Our Team

Dr. Barbara Liu, M.D., FRCP(C), FRCP (Edin)
Chair GeriMedRisk Board

Dr. Barbara Liu is a Professor of Medicine and Division Director for Geriatric Medicine at the University of Toronto.  She is also the Executive Director of the Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto (RGP) and leads a network of 23 hospitals in the delivery of specialized geriatric services. In Ontario, she has been leading the implementation of the senior-friendly hospital/senior-friendly care framework in collaboration with decision-makers, hospitals and front-line providers.  Through her clinical work and administrative leadership, she is deeply committed to the care of older people and the vision of “Better health outcomes for older adults with frailty”.

Sandra Easson-Bruno

Vice-Chair GeriMedRisk Board

Sandra Easson-Bruno is the Director of the North Simcoe Muskoka Specialized Geriatric Services (NSM SGS) Program. In this role, one of her key roles is building partnerships to advance the evolution of specialized geriatric services across the region. Sandra is a Registered Nurse, has an undergraduate and graduate degree in nursing from the University of Toronto and has held certification in gerontological nursing from the Canadian Nurses Association since 2002. Through her career, she has held a variety of clinical, operational and system leadership positions that directly influenced the care of older adults. Prior to joining the NSM SGS program, she was a senior planner with the NSM LHIN where she led health system transformation initiatives related to older adults. In addition to being passionate about the care of older adults, Sandra is also passionate about nursing. She has been a leader in advanced nursing practice provincially and nationally and co-chaired the 5th Biennial International Council of Nurses Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Nursing Practice Conference held in Toronto in 2008. She also served on the Board of the Canadian Nurses Association for four years.

Dr. Sophiya Benjamin, MBBS, FRCPC, DABPN Geriatric Psychiatrist 

Dr. Benjamin is Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at McMaster University and the Postgraduate Research Lead for Psychiatry at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, Waterloo Regional Campus. She completed her adult and geriatric psychiatry residency training at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina and was a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in adult and geriatric psychiatry. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in both adult and geriatric psychiatry.  She is a recipient of several teaching awards including the George Ginsberg Fellowship (American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training). She is a geriatric psychiatrist serving seniors with dementia at the Specialized Mental Health Program at the Freeport site of Grand River Hospital. Dr. Benjamin served as the inaugural Medical Director for Geriatric Psychiatry at the Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Ontario (PGLO) coordinates the provincial infrastructure for clinical geriatrics care.

Dr. Joanne Ho, MD, FRCPC, MSc, Internal medicine, Geriatric medicine, Clinical pharmacology

Dr. Ho completed medical school at the University of British Columbia and residencies in internal medicine, geriatric medicine and clinical pharmacology at the University of Toronto. She obtained her Masters of Science in clinical epidemiology at the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. Dr. Ho also completed the CIHR Drug Safety and Effectiveness Cross-Disciplinary and University of Toronto Department of Medicine Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist training programs. She is an active medical staff member of Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener, ON where she provides inpatient geriatric medicine, internal medicine and clinical pharmacology consultation services. She is an examiner with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Examination Committee. Dr. Ho also created GeriMedRisk, an interdisciplinary telemedicine service available to clinicians who need geriatric clinical pharmacology and psychiatry consultations.

Dr. Tina Mah
 

Dr. Tina Mah joins the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) as executive director on July 2, 2021. Over the course of her three-decade career. Tina has led the development and implementation of strategic, operational and project planning, and pushed for the integration of evidence into practices and policies, all with the goal of making life better for individuals needing care. Tina began her career as an occupational therapist, then went on to complete a Master’s degree in business administration and a Doctorate in health studies and gerontology. Tina advanced into various senior and executive leadership positions holding a diverse portfolio in the community-based home care and hospital sector across Canada but largely in southwestern Ontario. Tina also established a consulting service with engagements focused on system-level strategy and operations in the healthcare and education sectors. Most recently, Tina led the research and innovation portfolio at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario in her role as Vice President Research and Innovation. Tina and her family have made Kitchener-Waterloo home since 1993.

Cathy Richards is an impact investor, entrepreneur and coach. Cathy founded Wellness Foods in 2002. Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease since she was twelve, Cathy struggled to find a snack that didn’t upset her stomach. She created a brand that offered snacks that filled people up without causing digestive distress. She sold Wellness Foods in 2016 to Roark/ Atkins Nutritionals. She now runs her own foundation, coaches female entrepreneurs and invests in companies with social impact. She has worked closely with newcomer women in the last years through ACCES and TNO/ the Sew-TO collective. Her other loves are her dogs, yoga, writing, foraging, and nature in all her many forms.

Chris Ferrara

Chris is an accomplished private equity and Board professional focused on growing shareholder value, corporate governance, risk management and growing Founder-led businesses.  A trusted Board member, business advisor and industry speaker, he has a passion for Healthcare, having worked with Canada’s largest single employer pension plan to invest in Healthcare, Technology and Consumer/Retail businesses.  He has helped grow many consumer facing, multi-site retail/healthcare businesses in North America (Dental, Ophthalmology, Senior Living and Anesthesia/Pain Management) by partnering with visionary, Founder shareholders and medical practitioners. Chris studied at St. Michael’s College and earned his MBA at the Rotman School of Management.  He is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA/CA) and a Chartered Business Valuator.