Meet the Team

Melissa McCallum, RN, BScN, MN

GHHN Executive Director

Melissa McCallum is the Executive Director of the Greater Hamilton Health Network, notable for being one of the first Ontario Health Teams. As a master’s prepared registered nurse with 17 years of leadership experience in healthcare, Melissa’s approach to her role is also informed by her skills acquired as a front-line emergency nurse, health system planner and through her clinical assistant professor duties at McMaster University. Melissa is driven by her passion for working with partners to create an integrated, equitable health system across sectors.

Brad van den Heuvel

GHHN Director of Physician Recruitment

Brad’s passion for health workforce planning is central to his work, and he brings over a decade of experience in physician recruitment and retention to the GHHN.

His experience with the Ontario Physician Locum Programs at HealthForceOntario (now Ontario Health) involved working closely with physicians and hospital leadership to prevent emergency department closures and ensure adequate specialist coverage throughout the province. In addition to leading process improvement initiatives and conducting departmental assessments Brad also provided operational oversight to the Northern Specialist Locum Programs.

His more recent role in Family Medicine Recruitment with Hamilton Physicians has involved working with a broad network of healthcare professionals and community stakeholders to address physician staffing challenges and attract qualified candidates to the area.

As the Director, Physician Recruitment with the GHHN Brad will continue this important work and will provide support and input on special projects aimed at improving the availability and quality of care in the Hamilton area.

Megan Lynch

GHHN Manager of Priority Populations

Received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from McMaster University and Master of Education from Brock University. She has over 15 years of experience as a Registered Nurse working in Hamilton for Public Health. As a health care practitioner, she has experience in health care system change, health promotion, and communication working in tobacco cessation at the local, LHIN, and provincial levels. She also served as the Lead Public Health Nurse with long-term care and retirement homes, congregate living, shelters and other workplaces for the COVID Outbreak team.

As Manager of Priority Populations of the GHHN, Megan will be leading the priority population working groups, planning strategic directions and working with stakeholders to co-design integrated models of care.

Sarah Precious, MLCE, CYW, RSSW

GHHN Manager of Engagement and Communications

Sarah brings 20 years of experience in the non profit health and social service sectors, with eight years of experience in post secondary education. Sarah teaches part time at McMaster University and holds a Master of Leadership and Community Engagement. Sarah brings experience in research, facilitation, communications, public speaking and project management.

As the Manager of Communications and Engagement for the GHHN, Sarah will be the lead in implementing and overseeing the communications and engagement strategies. Working with the community, diverse stakeholders and those with lived and living experience to co-develop innovative ways to transform services and systems to better serve people.

Marijke Ljogar

GHHN Manager of Primary Care and Environmental Sustainability

Marijke loves living in her Gantt Charts! Beyond her passion for organization and balancing scopes, budgets, and schedules, she also focuses on ensuring all projects utilize an EDI and Environmentally Sustainable lens.

Marijke’s portfolio includes Primary Care and Environmental Sustainability. Marijke holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences and Master of Science (Global Health) from McMaster University and obtained her Project Management Certificate from the University of Toronto.

Kiran Sidhu

GHHN Operations Lead

Studied Digital Enterprise Management at the University of Toronto. She previously worked as a Global Mobility Advisor at KPMG where she assisted with international and domestic relocations. Kiran also worked as a Destination Manager for All Points Relocation Services. Her experience includes working in marketing, project management, operations and event management in Canada and the UK.

As Operations Lead for the GHHN, Kiran will be responsible for administration and project support for the team as well as support in areas of quality improvement, organizational development, and communications. This is a shared position with the Hamilton Family Health Team.

Ceara Holditch

GHHN Project Manager, Digital Health

Ceara brings a diverse skillset to her projects with a passion for written communication, change management, and strategic development. Her portfolio includes managing projects through the project lifecycle, maintaining the work plan for the Digital Health Secretariat, and supporting the development of proposals for joint GHHN initiatives. She also holds a concurrent role as a Project Manager at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, where she leads various virtual care projects.

Ceara graduated summa cum laude from McMaster University with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Classics. She also graduated on the President’s Honor Roll at Fanshawe College where she received a Graduate Certificate in Project Management. She is currently working towards her PMP certification.

Anna Burns

GHHN Coordinator of Engagement and Communication

As the Engagement and Communications Coordinator, Anna will be supporting the development of communications plans and strategies. She completed her Bachelors Degree in Media Studies with a focus in Public Relations at the University of Guelph-Humber. Anna joins us with marketing experience in non-profit organizations and is passionate about community outreach.

Ryan Janssen, RP

GHHN Project Manager, Health Equity, Haldimand, and Mental Health and Addictions

Ryan Janssen is a Registered Psychotherapist living on land covered by the Between the Lakes Treaty in east Hamilton. Ryan‘s experiences working in various mental health and addictions roles in community, tertiary, and primary care settings fostered a desire to impact that part of health which is socially determined; and led to leadership over projects pertaining to health equity and population health.

Ryan maintains active involvement in his community in many ways. He holds a Combined Honours BA in both psychology and sociology and a Masters in clinical counselling. Ryan will provide project management support for the GHHN in the areas of mental health and addictions, health equity, and Haldimand.

Heather Shaw

GHHN Manager, Integrated Health Pathways and System Navigation

Heather Shaw is a seasoned Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science from McMaster University and a Graduate of Charles Sturt University, Master of Nursing with a focus on leadership. She has a diverse clinical background, as she has worked in many clinical settings, both in acute care and community, to support a strong working knowledge of the Ontario Healthcare System. As a health care practitioner, she has experience in education, leadership, change management and risk management, health promotion, healthcare system change, quality management, strategic planning, and engaging patients as partners in healthcare. Heather is passionate about education and teaches part-time at Conestoga College. Heather has been involved in health system planning and integration activities, most recently with eHealth Centre of Excellence, as the Engagement and Adoption Lead, Acute Care, Central Ontario, eReferral.

In her current role with the Greater Hamilton Health Network as the Navigation and Digital Access Lead, she will be leading both provincial and regional digital work.

Becky McMahon

Physician Recruitment Coordinator

Becky, a recent graduate of McMaster University’s Human Resources Management program, brings a wealth of experience from diverse sectors including healthcare, non-profit, and retail to her role as Physician Recruitment Coordinator. While living, working, and raising a family within the greater region of Hamilton, Becky is committed to being an active member of the community, participating in local fundraising events, volunteering, and always looking for new ways to generally get involved. With enthusiasm and dedication to improving the lives of others, Becky is excited to put her administrative and HR skills to use, all while engaging with the community at large with the goal to support existing physicians and introduce new physicians to everything that Hamilton and Haldimand has to offer so as to improve access to care.

Dr. Mohamad Alshurafa

GHHN Primary Care Integrated Clinical Pathway Lead

Dr. Mohamad Alshurafa is a family physician and board member of the Hamilton Family Health Team. Dr. Alshurafa has practiced internationally in Australia and in Canada, including in rural and urban settings and within varying practice settings. He has over 10 years of leadership experience in the healthcare sector including in family practice digital health, and family health organizations. He serves in the UpToDate (CFPC) planning board and is an Assistant Clinical Professor at McMaster University and the University of Toronto. He has worked with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and understands the funder perspective and funding models. Most recently Dr. Alshurafa was the HFHT’s Digital Health Ambassador and in that role he represented the HFHT at various planning tables.

Subiksha Nagaratnam

Primary Care Coordinator

As the Primary Care Coordinator, Subiksha will be working to support the development of primary care initiatives, and strengthening relationships within the Primary Care Network and with community stakeholders. She completed her Master of Health Science in the Translational Research Program from the University of Toronto.

Subiksha brings extensive experience in clinical and translational research, having worked in both clinical and community settings across Toronto and Hamilton. She is passionate about knowledge translation, community engagement, health equity, and enhancing our health system to improve individual and population level health outcomes.

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Get In Touch

If you would like to get in touch with the Greater Hamilton Health Network staff, please email us at info@ghhn.ca. Do you need an interpreter to connect with us? Contact us and we’ll book one for you!

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