Skip to content
Health Data Research Network Canada
Home | About | Governance | Leads Team
Home | About | Governance | Leads Team

Leads Team

The HDRN Canada Leads Team provides input to the Executive Committee on development and planning priorities. The Leads Team consists of representatives from HDRN Canada’s Member Organizations and serves as a community of practice through which network members share information, collaborate on network-wide projects and problem-solve operational challenges. The Leads Team includes chairs of HDRN Canada Working Groups and Teams and serves as a bridge between HDRN Canada and Member Organizations, assessing opportunities and risks, and the strategic alignment of objectives and research activities between HDRN Canada and data centres.

See the Leads Team Terms of Reference.

Leads Team
Name Title Organization
Kim McGrail Leads Team Chair & HDRN Canada Scientific Director/CEO Simon Fraser University
Amanda Fowler-Woods Assistant Professor Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitobaty
Amit Garg Associate Dean, Clinical Research Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University
Bill Pratt Public Member
Brandy Winquist Executive Director, Academics & Learning Saskatchewan Health Authority
Brent Diverty Vice-President, Data Strategy & Statistics Canadian Institute for Health Information
Catherine Street Former Director, NL SUPPORT Newfoundland & Labrador SPOR SUPPORT Unit
Charles Victor Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships and Digital Services ICES
Claudia Sanmartin Director General – Analytical Studies and Modelling Branch at Statistics Canada Statistics Canada
Gitta Oldendorff Managing Director Population Data BC
Hude Quan Lead, Methods Support and Development Platform Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit
Jean-François Ethier Scientific Co-director Interdisciplinary Research Group in Health Informatics (GRIIS), Université de Sherbrooke
Julia Stratton Director, Centre for Health Data Integrations Statistics Canada
Kendra Lester Senior Director, Data & Information Services NL Health Services
Lisa Lix Director, Data Science Platform George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation, University of Manitoba
Malori Keller Director, Health Research Data Platform- Saskatchewan University of Saskatchewan
Mary-Ann MacSwain Standing Director, Secure Island Data Repository Centre for Health and Community Research, University of Prince Edward Island
Michael Schull CEO ICES
Michelle Leach Operations Manager Yukon SPOR SUPPORT Unit
Nathan Nickel Director Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitoba
Patricia Caris Deputy Director General Institut de la statistique du Québec
Sam Stewart Director Health Data Nova Scotia
Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox Scientific Director NWT SPOR SUPPORT Unit: Hotiì ts’eeda
Ted McDonald Director DataNB

Working Group & Team Chairs
Name Title Organization
Amy Freier Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, & Accessibility (IDEA) Team Chair Manitoba Centre for Health Policy
Bill Pratt Public Advisory Council Chair HDRN Canada
Catherine Street Public Engagement Working Group Chair Newfoundland & Labrador SPOR SUPPORT Unit
Donna Curtis Maillet Privacy Team Chair New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data & Training
Jordan Hunt DASH Working Group Chair Canadian Institute for Health Information
Lisa Lix Algorithms & Harmonized Data Working Group Chair George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation, University of Manitoba, MB SPOR SUPPORT Unit
HDRN Canada © 2025