Leadership Team

Michael Sherar leads Public Health Ontario, the provincial agency that provides evidence to inform policy, undertakes public health capacity building, and provides integrated public health laboratory and surveillance systems.

Prior to joining PHO, Michael held several senior management positions in the public sector. He was previously the interim Transitional Lead and Chief Corporate Officer for the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation (TSHC), where he led planning for TSHC to assume operating responsibility for seniors’ social housing buildings from the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. Prior to TSHC, Michael spent 17 years at Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), nine of which as President and CEO. He led the expansion of CCO’s mandate, built an effective infrastructure to support health system improvement in Ontario and led the smooth transition of CCO to become a division of Ontario Health.

Michael received his doctorate in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics from Oxford University.

Dr. Jessica Hopkins oversees the scientific and operational activities of the Communicable Disease Control portfolio, which consists of: Medical and System Support, Operations and Response, Indigenous Strategy and Capacity Building. The portfolio’s work strengthens communicable disease management across the health system through outbreak response; communicable disease surveillance and control; infection prevention and control; developing an Indigenous Strategy in partnership First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and organizations, and building capacity through events and online programming.

Jessica has 15 years experience in public health having previously worked as the Medical Officer of Health for Peel Region, and as Associate Medical Officer of Health in Hamilton and Niagara Region. She works as a family doctor and is an Associate Professor (part-time) with the Department of Health Research Methods, Epidemiology, and Impact, McMaster University and Assistant Professor with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

Jessica obtained her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Western Ontario and her Master of Health Science from the University of Toronto in the field of Community Health and Epidemiology. She completed residencies in Family Medicine and Public Health and Preventive Medicine at McMaster University.

Lyndon Dubeau leads the Digital and Data portfolio and provides strategic and operational leadership for the development and execution of a robust digital transformation and data stewardship strategy that aims to enhance the delivery of PHO’s services internally, as well as, externally to clients, community partners, and government stakeholders.

Lyndon has over 20 years of experience supporting Ontario’s health care system, with specialties in cyber security, enterprise risk management, systems architecture and digital health standards.  He previously served as as Vice President, Innovations for Connected Health at Ontario Health, where he provided executive leadership on data strategy and digital transformation. He was also the executive lead for the Ontario Provincial Cyber Security Operating Model, a provincial effort to align a collective cyber defence of Ontario’s health care sector.

Lyndon holds a Master of Science in Information Security from Royal Holloway, University of London and has a Digital Forensics Certificate from Toronto Metropolitan University. He’s the 2015 recipient of the ISC2 Information Security Leadership Award for North America for his work with Cancer Care Ontario.

Cathy Campos provides executive leadership for PHO’s Finance and Planning portfolio, which includes: finance, procurement, facilities, enterprise risk management, research, and strategy and planning functions.

Cathy is a seasoned executive with extensive senior leadership experience in the health care sector. She was previously the Vice-President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for Rouge Valley Health System, where she was responsible for the finance, supply chain, capital planning and risk functions at the hospital and acted in the role as the key financial advisor for the business. Prior to Rouge Valley, Campos served as the Director of Finance at Baycrest Centre.

Cathy is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of Toronto.

Anjlee Patel serves as the Vice President, Legal and Stakeholder Relations and Chief Legal Officer at PHO. In this role, she provides strategic and practical legal counsel to the organization while overseeing stakeholder relations, ethics review for public health research, library services, and privacy and compliance functions. Additionally, Anjlee supports the Board of Directors in its governance responsibilities as the Corporate Secretary.

Anjlee has significant leadership experience in the public sector. Prior to PHO, she took on a series of successive roles at Infrastructure Ontario, and last held the position of Vice President, Legal Services. She was responsible for managing the legal affairs of the organization related to corporate/commercial matters, including engaging in complex procurements, governance best practice initiatives, policy/compliance functions and privacy. She has also worked as counsel at the Ontario Realty Corporation and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Anjlee received her LLB from the University of Ottawa in 2005 and holds an ICD.D designation in board governance from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Dr. Samir Patel provides executive and scientific leadership, strategic direction and accountability for the planning and priorities of the Microbiology and Laboratory Services portfolio.

Samir first joined PHO as a Clinical Microbiologist in 2009 and has since taken on several progressive leadership positions since that time.

He has been the clinical lead of many important programs at the laboratory, including vector-borne and zoonotic infections such as Lyme and West Nile, antimicrobial resistance, and a novel pathogen discovery program. He has provided leadership for the Ontario COVID-19 Genomics Network and the Testing Strategy Expert Panel, which were established to support the response to COVID-19. He has also actively contributed to many important committees, including the Institute of Quality Management Microbiology Committee, and the Canadian Public Health Laboratory Network's Antimicrobial Resistance and Lyme Working groups.

Samir is an Associate Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. He received his doctor of philosophy in tropical diseases from the University of Toronto, where he also received his fellowship in clinical microbiology. He successfully completed his Canadian Society of Microbiology board exam in 2011.

Murray Odesse leads the People and Communications portfolio, overseeing the human resource services, employee and labour relations, communications and product development and publishing functions at PHO.  

Murray has a strong background in executive leadership, both within the private and public sectors. He is well-versed in building agile operating structures and cultures to execute organizational strategy.

Murray has a Certified Human Resources Leader designation, and an MBA from Royal Roads University. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Advanced Program in Human Resources Management at the Rotman School of Management.

Dr. Tamara Wallington is responsible for leading PHO’s work generating and providing evidence to guide action in the areas of health promotion and environmental and occupational health, with the aim of improving health outcomes and reducing health inequities across Ontario.

Tamara is a physician leader with over 20 years of experience working across all areas of Ontario’s health system, from population health, to public health, to acute care, to administrative medicine and education leadership.  In addition to her current PHO role, Tamara works as a part-time Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining PHO, she spent several years working as an Associate Medical Officer of Health at Toronto Public Health, before transitioning to a physician leadership role at William Osler Health System, as well as a regional leadership role as Vice President, Clinical at the Central West Local Health Integration Network.

Prior to joining PHO, she was Program Chief and Medical Director at Trillium Health Partners, as well as Academic Lead of the Family Medicine Teaching Unit, advancing excellence in education, research, innovation, program delivery and continuous improvement.

Tamara obtained her Doctor of Medicine from McMaster University, her Master of Physician Leadership from the Schulich School of Business, and her Osgoode Certificate in Health Law from York University. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and a Graduate of Intermountain Health Institute for Healthcare Delivery Research. In addition, she has participated in the Master of Science, Health Research Methods program at McMaster University.

Emily Karas leads the department responsible for the management, prevention and control of communicable diseases and emergency preparedness and incident response. She provides provincial leadership in communicable diseases, infection prevention and control, as well as preparedness and response to both infectious and non-infectious disease emergencies and issues. Emily previously served as PHO’s Director, Knowledge Exchange and Communications and as PHO’s Manager of Communicable Diseases.

Emily has considerable experience at the local and provincial public health levels. She was previously a Nurse Consultant and Team Lead for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and worked as a Public Health Nurse at both the Niagara Region and Peel Region public health units. She has almost 15 years of combined public health and nursing experience. Emily holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Queen’s University, a Masters of Nursing from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Westminster.

Betty Onyura provides strategic leadership for the design and implementation of workforce capacity-building programming, including PHO’s experiential learning and continuing professional development programming. She also provides guidance for the revitalization of programming to support competency development for public health professionals across career-stages, via multiple learning platforms, and forums, including the annual Ontario Public Health Convention (TOPHC).

Betty has a strong track-record of leadership at the intersection of health professions education, scholarship, and knowledge mobilization. She has held positions of progressive responsibility across organizations such as Unity Health, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and University of Toronto. Across roles, she has developed a track record for advancing innovative, high-quality programming, rooted in both evidence-informed foundations and collaborative partnerships. She is a dynamic leader with a unique capacity to both ‘zoom out’ to chart big-picture strategic aspirations and ‘zoom in’ for practical, results-oriented implementation of strategic plans.

Nicole Visschedyk provides expertise and leadership to shape PHO’s work in Indigenous engagement. Nicole works closely with leaders and staff across PHO to develop and implement strategies that will enable the organization to engage meaningfully with and support Indigenous communities. Nicole is also leading the development of PHO’s first Indigenous Strategy as described in our Strategic Plan 2024-2029.  Nicole is Métis and was fortunate enough to grow up with many cultural traditions of the Métis people.

Nicole has more than 15 years of experience in public service holding progressive positions in a number of Ontario ministries, including her most recent position as a Senior Manager, Indigenous Equity Branch, Treasury Board Secretariat.  Prior to entering the Ontario Public Service, she worked as a journalist for media outlets such as The Hamilton Spectator and The National Post.

Nicole holds a BSc from the University of Guelph that included several years of work in a biochemistry laboratory. She did her Master’s degree in Journalism.

Andrew Lefebvre provides leadership in the design, oversight, and responsible use of PHO’s digital and data platforms. He ensures PHO’s digital infrastructure is fit for purpose and aligns with recognized data and governance standards and best practices. This infrastructure is essential for enabling PHO and its partners to deliver on their mandates. His team leads data acquisition and dissemination to support organizational priorities, while advancing the use of digital innovation to enhance public health services. By ensuring seamless data integration and accessibility, the team adds significant value to PHO and the broader public health system.

Andrew has been with PHO since 2011, taking on progressively senior roles. His expertise spans public health legislation and systems, privacy, digital and data governance, and the intersection of data, information systems, and legislation to support public health operations. Andrew holds a PhD from the University of Calgary.

As the Director of Enterprise Technology and Cyber Security, Cary Luner provides strategic oversight and leadership for PHO’s enterprise technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, and information management services. He is responsible for planning, developing, and maintaining the systems and frameworks that enable the organization’s digital operations and protect its information assets.

Cary has been with PHO since its inception, taking on progressively senior leadership roles. He brings more than 20 years of experience as a strategic IT leader, with expertise in security, privacy, system architecture, and the role technology plays in advancing PHO’s strategic objectives.

Kirandeep Bains provides strategic, operational, and business leadership for PHO’s laboratory digital and health informatics portfolio, which includes bioinformatics, laboratory information systems (LIS), and laboratory data and surveillance.

With over 18 years of senior leadership experience in healthcare, clinical operations, and information technology, Kirandeep is dedicated to driving digital transformation, optimizing operational efficiency, and fostering innovation in healthcare delivery.  He excels in managing large-scale projects, enhancing resource efficiency, and developing high-performing teams.

Before joining PHO, Kirandeep held senior positions at Dynacare, where he led national teams in data governance, business intelligence, and laboratory information systems.

Kirandeep holds an MBA and an Honours B.Sc., along with various certifications in leadership and technology, including a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He is committed to leveraging technology to improve healthcare outcomes and uphold the highest standards of service delivery.

Katerina Petaroudas is a senior finance leader with progressive experience in both the hospital and private sectors. In her current role at PHO, Katerina provides leadership for accounts payable, accounting, financial planning and analysis, and strategy and planning.

In her previous role at Rouge Valley Health System, Katerina led the financial planning and analysis function, which focused on budget planning, business case development and customer centred analytics and reporting.

Katerina holds a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation and a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Toronto.

Tony Ho is a senior finance leader with progressive experience in both the hospital and private sectors. In his current role at PHO, Tony provides leadership for the financial planning and analysis, strategy and planning and corporate special projects.

In his previous role at Rouge Valley Health System, he worked as the Program Business Manager, which focused on budget planning, business case development and customer centred analytics and reporting.  Tony also worked at IBM gaining progressive experience in various roles there.

Tony holds a Chartered Professional Accounting (CPA) designation and a Business Degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Dr. Karam Ramotar is responsible for working with PHO’s clinical and medical microbiologists, as well as laboratory operation leadership to ensure that PHO’s public health laboratories continue to serve their stakeholders at the highest quality standards.

Karam has extensive expertise in molecular and clinical diagnostic microbiology, both in terms of technical and operational knowledge. He developed and established the molecular microbiology testing service at the Eastern Ontario Regional Association’s (EORLA) Microbiology Reference laboratory, and guided the expansion of service by that institution over the last 20 years. In another previous role, Karam implemented diagnostic testing for TB and STIs through a Canadian-funded public health program in Guyana between 2004 and 2008. Additionally, he acted as a peer assessor for Ontario’s Laboratory Quality Program for 15 years, performing laboratory assessments in Ontario and other Canadian provinces.

Karam holds a PhD in Medical Microbiology from the University of Manitoba, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Microbiology from the University of Alberta.

Louis Litsas provides strategic and operational leadership for the central and regional public health laboratories in Ontario. He has more than 15 years of progressive leadership experience in laboratory operations, with experience in Canadian and American academic hospitals as well as both public and private sectors.

Louis comes to PHO from LifeLabs where he focused on helping technical staff deliver high quality and timely surgical pathology reports with an emphasis on client-service and client-responsiveness. He began his career at the Hospital for Sick Children and has worked at Kapiolani Women & Children’s Hospital in Hawaii, UCLA and Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles, and London Health Sciences Centre where he leveraged his leadership and continuous improvement skills to support laboratory operations in identifying and implementing efficiencies and high quality reporting to improve service and patient care.

Louis is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Pathology as a Pathologists’ Assistant. He holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Southern California.

Marjorie Allen provides strategic and operational leadership for laboratory operations. Marjorie joined PHO in 2005 as Quality Assurance Coordinator for the laboratory. In 2009, she moved to the Laboratory Renewal Team to implement high volume test area before taking on the role of senior manager, virology and molecular services.

Prior to joining PHO, Marjorie was a partner in a consulting company that provided quality, food safety and risk management services to a variety of industries. She previously worked in the community laboratories and her educational background is as a medical laboratory technologist. Marjorie holds a Masters Certificate in Operational Risk Management from Shulich School of Business, a Management Certificate from the Rotman School of Business, and a Certificate in Food Science and Safety from the University of Guelph.

Esther Nagai provides strategic and operational leadership for molecular services and virology. She has more than 14 years of progressive leadership and technical experience in laboratory operations in both the public and private sectors.

Prior to joining PHO, Esther worked at Fraser Health Authority and Royal Jubilee Hospital in British Columbia and at LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services in Ontario. In these organizations, she supported laboratory operations in implementing efficiencies to mitigate risks and improve overall quality and patient care. Esther is a member of the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario as a Medical Laboratory Technologist and a board member of the Canadian Association for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Antonia Maric oversees the areas of quality, regulatory affairs, and customer service in laboratory operations. She has over 10 years of progressive leadership experience in laboratory operations, quality, regulatory compliance, and customer service in both hospital and private sectors.

Prior to joining PHO, Antonia worked at LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services and The Hospital for Sick Children. In these organizations, she leveraged her leadership and continuous improvement skills to support laboratory operations in identifying and implementing efficiencies to improve quality, regulatory compliance, and customer experience.

Antonia is an active member of the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario as a Medical Laboratory Technologist. She holds a Master of Health Management from McMaster University and is a Certified Health Executive.

Michelle Kazimirek is a senior HR leader with progressive management experience in hospital, public service and private sectors for the last 20 years. In her current role as Director, Human Resources, Michelle provides strategic direction and management oversight to the Human Resources and Payroll department. Michelle has diverse and well-rounded expertise in all areas of human resources administration and is an established leader in inspiring, implementing and maintaining effective programs, processes and systems that directly contribute to organizational success.

In her previous leadership roles, Michelle led large-scale employee engagement and development programs, implemented reward and talent management strategies and negotiated complex collective bargaining and labour negotiations.

Rena Chung provides strategic leadership and oversight to the Population Health portfolio. In this role, Rena focuses on strategy, planning, and integration across different core operation and programmatic areas including environmental and occupational health; health promotion, chronic disease and injury prevention; emergency planning, response and recovery; and knowledge synthesis.

Rena brings more than 20 years of leadership and technical experience in the field of environmental health and has previously served as PHO’s Manager of Toxicology and Exposure Assessment and Director of Environmental and Occupational Health.

Prior to joining PHO, Rena worked in the private sector where she worked in various leadership roles managing teams specializing in human health risk assessment, brownfield redevelopment, environmental permitting and planning and water resources. Rena has a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Life Sciences and Environmental Sciences from Queen’s University. Rena is also a diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology.

Marnie MacKinnon leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative quality improvement initiatives aligned with PHO’s strategic priorities. Her work focuses on fostering collaboration with key partners to establish shared goals and metrics. This approach aims to enhance public health performance across Ontario, with an emphasis on continuous quality improvement.

With over 20 years of experience in health care policy, program design, and implementation, Marnie is dedicated to driving system-wide impact by leveraging strategic opportunities to enhance health systems and outcomes. Prior to joining PHO, Marnie served as Executive Lead of Strategic Projects at Ornge Air Ambulance and as Director of COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation at the Ministry of Health. Her leadership portfolio also includes roles at The Change Foundation and Cancer Care Ontario.

Marnie graduated from McMaster University and has pursued professional training in health care leadership and leading strategic change from the University of Toronto and negotiation and dispute resolution from the University of Windsor.