Councillors

• Medical degree from the University of Calgary.
• Fellowships in orthopedic trauma surgery in Switzerland and Vancouver.
• Calgary’s first Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon, currently an Orthopedic Traumatologist at the Foothills Medical Centre.
• Clinical Professor of orthopedic trauma surgery at the University of Calgary.
• A founding member of the Canadian Orthopedic Trauma Society.
• Previously the head of the University of Calgary’s Orthopedic Trauma Division and Program Director for the Orthopedic Residency Program.
• Has given hundreds of national and international guest lectureships.
• Contributed to numerous orthopedic trauma textbooks and co-authored hundred of papers for peer-reviewed journals.

Outside of medicine, Dr. Buckley is an avid skier, golfer and runner. He and his wife Lois (a recently-retired family physician) have two children.

Council Chair

Nicole Cardinal is a First Nation physician currently practising in her community of Saddle Lake Cree Nation and St. Paul. She shares a common goal with CPSA: to provide safe care and protect all Albertans. She hopes her work on Council will improve or advocate for safe health care for Alberta’s Indigenous peoples.

Full biography coming soon.

Council Vice-Chair

• Medical degree from the University of Alberta.
• Residency in Family Medicine at the University of Alberta.
• Practices Family Medicine in various settings throughout Edmonton.
• Cares for patients at several long-term care and supportive-living facilities in Edmonton and Spruce Grove, offering home visits to housebound patients, including palliative and geriatric populations.
• Assistant Clinical Professor in the University of Alberta Department of Family Medicine.
• Regularly supervises medical students and residents, at both the bedside and through didactic teaching.
• Was a driving force in the creation of the Radiology Update for Family Physicians, an annual multidisciplinary conference she organizes, in conjunction with the academic radiologists in Edmonton.

Dr. Fung grew up on a farm in rural Alberta. When not busy with her medical practice, she is a mother to four small children, who often tag along on her home visits and rounds. Dr. Fung stays active by learning badminton, curling in the Edmonton Doctors’ Curling League and playing rec hockey with her physician husband (and past CPSA Councillor).

• Psychiatric training at the University of Alberta in 2015
• Forensic psychiatry fellowship at the University of Toronto in 2016
• Sub-specialty qualification in Forensic Psychiatry through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
• Active member of the inpatient and outpatient program in Forensic Services at Alberta Health Services
• Consultant psychiatrist at the maximum-security federal penitentiary, Edmonton Institution, and at the provincial detention centres, Edmonton Remand Centre/Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre
• Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
• Chair of the Residency Research Subcommittee for the Psychiatry Residency Program at the University of Alberta.
• Member at the Alberta Health Services Provincial Hearing Committee
• Psychiatrist member on the Mental Health Review Panel Roster with the Government of Alberta.

Dr. Kravtsenyuk also provides general and forensic psychiatric services in Northern Ontario and maintains an active private practice, conducting third-party assessments for criminal and civil proceedings.

• Medical degree from the University of Alberta
• Residency in Family Medicine from McGill University
• Has worked in rural, urban and inner-city practices
• Assistant Clinic Professor in the University of Alberta Department of Family Medicine
• Member of the Governance Advisory Committee of the Alberta College of Family Physicians

Dr. Oladele is practising in Edmonton in general family practice and at an opioid dependency treatment site. Away from work, he and his wife (a nurse) chase around their two young children.

• Medical degree from the University of Calgary.
• CCFP/Family Medicine training at the University of Ottawa, plus one extra year of Emergency Medicine training in Calgary.
• Chief of Emergency Medicine at the Foothills Medical Centre since 2018.
• Involved in the Cumming School of Medicine, acting as course chair on a few occasions, and leading the development of an undergraduate procedural skills program.
• Active committee work at the medical school, and was Director of Admissions from 2008-2019.
• Developed and led the Pathways to Medicine Program – a pipeline program for undergraduate students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Dr. Walker currently practises in emergency at the Rockyview General Hospital and Foothills Medical Centre. He also hold degrees in philosophy and religious studies.

• Clinical Professor, Division of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery (ORL-HNS), Department of Surgery, University of Alberta.
• Fellowship assessor of the Academy of Medical Educators (FAcadMEd), U.K.
• Senior Fellow in Advanced Higher Education (SFHEA), U.K.
• Current Guest Editor at Frontiers Education and  reviewer for Medical Science Educator and other high impact medical education journals.
• Member of Education, Research & Scholarship, and Annual conference committees; International Team-Based Learning Collaborative (TBLC) Education, U.S.A.
• Surgery representative on the Clinical Promotion and Faculty Development Committees, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta.
• Served on different provincial and international strategic planning committees.
• Served as a grant adjudicator for Alberta Innovates and other granting organizations.
• Former Director of Undergraduate Education and Quality Improvement ORL, Former member of Human Research Ethics Board (HREB) and Competency Committee; Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry University of Alberta.
• Member of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), U.S.A.
• Higher Education Teaching Certificate, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA, 2023.
• Certificate of Patient’s Safety Quality Management (PSQM) in health care, University of Calgary, 2019.
• Holds Medical Degree, Masters and MD PhD from Egypt and a Fellowship from the U.S.A.

Dr. Gomaa is an international consultant of QI in Medical Education and was the senior author on a collaborative nation-wide document analysis for quality assurance in Canadian Higher Education.

• Mechanical Engineer with a Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management.
• Presently the General Manager of Operation Services at Sherritt International.
• Responsible for supply chain management, project management, loss prevention (health, safety, environment & security), sustainability and operational excellence.
• Leader of corporate transformation in governance, structural design, mergers & acquisitions, implementing enterprise systems, and developing and enhancing talent.
• Previously held senior-level corporate roles at Enbridge Inc., Suncor Energy, Petro-Canada and Royal Dutch Shell.
• Active community member. Has served as Director on the board of Supply Chain Canada (Alberta) and the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS). He also sits on the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology program committee.
• Awarded Fellow of Supply Chain Canada in 2018, and premier Supply Chain Executive of the Year in Alberta in 2017.

• Holds a Bachelor of Social Welfare from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Lethbridge.
• Previously served on the Alberta Attendance Review Panel and the Alberta Mental Health Review Panel.

Laurie is a retired teacher, school counselor and social worker, who spent her career teaching in Alberta and Saskatchewan. She, along with her family, have always been involved in agriculture.

• Finance instructor with NAIT for the past 17 years.
• Past board experience includes serving on Alberta College of Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technologists, Emmanuel Seniors Living, NAIT, Calvin University, World Renew and Creekside Villas Condominium.
• Holds an MBA degree from the University of Alberta and has instructed undergraduate and/or MBA courses at NAIT, Royal Roads University, Cape Breton University and University of Alberta.

• Long history of public service including significant experience with health policy at the local, provincial and federal level.
• Nearly 20 years of service on the Whitecourt-Fox Creek Hospital Board and Aspen Regional Health Authority.
• 2000 – 2014 served as the Federal Representative (Member of Parliament).
• 2000 – 2006 served as Senior Health Critic and chaired the House of Commons Health Standing Committee.
• During time in Parliament, also chaired the Standing Committee of Finance and International Trade.
• Appointed to Cabinet in 2008 as Minister of State Transport and Infrastructure.
• Served on the Treasury Board of Canada and was a member of the Board of Internal Economy (governing Body of the House of Commons).
• 2012 was given a mandate by Prime Minister Harper to engage the United States Congress on issues relevant to the Canadian interests.
• After 14 years in Parliament, was appointed as Alberta’s Representative in Washington, DC.

Merrifield was raised on a dairy farm outside of Whitecourt, Alberta.  After meeting his wife Brenda at College, he took over the family farm and has since passed the farm’s operations on to his son, Chad. However, he still finds time during the harvest season to hop on a combine and lend a hand. The Merrifields enjoy spending time with their two sons, two daughters-in-law and five grandchildren.

Member-at-Large, Executive

• Rhonda Charlene Laboucan is the Director General within the First Nations Inuit Health Branch Indigenous Services Canada for over 15 years.
• In January 2024, she entered a 1 year leave from the Government of Canada to be the Chief Executive Officer with Fort McKay First Nation in Treaty 8 territory.
• Holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with Distinction from the University of Alberta in Native Studies.
• Former Band Administrator for her home community of the Woodland Cree First Nation as well served a term as Councillor and A/Chief for her home Nation.
• Rhonda is a former Police Commissioner Chair from the KeeTasKeeNow Police Service and formerly sat as a public member for the Peace Regional Health Authority.

• Has a CPA designation as well as an MBA
• Currently CFO of StructureCraft Builders Inc.
• Senior financial executive with 30 years of experience as a CFO primarily in mining and construction both domestically and internationally
• Extensive experience in strategic planning, information systems, treasury management and corporate governance
• Presently the board chair for Pilgrims Hospice Society, a non-profit organization in Edmonton that funded, constructed and operates the Roozen Family Hospice Center, the first stand-alone, residential hospice in Edmonton
• Previously served on the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s board of governors for six years including serving five years as chair of the Finance and Audit committee.

• Partner with EY in the Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) – Strategy and Transactions practice.
• 20 years of Corporate Finance and M&A experience.
• Office Managing Partner for EY’s Edmonton office.
• Specializes in sourcing deals and advising companies on transaction strategy, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and valuations.
• Focuses on providing advice to entrepreneurs, private and public companies, private equity groups and C-suite professionals.
• Past Board experience includes The Support Network, Not In My City, and Kids Up Front.
• Holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Concordia University of Edmonton.
• Registered Series 7 and 63 license holder and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) member.

• Medical degree from the University of Calgary.
• Residency in Internal Medicine, Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology in Calgary.
• Pursued further research training in coronary physiology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School.
• Dean of Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
• Professor of Cardiac Sciences at the University of Calgary.
• Former Head of the Department of Cardiac Sciences.
• Former Director of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta.

Dr. Anderson’s current research interests include the treatment of dyslipidemia and generation of lipid guidelines, the evaluation of appropriateness in clinical care delivery and the assessment of vascular function in health and disease, particularly in women with microvascular angina.

• Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta.
• Originally trained as a nurse and went on to earn a PhD in Epidemiology from McGill University, followed by a medical degree from McMaster University and subspecialty training in internal medicine and nephrology from the University of Calgary.
• Practiced as a nephrologist and developed a highly-successful health services research program in chronic kidney disease.
• Has over 500 peer-reviewed publications and has received numerous awards over her career, including Fellowship in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2012).
• Held a variety of leadership roles including director and founder of the Alberta Kidney Disease Network and co-lead of the Interdisciplinary Chronic Disease Collaboration.
• Prior vice-chair of the Board of Directors for Alberta Health Services.

Dr. Hemmelgarn previously served as head of the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary and has significant board experience.

• Bachelor of Science degree (Major in biology, Minor in Psychology) from the University of Alberta.
• Medical degree from the University of Calgary.
• Currently in first-year of Internal Medicine residency at the University of Alberta
• Vice President of Leadership and Education with PARA (Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta).

Poshika is passionate about health equity and committed to advocating for individuals impacted by social determinants of health. Outside of medicine, Poshika is a personal trainer. She also enjoys hiking, dancing, weightlifting and playing pickleball with her family and friends.

• First year medical student at the University of Alberta
• Elected provincial governance representative of the UofA class of 2028
• Graduated from the health sciences program as faculty valedictorian with an honours degree in biomedical sciences from the University of Calgary

Jenna is grateful for the opportunity to amplify student voices as part of the CPSA.