lives of older adults and better bridge the gap with their loved ones. As a result, she created ORA, an innovative personal safety alert device.  Currently the founder and CEO of Kasiel Solutions Inc., Serese has more than 20 years of business experience in the financial services and technology industries. In addition, she is an active volunteer with a number of community organizations. Serese served as a family advisor and Chair for Client-and Family-Centered-Care initiatives – locally, provincially, and nationally.  She has been formally recognized for being an exemplary leader and innovator.