Board Members

Healthy Heart Society of BC Board of Directors

Philip Barker

Information Management, Fraser Health

Philip Barker is the Vice President of Information Management at Fraser Health Authority. He has more than 25 years of healthcare management and consulting experience in public and private sectors. At the national, provincial and healthcare provider organizational level, Philip has led healthcare improvement initiatives that capitalize on sound information management practices, business process redesign, clinical transformation and emerging technologies. Throughout his past decade of experience with IBM, Philip has managed consulting services on a number of significant initiatives at Fraser Health, the BC Ministry of Health, and Alberta Health and Wellness. He served in senior leadership roles with the Simon Fraser Health Region, the Fraser-Burrard Hospital Society, the Calgard District Hospital Group and the University Hospital in Saskatoon.

Penny Thomsen

Penny E. Thomsen retired as the CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division, in the summer of 2004 after 11 years in the position. During her tenure as CEO, she led the organization through several strategic planning processes and successfully implemented an ambitious growth plan. She was with CCS at both provincial and national levels for a total of 18 years. In 2005, Penny was appointed the founding Chair on the Board of Directors for the Central Toronto Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), a position from which she resigned in 2006 when she relocated to Vancouver Island. Penny has also served on numerous boards, including the Board of Directors of Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, the Orthopedic and Arthritic Institute Corporation. Penny currently sits on the Board of Directors of the North American Quitline Consortium and chairs its Nominating Committee. She recently joined the Board of Directors of Beacon Community Services which provides a broad range of programs and services to clients in the Capital Regional District. She is also an active member of the Royal Colwood Golf Club and is on its Membership Committee.

Bob Dawson

Patient Access & Health Policy, Pfizer Canada

Bob Dawson is the Western Canada Director of Government, Patient Access and Health Policy for Pfizer Canada Inc., the world's leading pharmaceutical company. His primary responsibility is to develop and implement strategic initiatives that promote Pfizer as a partner of choice with healthcare stakeholders. Building and strengthening relationships with government, business, and research sectors in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are key parts of his responsibilities. Bob also currently serves as vice chair of the British Columbia committee for Canada's Research Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D). Bob joined Pfizer Canada in 1999 with responsibilities in BC and Manitoba as Manager of Patient Access and Health policy. Prior to joining Pfizer Canada Inc., Bob was the Director of Government Affairs for the Capital Health region in Edmonton from 1996-1999, where Bob provided the Authority's executive Management team with direction on government relations strategies, and guidance on issues management. He also served in Alberta government at various levels from 1990-1996.

Jiri Frohlich

Healthy Heart Program, St. Paul's Hospital

Dr. Frohlich is currently the Director of Clinical Trials at St. Paul's Hospital Lipid Clinic and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia. After graduating as a medical doctor from Karlova University in Prague in 1965, Dr. Frohlich started his career as a Teaching Fellow at Charles University in Prague, where he remained until 1968. He then relocated to McGill University in Montreal where he worked as a Research Fellow and in 1989 he was an Assistant/Associate Pathologist at Vancouver General Hospital and later Head of Clinical Chemistry at Shaughnessy Hospital. In 1989 he was appointed Associate Director of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Shaughnessy University Hospital until 1994-5 when he was appointed to his current duties at St. Paul's Hospital and at the University of British Columbia. The Health Canada Dyslipidemia Working Group and the Canadian Cardiovascular Risk Assessment Working Group are two of the programs of which Dr. Frohlich has been a member. He has also served on the British Columbia Ministry of Health Sub-Committee on laboratory protocols and for the British Columbia Heart Foundation Committee for the Chair in Cardiology. Dr. Frohlich is an Honorary Member of the Czech Atherosclerosis Society and President of the Healthy Heart Society of British Columbia. In addition to his service, research and teaching duties Dr. Frohlich also reviews publications and serves on the Editorial Board of scientific journals in the field of clinical biochemistry. He is also a grant reviewer for CIHR, HS FBC and Canadian Diabetes Association. Dr. Frohlich is (co)-author of over 300 publications in journals such as Circulation, Laboratory Investigation, Nature, Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, American Journal of Cardiology and Canadian Journal of Cardiology and others dealing mostly with HDL metabolism, LCAT, phytosterols, clinical trials and guidelines.

Haydn Pritchard

Professor and Program Director - Graduate Studies, Department of Pathology, University of British Columbia

Dr. Haydn Pritchard co-founded the Healthy Heart Society of BC in 2001 with Jiri Frohlich. He is Professor and Program Director of Graduate Studies at the University of British Columbia Department of Pathology and is an expert researcher in the genetic and environmental factors which govern cholesterol metabolism. He established the Atherosclerosis Specialty Laboratory at the Healthy Heart Program of St. Paul's Hospital and has published over 150 peer reviewed articles. He has strong ties to the Biotechnology Industry in BC as a co-inventor of VisuDyne from Quadralogics, and as a Senior VP for Pharmaceutical Research at Forbes MediTech Inc. He has broad based experience in the leadership of not for profit organizations including a role as Director of the Mountain Equipment Cooperative amongst others. He is a well respected educator in the UBC Medical School and has trained several PhD research students who have gone on to become Canadian opinion leaders in lipid metabolism.

 Kate Lekas

City of Vancouver

 Kate Lekas is a Health Enhancement Coordinator with the City of Vancouver and a kinesiologist with a background in fitness and recreation programming and employee health promotion. She was a member of the development and implementation team for the City of Vancouver's Health Enhancement Program (Fit City) from 1988-1989 and coordinator of the Fit City Program from 1991 to present. Kate worked on the development and coordination of the City of Vancouver's hearts@work health screening program from 2003 to present. She also worked on development and implementation of the Active Civic Employees (ACE) Network as coordinator of the Local Government Employees Health Promotion Project for 2010 Legacies Now and the Union of BC Municipalities. She is a founding member of the BC Association of Kinesiologists (1991-94) and member of the BCRPA's Active Workplace Taskforce (2005-06), and board member of the Society of Richmond Children's Centres (2000-03).

Troy Myers

First Nations Health Council

Troy Myers is the ActNow Coordinator for the First Nations Health Council and a consultant for Flash Consulting. Troy has organized, facilitated and provided written outcomes for community consultation and engagement on numerous projects including acting as a health promotion cultural Educator for the Wabano Centre for Abroiginal Health in Ottawa. Troy also played a role as an educator for Healing our Spirit, the BC/Aboriginal HIV/AIDS society. He was an advocator for Winnipeg’s homeless and presented to media outlets, provided supportive services and lobbied the city for this cause. His past experience also includes training for up and coming young activists and facilitating rights based workshops.

Brad Evans

Council on Northern Interior Forest Employment Relations

Brad Evans is the Manager of Employment Relations for the Council on Northern Interior Forest Employment Relations (CONIFER) in Prince George. Brad has provided strategic leadership and support tin all area of HR Management and has experience in managing collective bargaining, mediation and arbitration. In his role with CONIFER he provides advice to both union and non union organizations as well as collective agreement interpretation for the 17 member companies involved in the Northern Forest Industry. Previously Brad was with Louisiana Pacific as a HR and Safety Manger. Brad is a member of the British Columbia Human Resource Management Association and sits on the board for the Human Resource Management Association’s Northern Advisory board since 2009. He has also served on the BC Council on Substance Abuse since 2002.