Meet the Team

Dr. David Conn is the Vice-President of Education and inaugural Director of the Centre for Education & Knowledge Exchange at Baycrest. He is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. He is founding Co-Chair of the Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health and Chair of the Coalition’s National Guidelines Project. He is a Past President of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry.

His academic interests include nursing home psychiatry, telepsychiatry, guideline development and knowledge translation. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 publications and is the co-editor of three textbooks including “Practical Psychiatry in the Long-Term Care Home: A Handbook for Staff”. He received the 2005 Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry Award for Outstanding Contributions to Geriatric Psychiatry in Canada and a Distinguished Service Award (Congress Host Country) from the International Psychogeriatric Association in 2009. He has also received the Ivan Silver Award for Excellence in Continuing Mental Health Education and the Henry Durost Award for Excellence in Creative Professional Activity from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. In 2010 he was co-recipient of the CIHR Institute of Aging Betty Havens Award for Knowledge Translation in Aging.

He is a Past President of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry and is currently a Board member of the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA). He co-chairs the IPA Shared Interest Forum on Mental Health Services in Long-Term Care Homes.

Dr. Sid Feldman is a community family physician working with the North York Family Health Team and a long-term care physician/medical director of the Jewish Home for the Aged at Baycrest. He also serves as Chief, Department of Family and Community Medicine at Baycrest and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto. He holds a Certificate of Added Competence in Care of the Elderly from the CFPC and serves as the Ontario representative on the CFPC Health Care of the Elderly Program Committee.

Dr. Andrea Moser is a family physician with a focus practice in care of the elderly. Her clinical practice is in long term care and house-calls for frail seniors at Baycrest. She is an Assistant Professor in the DFCM, University of Toronto, Associate Medical Director, Apotex Nursing Home at Baycrest, and the Toronto Central LHIN Regional Quality Table Lead. She is past chair of the OMA section of LTC and Care of the Elderly and is past president of Ontario Long Term Care physicians. With an interest in continuing professional development Dr Moser is co-developer of the Ontario Long Term Care Clinicians Medical Director Curriculum and is a facilitator for dementia behavioural workshops and palliative care LEAP education.

Dr. James Chau, is a Care of the Elderly/Family Physician and Assistant Professor with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). Dr. Chau serviced the city Elliot Lake and neighbouring communities between 2003 and 2012 before moving to Sudbury to join Dr. Jo-Anne Clarke and her team at the North East Specialized Geriatric Centre. He currently provides regional specialized geriatric consultation for older adults in various communities throughout the North East via outreach clinics and telemedicine.

Since 2012, Dr. Chau has dedicated time and clinical expertise to the implementation and evolution of the North East Behavioural Supports Ontario (NE BSO) as the Regional Physician Lead.

Since 2013 Valerie Scarfone has been the Executive Director of North East Specialized Geriatric Centre, a program sponsored by Health Sciences North – HSN.

Valerie Scarfone has worked as a Senior Consultant with the North East Local Health Integration Network. Prior to this, she was the Chief Executive Officer of ICAN (Independence Centre and Network).

Valerie Scarfone has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Laurentian University and a Human Resources Certificate from Queen’s University. Valerie is a new member of the Canadian College of Health Care leaders. Currently Valerie is enrolled in the Master of Arts Leadership program.

Throughout the past twenty-five years, Valerie Scarfone has served on many boards of directors and has gained vast knowledge on board governance. She has served on the United Way/Centraide Sudbury Board of Directors. In the past, she served on founding boards of local and provincial organizations and was that provincial appointee to the Algoma Health Unit Board.

Currently Valerie is serving on the Sudbury Nurse Practitioners Clinic Board of Directors.

Faith Boutcher is the Director of Academic Education and IPE, in the Baycrest Centre for Education and Knowledge Exchange in Aging. She received her undergraduate degree in nursing from Memorial University of Newfoundland (1987) and Masters of Science, with a specialty in psychiatric/mental health nursing, from the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto (1992). She is also a Fellow of the EXTRA program with the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (2008). Faith is an experienced advanced practice nurse and has held administrative positions in professional practice, research & education. She holds appointments with the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto and the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University. Her clinical expertise and scholarly activity is in the areas of knowledge translation, interprofessional education and care and professional practice. She is currently completing her PhD in Health Services Research, Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, at the University of Toronto.

Meaghan is the Manager of Simulation and Virtual Learning at Baycrest’s Centre for Education and Knowledge Exchange in Aging. She completed her undergraduate degree in Life Sciences and her Master’s of Science in Physiotherapy at Queen’s University, her PhD in Neuroscience t the University of Waterloo, and a post-doctoral fellowship at York University and Toronto Rehab’s KITE Institute. She is a registered physiotherapist and an experienced researcher, having published and presented internationally in the areas of brain health, brain injury, and rehabilitation. Meaghan has taught medical and allied health students and clinicians in-person and online, and holds clinical adjunct status in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University.

Shaen is the Geriatric Knowledge Translator at the North East Specialized Geriatric Centre. She completed her undergraduate Honours Degree in Health Sciences (2002) and her Masters Degree in Physiotherapy (2004) at the University of Western Ontario. After graduation, Shaen worked in private practice in London Ontario before returning to her home town of Sudbury, Ontario. Upon her return, Shaen practiced in multiple settings including private practice, retirement homes, and long term care. This is when her passion for geriatrics was ignited and in November of 2009 Shaen accepted a position as the Physiotherapist at the North East Specialized Geriatric Centre. She is a passionate and dedicated clinician who developed and led the Frail to Fit Falls Prevention Program. She is also the Vice Chair of the Regional Stay On Your Feet Falls Prevention Network. Shaen’s positive energy and love of teaching has helped to shape the face of geriatrics in North Eastern Ontario.

Aysha Bandali is an Advanced Practice Leader – Nurse Practitioner on the Integrated Community Care Team (ICCT ) as well as the OTN Clinical Lead. She received her undergraduate degree in Nursing from Ryerson University (2005) and  a Masters of Nursing, Specializing in the Care of the Elderly, from the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto (2008). She has also obtained a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate (NP-PHC) from Ryerson University (2011) as well as successfully maintains a specialization in Gerontology Nursing from the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). Aysha is an experienced advanced practice nurse and has held both clinical and administrative roles in professional practice, research and education. She holds an Adjunct Lecturer Appointment with the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto. Her clinical expertise are in the area of home based primary care. Her current research focus is on palliative and virtual care among older adults.
 

Dr. Cindy Grief is a Geriatric Psychiatrist at Baycrest in Toronto, where she is the Medical Director for Mental Health Services. Her clinical roles include inpatient and outpatient psychiatry. Bereavement is a particular area of interest, which prompted her to complete a Master’s of Science degree in Medical Anthropology. Dr. Grief is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto.  She is also a graduate of the Centre for Faculty Development’s Education Scholars program (UofT), and has played active roles in postgraduate and continuing education.  Dr. Grief is part of the National Leadership Team for the Fountain of Health Initiative, which promotes knowledge transfer in Optimal Aging.  Dr. Grief is currently developing a national education program in geriatric mental health (GeMH) for health care professionals using varied education technologies including videoconferencing, webinars and simulation.
 

Tonya Mahar is Manager of Library Services at Baycrest and supports Project ECHO with weekly research and resources. She currently serves on the Management Committee of the Health Science Information Consortium of Toronto.  Tonya received a Bachelor of Sciences from York University and a Master of Information Studies from the University of Toronto.  She has been a Librarian for over a decade and never tires of helping others to improve their search skills.

Nima Kelly is Nurse Practitioner in the Integrated Community Care Team at Baycrest. She completed the Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner program at Ryerson University in 2018 and a Master of Nursing at the University of Toronto in  2010. Nima is also certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Prior to becoming a Nurse Practitioner, Nima worked in the acute care setting in a number of health care organizations in the Greater Toronto Area.

Amna is the Project Coordinator for ECHO Care of the Elderly at Baycrest’s Centre for Education. She received her undergraduate degree in Health Sciences from University of Toronto (2017) and Master of Public Health degree in Health Economics, Policy and Management specialization from school of Public Health, University of Hong Kong (2019). Amna is an experienced researcher with demonstrated expertise in leading an institutional wide project at McMaster University on Experiential Learning, and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She also conducted research on COVID-19 seroprevalence with MOH in Pakistan. Amna has a passion for working with older adults, specifically those living with dementia.

Marsha is a Research Assistant at Baycrest’s Kunin-Lunenfeld Centre for Applied Research & Evaluation (KL-CARE) and the Project Assistant for ECHO Care of the Elderly. She received her Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour from McMaster University and her Master of Education from the University of Ottawa. Marsha has an extensive research background with specific knowledge and skills in the area of dementia care and caregiver support. She has conducted research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on caregivers in palliative care units as well as new tools and technologies aimed at supporting persons living with dementia and their caregivers. She is also supporting the evaluation of the novel Possibilities by Baycrest™ dementia care model. Marsha joined the ECHO Care of the Elderly team in 2021 and has enjoyed learning more about how ECHO creates a community of practice and facilitates learning in healthcare providers.