The CSN’s CEO and Scientific Director is Dr. Antoine Hakim, who is Professor and University Chair in Neurology at the University of Ottawa, Director of the Neuroscience Research Program at the Ottawa Health Research Institute and Senior Director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Centre for Stroke Recovery. He holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York State) and an MD from Albany Medical College.

Katie Lafferty
Executive Director

Katie Lafferty has served as the Executive Director of the CSN since 2001.  In addition to overseeing the operations of the CSN, Ms. Lafferty has led the CSN through the inception of the Canadian Stroke Strategy in 2003, a successful renewal of NCE funding in 2005, and the development of the Canadian Stroke Congress, beginning in 2010. Since 2006, Ms. Lafferty has also served as co-owner of Watson’s Pharmacy and Wellness Centre, an independent pharmacy in Ottawa, Ontario.  In 2010, Ms. Lafferty was recognized as one of Ottawa’s Top Forty Under 40 for her leadership in the Canadian health sector. Prior to joining the CSN, Ms. Lafferty was a Principal Consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington D.C. and London, England, serving a wide range of private and public sector clients. Ms. Lafferty has served on local community Boards of Directors, has made regular appearances on local TV, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors and a member of the Audit and Finance Committee of the Canadian Public Health Association.  Ms. Lafferty holds a BSc in biology from Queen’s University and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Mike Sharma
Deputy Director, Clinical Affairs

Dr. Mike Sharma has a MSc in epidemiology from the University of Ottawa and a MD from Dalhousie University. He completed his Neurology Residency at the University of Western Ontario and a Stroke Fellowship at McGill University. Dr. Sharma, who is responsible for instituting organized stroke care in the Ottawa region, is currently the Medical Director of the Regional Stroke Centre at the Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa. Research interests include Clinical Trial Design and Decision Analytical Modeling. Dr. Sharma is the chair of the Canadian Stroke Consortium.

Dr. Willis’ responsibilities include supporting the management and development of scientific, business and external affairs. He leads the Network’s public health initiative in dietary sodium reduction. After graduating with a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Birmingham he subsequently held research positions at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, the National Research Council of Canada (Ottawa, ON), Allelix Biopharmaceuticals (Mississauga, ON) and Procept Inc. (Cambridge, MA). Dr. Willis joined the Network in 2002 from Millennium Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA) where he was Program Director for central nervous system disease research.

Dr. Lindsay joined the CSN in 2005. Dr. Lindsay has lead the development of the CSS Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care and several resources to assist healthcare professionals with implementation and uptake of the recommendations. She has co-lead the development of the Canadian Stroke Strategy evaluation framework and has been project lead for the first Canadian Stroke Report and National Stroke Audit. Dr. Lindsay has worked closely with Accreditation Canada in the development of a Stroke Distinction Award program, and is an Accreditation evaluator. Dr. Lindsay is an appointed member of the renewed Canadian Task Force for Preventative Health Care, and represents CSN on several national and international working groups including at the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Hypertension Education Program, the Canadian Institute for Health Information, and the World Stroke Organization. Dr. Lindsay completed her PhD in Health Services Research through the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto in 2003, and holds appointments as Associate Investigator at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and Adjunct Faculty at the University of Toronto.

Cathy Campbell joined the Canadian Stroke Network as the Communications Director in 2001. A graduate of Carleton University’s School of Journalism, Ms. Campbell worked in the media for 17 years as a reporter, specializing in health issues, and as a news editor. Prior to joining the Network, she was a communications consultant to municipal government and the non-profit sector.

Robin Millbank handles the development of professional education resources and training programs for the CSN.  She has been with the CSN since 2001, and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Law) from Carleton University.

Laurie Cameron is responsible for the organization and management of the annual Canadian Stroke Congress, as well as other CSN-related meetings and teleconferences.  She originally joined the CSN in 2005 as the Program Coordinator for the Canadian Stroke Strategy.  She brings with her a wealth of health care experience gained from the pediatric, acute and long term care health sectors, as well as the Ontario Ministry of Health.  She is currently working on her CAE and CMP designations, and is a member of Meeting Planners International (MPI) and the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE).

Jennifer Masek joined the CSN in 2002.  She holds a CGA designation and an Honours Bachelor of Commerce Degree.  Prior to joing the CSN, Jennifer worked for the Ottawa Senators Foundation and for a small public accounting firm.

Lori specializes in fostering relationships with Network stakeholders, trainees, patients and online communities, and is responsible for the design and creative direction of the CSN’s web and marketing initiatives. Prior to joining the CSN Lori was Communications Manager for the Stem Cell Network, and most recently was a Communications & Web Officer for Health Canada.  Lori has freelanced as a creative marketing communications consultant as owner of savvyGURL media, since 2003. In addition to her extensive background in Web 2.0 technologies, she is a certified professional photographer and is a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society.

Sarah Stewart joined the CSN in June 2011 as the Network’s communications officer.  In her role, she assists with website and social media maintenance, writing Brainwaves, the Network’s monthly online newsletter, and creating press releases for the annual Canadian Stroke Congress.  Sarah has a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University, and has experience in radio broadcasting.