Community Advisory Committee

I am a member of the Abenaki First Nation in Odanak, QC. As a former Registered Dietitian, I worked for over 15 years in hospital food service management and clinical dietetics in a number of hospitals in Ontario and New Brunswick, before pursuing my M.Sc. degree at McGill University. My Master’s research thesis examined and compared the cultural, nutritional, and economic importance of traditional food use among Ojibwe people in two communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, supporting legal arguments for these Nations to gain equal gathering, hunting, and fishing rights for access to their traditional livelihood. I worked for 12 years as a Community Dietitian at Noojmowin Teg Health Centre, Manitoulin Island, and the Southwestern Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre in London, as the Diabetes Prevention Program Coordinator providing prevention activities including healthy eating and active living programs. I held a position as Sr. Health Policy Analyst for almost 16 years at Chiefs of Ontario, working on First Nations policy and advocacy issues with both federal and provincial governments, and NGOs pertaining to Ontario First Nations Mental Health and Addictions, as well as Health Promotion and Public Health, and recently retired in August 2024. 

I am particularly interested in issues of food insecurity, housing and social determinants of health in general which impact First Nations individuals’ health status. I hope that my participation on this committee will support the role of LHSC for First Nations people in this area.  

Dorothy Pol is a compassionate caregiver who has advocated for her children, parents and others as they navigate healthcare systems. She has accompanied loved ones within multiple hospitals including: London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) – Children’s Hospital, Victoria Hospital and University Hospital. St. Joseph’s Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto), Toronto General, Toronto Western, Royal University Hospital (Saskatoon, Canada) and Guys Hospital (London, United Kingdom). 

Dorothy became a Patient Partner at LHSC in 2018 with the goal of making hospital experiences the best they can be for patients and their families. As a member of the Clinical Service Group and Support Service Group from the Infection Prevention and Control Team she has evaluated medical device reprocessing and clutter management. She also helped promote hand hygiene awareness and signage for patients, staff and visitors at LHSC.

Dorothy has reviewed countless fact sheets, letters and corporate materials in consultation with the Communication team, ensuring they are accessible for patients and their families. As part of the COVID-19 Rapid Response Team she reviewed materials in a timely manner to make sure they were community friendly. She was selected as the Chair of the Patient Experience Advisory Council in 2023 and participated in wayfinding environmental scans aimed at making it easier for patients and families to find their way around the hospital. Dorothy has also participated in learning about our Indigenous communities. 

Dorothy believes that reducing stress in the hospital environment fosters collaborative partnerships between patients and their healthcare teams, ultimately contributing to better patient outcomes, increased healthcare provider satisfaction and a stronger hospital system.

In addition to her role at LHSC, she is an active member of the Family Council at McCormick Home (Advanced Long-term and Dementia Care) and is the Family Council representative on the home’s Quality Advisory Team. She is an accomplished fiber artist, who enjoys being with family, ballroom dancing, studying languages and travelling.  

An enthusiastic non-profit leader who serves as Executive Director at Mission Services of London, a Christian faith-based social service organization helping neighbours (men, women and children) who experience homelessness, addiction, mental illness and poverty in the London area. Prior to taking on the role of Executive Director in 2022, she served as Director of Development & Communications with Mission Services of London for 10 years. Before that, she worked in the area of major and legacy gift fundraising at St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation for a number of years.  

Born and raised in El Salvador, Ericka is fully bilingual in Spanish and English. She has called London home for nearly 30 years, attending the Ivey School of Business at Western University to earn her Honours in Business Administration, with a minor in French. She is an avid volunteer and believer in the power of community, having served on the Board of Directors of Pillar Nonprofit Network and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) London & Region Chapter. In addition, she is currently a Reviewer for the Canadian Centre for Accreditation, a certified Crucial Conversations Trainer and a volunteer with her faith community.  

Ericka shares her life with her husband and best friend, Kevin; together, they try to keep up with the big personality and antics of their small dog.  

Grace was born and raised in Sudbury Ontario and serves as a Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in the Department of Medical Biophysics, Medicine (Respirology), Medical Imaging, Oncology and Biomedical Engineering at Western University. As an Associate Scientist at Lawson and LHSCRI, and Scientist at Robarts Research Institute, she widely collaborates across the local health-research ecosystem.

Her research is focused on developing new imaging physics tools to develop a deep understanding of the lung pathologies which contribute to worsening asthma and COPD and the role novel treatments may play in initiating clinical remission. Her research is funded by federal (Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) and provincial (Ministry of Health Ontario) agencies as well as industrial collaborators (Trudell Medical International, Astra Zeneca and GlaxoSmithKline).

Grace is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and board member of CIHR, the Canadian Thoracic Society and German Centre for Lung Research. 

Jason Bates was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario. Jason graduated from the University of Waterloo, where he obtained an Honours BA in Urban & Regional Planning. After graduation Jason started working for Windsor Factory Supply (WFS), an industrial supply company. Working throughout Southeastern Michigan and Southern Ontario providing maintenance, repair & operations support to many of the leading manufacturing companies in the region. Transferring to the WFS London office in the early 90’s, he has lived in London for over 25 years.

With the experience, contacts & expertise he accumulated from his time at WFS, Jason founded JDB Consulting in 2007. JDB Consulting works with numerous clients in and around the manufacturing sector, including the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC), The London Region Manufacturing Council (LRMC, current Chair), London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), and hundreds of individual manufacturing companies. Facilitation of best practice sharing & benchmarking, fostering the growth & prosperity of the manufacturing sector, business development, connecting clients with the resources they need, are the main areas of focus for Jason.

Jason's entrepreneurial interests have also led to the successful co-founding of Factory Bucket Ltd. A London tech company with a focus on the manufacturing sector. Factory Bucket is leading the evolution of manufacturing software/scheduling/ERP's by utilizing the power of AI.

Jason lives with his Wife & Daughter. He has sat on numerous community boards & has been involved with minor sports for 30 plus years, coaching Hockey, Baseball and Soccer. The past six years he has worked extensively with the Whitecaps London Soccer Club as Club Manager & is currently General Manager of Railway City FC, in League1 Ontario Soccer Men’s & Women’s Pro-Am divisions. 

Jonathan is a Senior Investment Advisor & Portfolio Manager with BMO Private Wealth. Starting with BMO Nesbitt Burns in 2002, he has built a successful practice providing investment management and financial planning services to a varied client base across Southwestern Ontario. In 2021 Jonathan was named one of Canada’s Top Wealth Advisors in the inaugural Globe and Mail’s Top Wealth Advisor ranking. Jonathan is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University with a BA in psychology. Jonathan received his Certified International Wealth Manager (CIWM) designation in 2010, his Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designation in 2012, and his Portfolio Manager designation in 2014.  

In addition to day-to-day work with clients, Jonathan is Past-Chair of the IA Advisory Council at BMO Private Wealth. This national council of 16 advisors meets quarterly with senior leadership to collaboratively advance the strategic agenda of the firm and represent the 1000+ advisors who work at BMO Private Wealth.

Recognizing that volunteering is integral to a vibrant community, Jonathan has been active with several organizations. He has volunteered with St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s) since 2011, starting on the Finance / Resource Planning and Audit Committee (RPAC) eventually serving as Chair of that committee. He was appointed a Director of St. Joseph’s Board of Directors (Board) June 2014 and in 2021 Jonathan was elected Chair of the Board (2021-2023). Over the course of his term with St. Joseph’s he has served as Chair of the Investment Subcommittee of RPAC and Chair of the Lawson Health Research Institute Finance and Investment Committee. He is currently the Chair of the Lawson Research Institute Board of St. Joseph’s. Jonathan also previously volunteered on the McCormick Home Foundation Board and was Chair from 2007-2009.  

Jonathan and his wife Elizabeth are kept busy with their three daughters, one in university and two in high school. They spend as much time as possible being active, playing hockey and tennis, and whenever possible enjoying the outdoors in Muskoka.  

Michelle is a graduate from Fanshawe College’s Developmental Service Worker program and the Human Resource Management program.  She has also completed the Queen’s University Executive Leadership Program and the Ontario Leadership Consortium on Developmental Services through the University of Delaware.  

Michelle has worked for Community Living London since 1983, in a variety of roles. In 2018 she became the founding Executive Director of Creative Team Solutions, a non-profit organization developed to provide shared back office supports to other non-profits.  In this role Michelle provides Executive Leadership and Governance support to multiple non-profit agencies, including Community Living London, Community Living Elgin, New Frontiers Support Services and Kids Country Club.

Michelle has held several past volunteer roles, including the Chair of the Ontario Association on Developmental Disabilities, Chair of the Southwest Executive Directors group, and Chair of the Provincial Network on Developmental Disabilities.  

Born in London, Ontario to Lebanese and Syrian community leaders, Mariam Hamou was London, Ontario’s first Muslim female city councilor, Chief of Staff for a Member of Parliament, and served as the North American PR and Media Director for the UN led Syrian Coalition in Istanbul. She has been heavily involved in local and international NGOs and has led the Ontario Library’s Boards Association as the past-president. She currently sits on boards in London and internationally, has two teenage daughters and works in Tillsonburg as a children’s librarian.   

Nathan Smith serves as Chief of Staff to London Mayor Josh Morgan. Among other responsibilities, Smith offers counsel on policy, strategy, and political matters in support of Mayor Morgan’s mandate, while also collaborating and maintaining relationships with members of City Council, government officials, community leaders, and other key stakeholders.  

He had previously served as Director of Communications under Mayor Ed Holder, and prior to making the transition to public service, Smith had a nearly 20-year career in news media, working as a reporter, anchor, news director, and program director with stops in London, Kitchener, and Toronto.  
 
He’s proud to live and work in London, but even more proud to be the father of 14-year-old Cassius and 11-year-old Nyah.  

Peter Bergmanis is the founder and longest serving Co-chair of the London Health Coalition. The London Health Coalition is a chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition, a 750,000 member strong nonpartisan public healthcare advocacy organization. It is at the forefront of the battle to halt for- profit healthcare within the province. With strong ties to the community and organized labour, Peter has served with the United Way, Neighbourhood Legal Services of London and Middlesex and is a former Vice President of Healthcare at Unifor Local 27. As primary spokesperson for the London Health Coalition, Peter brings to bear over 35 years of experience in the London healthcare system to his analysis of the current crisis facing Ontario.