RhPAP wants to give a HUGE shout out to rural health-care providers! We know how valued you are by rural Alberta communities, and that you are, without hesitation, stepping up to do the work required to confront COVID-19. Your hard work and the example you set is truly inspiring to everyone around you. You are the true unsung heroes of rural Alberta, and we are proud to watch your never-ending commitment to the populations you serve across this province. RhPAP offers a heartfelt thank you to all the health-care providers in rural Alberta

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About

Board of Directors

/About/Board of Directors
About

RhPAP Board of Directors

The current RhPAP board of directors is a hybrid of an advisory and policy model managed by up to ten directors: three appointed by the Alberta Medical Association, two appointed by the Health Boards of Alberta, and one appointed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.

The board is “responsible for making policy decisions and ensuring through the Executive Director that appropriate staff, structures and processes are in place to carry out the policy and day-to-day tasks of the [RhPAP].” The board is to govern with “an emphasis on outward vision rather than an internal preoccupation, (b) encouragement of diversity in viewpoints.” Its focus should be on “the intended long-term impacts outside the operating organization, not on the administrative or programmatic means of attaining those effects” (RhPAP Board of Directors Policies).

Board of Directors

RhPAP consists of the following Board of Directors:

  • Ms. Linda Humphreys, CPA Member-at-large

    Ms. Linda Humphreys, CPA

    Interim Chairperson - Calgary, AB.
    Ms. Linda Humphreys, CPA

    Ms. Linda Humphreys, CPA

    Interim Chairperson - Calgary, AB.

    Linda is a retired Chartered Professional Accountant (CMA) who spent over two decades in senior management and executive roles in the health research sector in Alberta.  She has provided oversight and direction in the areas of governance, finance, accounting, human resources, information technology and technology commercialization.

    Linda has participated on several boards including Inno-Centre Alberta, Alberta Science and Technology Awards Foundation, Alberta Aviation Council, Edmonton Flying Club, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, and founded the Women’s Fly Fishing Association of Alberta.  She was a volunteer instructor for the Board Development Program of the Alberta Government and a mentor with Immigrant Services Calgary. She is currently a Board member of the Rural Health Professions Action Plan and her Condominium Corporation, and co-chairs the Members of the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

    Linda has many passions including riding her horse, volunteering with Spruce Meadows, travelling and fishing.

    Click here to view a video profile of Ms. Humphreys

  • Dr. John Gillett Alberta Health Services

    Dr. John Gillett

    Physician / Community Medical Director - Grande Cache, AB.
    Dr. John Gillett

    Dr. John Gillett

    Physician / Community Medical Director - Grande Cache, AB.

    Dr. John Gillett came to Grande Cache 20 years ago from South Africa, with a short stint in Regina along the way. Dr. John Gillett embraces the challenges of rural practice. “I think the nice thing about rural practice, at least here, is that you don’t know what to expect on any given day.  Some days are quiet and you just do clinic work.  And then tomorrow, all hell breaks loose and multiple trauma comes through the door. And that’s what I think makes it exciting.”

    Click here to view a video profile of Dr. Gillett

  • Mr. Al Kemmere Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA)

    Mr. Al Kemmere

    RMA President - Mountain View County, AB.
    Mr. Al Kemmere

    Mr. Al Kemmere

    RMA President - Mountain View County, AB.

    Al was elected to his fifth term as a councillor for Mountain View County in October 2017. He was first elected councillor and reeve of Mountain View County in 2004.  Al’s involvement with RMA begun with his election as Director for District 2 – Central at the Fall 2010 Convention. He was later elected president of RMA in November 2014.

    Al has always tried to take a leadership approach when it comes to municipal partnerships and collaborations, and has been involved in many local and provincial organizations.

    He and his wife, Kathy, have raised three children on their farm north of Olds. Their farm consists of a dairy operation, mixed farming and custom farming.

  • Ms. Sherri di Lallo, RN, BScN, MN College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA)

    Ms. Sherri di Lallo, RN, BScN, MN

    Provincial Councillor, CARNA - Millet, AB.
    Ms. Sherri di Lallo, RN, BScN, MN

    Ms. Sherri di Lallo, RN, BScN, MN

    Provincial Councillor, CARNA - Millet, AB.

    The focus of Sherri Di Lallo’s nursing career has been the promotion of Indigenous health and building working partnerships with rural and remote communities and the health care system.  Her work has included articles such as Prenatal Care Through the Eyes of Canadian Aboriginal Women; developing and coordinating a prenatal clinic in Wetaskiwin, AB to improve prenatal health for Indigenous women; developing PRIADE (Professional Relationships in Aboriginal Diabetes Education) to support remote and rural health care providers to support their patients with diabetes; co-authoring Diabetes, Information to Share with Your Family; and developing a Metis Nurse Access Program to train individuals to serve rural and remote communities. Her experience has built a foundation of knowledge of rural and remote services, Indigenous populations and their health issues, both from a service and an access perspective, which gives her a unique view on the importance of cultural safety in health care.

    Currently the Indigenous Child Health Nurse Coordinator for the Stollery Children’s Hospital, her role is to be effective in supporting physicians, staff, patients and their families between home, hospital and community.  Sherri is also involved in the Injury Prevention Center from a rural perspective with the University of Alberta.

    Click here to view a video profile of Ms. Di Lallo

  • Mr. Andrew Neuner Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA)

    Mr. Andrew Neuner

    Chief Executive Officer, HQCA - Calgary, AB.
    Mr. Andrew Neuner

    Mr. Andrew Neuner

    Chief Executive Officer, HQCA - Calgary, AB.

    Andrew is an accomplished and visionary executive with more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience. He has held executive leadership positions in both rural and urban settings with responsibility for acute, community, and long-term care; mental health and addiction services; health prevention and promotion; Indigenous health; and laboratory services. In addition, he has led strategic planning and managed a broad range of healthcare administrative services.

    With a distinctly people-focused approach to leadership, Andrew develops meaningful relationships with stakeholders and communities locally, nationally and internationally that help him identify and recommend quality and safety improvement initiatives suited for Alberta. He brings a sincere passion for and proven commitment to addressing the challenges of health reform and meeting community and provincial needs in a rational and responsible way.

    Andrew has held various executive healthcare positions across Canada: notably as Vice President, Community Integration, and Chief Operating Officer for Interior Health in British Columbia. He is a Certified Health Executive and holds a Bachelor of Health Services Administration, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Arts in Leadership & Training from Royal Roads University.

    The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) is a provincial agency that pursues opportunities to improve patient safety and health service quality for Albertans.

  • Dr. John O'Connor College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta

    Dr. John O'Connor

    Physician - Wood Buffalo Region, AB.
    Dr. John O'Connor

    Dr. John O'Connor

    Physician - Wood Buffalo Region, AB.

    Dr. John O’Connor lives in Edmonton, Alberta and practices mainly in Fort McMurray as a Hospitalist/Family Practitioner.

    Originally from Ireland, Dr. O’Connor moved to Canada is 1984 for a three-month locum that turned into a ten-year stay in rural Nova Scotia. Always drawn to rural and remote health care, in 1993, Dr. O’Connor moved to the Fort McMurray area where he has been able to focus on the health challenges faced by Indigenous people, especially as they connect to the environmental impact of industry.

    Dr. O’Connor helps provide primary care service to the three Indigenous communities outside Fort McMurray: Fort Chipewyan, Fort McKay and Chard/Janvier. Since 1994, he has also been involved with the Centre of Hope, Fort McMurray’s only day time drop in centre for our communities homeless and near homeless adults.

    In addition to his role at RhPAP, Dr. O’connor is also member of the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA), the Canadian Association of Physician for the Environment (CAPE), the Safe Drinking Water Foundation of Canada (SDWF), and is a Clinical Lecturer U of A Department of Family Medicine.

    Dr. O’Connor is married to Charlene, a Registered Nurse, and has five living children, having lost two in the last five years.

  • Dr. Gavin Parker Alberta Medical Association Section of Rural Medicine

    Dr. Gavin Parker

    Physician - Pincher Creek, AB.
    Dr. Gavin Parker

    Dr. Gavin Parker

    Physician - Pincher Creek, AB.

    Having received many advantages through his involvement with RhPAP over the years, Dr. Gavin Parker joined the Board of Directors in 2013 with the hope of helping others discover the joys of rural medicine. “I’m a city kid born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and I didn’t know anything about working as a country doctor,” Parker explains. “[RhPAP] is singularly responsible for where I find myself today, and so anything I can do to help the organization I’m very happy to do so.”

    Click here to view a video profile of Dr. Parker

  • Dr. Sarah Makhdoom Alberta Medical Association Section of Rural Medicine

    Dr. Sarah Makhdoom

    Physician - High River, AB.
    Dr. Sarah Makhdoom

    Dr. Sarah Makhdoom

    Physician - High River, AB.

    Sarah is a Family Doctor in High River Alberta since 2003 . She moved there with her family after graduating from the Rural Alberta South (RAS) Family Medicine Residency program, of University of Calgary . Originally from Pakistan, she was used to the hustle and bustle of crowds but now she loves her quiet walks in Rural Alberta. Looking after her patients from cradle to grave in a traditional family practice including hospital and Obstetrics , is her life long passion. She is excited to join RhPAP and be involved in the development of Rural health and well-being at a larger scale.

  • Elaine Finseth Alberta Health Services

    Elaine Finseth

    Associate Chief Allied Health Officer - Camrose, AB
    Elaine Finseth

    Elaine Finseth

    Associate Chief Allied Health Officer - Camrose, AB

  • Dr. Bert Reitsma Director Emeritus

    Dr. Bert Reitsma

    Physician - Crowsnest Pass, Alberta
    Dr. Bert Reitsma

    Dr. Bert Reitsma

    Physician - Crowsnest Pass, Alberta

    Dr. Bert Reitsma has come a long way to become one of rural Alberta’s strongest advocates. An accomplished surgeon, Dr. Reitsma began his career in the Netherlands 45 years ago, and worked extensively in the academic and business world before coming to Alberta. “This was the perfect fit,” says Dr. Reitsma about working in Blairmore, where he has a practice and is a general surgeon. “With the rural setting, there is more close-knit communities. You know the patient … and it is personally rewarding to a physician.”

    Click here to view a video profile of Dr. Reitsma

Our Partners

RhPAP gratefully acknowledges the support of our friends and partners in healthcare, government, and post-secondary to continue meeting the needs of our rural Alberta communities.

© Rural Health Professions Action Plan