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2015 NSMHPCN
REGIONAL CONFERENCE
SPEAKER BIOS —DAY 1:
Tuesday, May 26th, 2015
DENISE MARSHALL, B.Sc., MD, CCFP, FCFP
Palliative Care Provincial Lead, Cancer Care Ontario;
Chair, Ontario LHIN Collaborative Palliative Care Clinical Council;
Palliative Care Consultant Physician, Niagara West Palliative Care Team and McNally
House Hospice;
Associate Professor, Division of Palliative Care, Dept of Family Medicine, McMaster University
Dr Marshall has been affiliated with McMaster University, and Hamilton Health Sciences
as a professor of Palliative Care since 1989. She has held several positions at McMaster
including inaugural Director of the Division of Palliative Care, and Assistant Dean, Faculty
of Health Sciences. She is founder of both the Niagara West Palliative Care Team and
McNally House Hospice, in Grimsby, where much of her clinical work has been located for
the past 17 years. After returning from sabbatical in 2014, where she explored Palliative
Care as Public Health, she has assumed a new integrated role as both Provincial Lead
for Palliative Care for Cancer Care Ontario, and Chair of the new LHIN led, Provincial
Palliative Care Clinical Council.
DEBBIE HARROLD MD, CCFP
Dr. Harrold is a family physician providing consultative palliative care in the Huntsville
area. For the past 9 years, she has been involved with the Algonquin Family Health Team
as lead physician for the Palliative Care Team, Hope Huntsville. With the development
of Algonquin Grace Residential Hospice, Dr. Harrold has become the Medical Director for
Hospice and continues to provide local leadership for hospice palliative care through her
past-president role on the Board of Directors. Dr. Harrold, through her role as CCO
Regional Palliative Care Lead, is a strong advocate for a “good death” and excellence in
end of life care. She believes that residents of the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN can have
access to timely, quality palliative care through the integration of services provided by
the many dedicated caregivers, health care professionals, hospice organizations and
volunteers throughout the region.
LEAH BERGSTROME B.A., DSW
Aboriginal Patient Navigator , Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Program
Leah Bergstrome is the Aboriginal Patient Navigator with the Simcoe Muskoka Regional
Cancer Program at RVH. As a proud member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, Leah brings
a lifetime of rich experience to her role. She has worked for over 20 years providing
counseling and advocacy services to a diverse range of individuals involved with health
and public service agencies. She is also a faculty member with The School of Aboriginal
Studies at Georgian College.
Within the role of Aboriginal Patient Navigator, Leah provides all levels of support and
advocacy for First Nation, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) cancer patients and their families across
North Simcoe Muskoka. She works to facilitate and coordinate access to cancer services,
addressing cultural/spiritual needs throughout the Individuals cancer journey expanding
culturally relevant palliative and supportive care services more broadly to the FNMI
community.
2015 NSMHPCN
REGIONAL CONFERENCE
SPEAKER BIOS —DAY 1:
Tuesday, May 26th, 2015
AMY PRITZKER BA/BSW
Amy is the Client Care Coordinator for both the North Simcoe Muskoka Hospice Palliative
Care Network and Hospice Orillia. She has provided ongoing support to individuals who
have an life-limiting illness, and to their loved ones, since 2010. She has worked in the
field of social work since 1999, with agencies involved with addressing child welfare,
domestic violence and homelessness.
Amy’s formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Social
Work from McMaster University, and graduate work at Tyndale Seminary (Toronto) and
Carey Centre for Spiritual Formation (Vancouver).
Informally, her greatest learning has come from the individuals and families that she has
journeyed with. She considers working in hospice palliative care an absolute privilege,
helping people to both live well, and to die well.
HUGH COMERFORD
Hugh is an internationally renowned Trainer, developer, and Master Practitioner and in the
field of NeuroLinguistic Programming. He is also a founding member of the International
association, NLPRAI. Hugh’s signature NLP technique was recently published in a
Psychology Today blog.
Hugh has designed and delivered thousands of hours of facilitation and training for public
and corporate clients helping his clients understand what’s really going on in communication.
Hugh is also a Certified Innovation Facilitator using NLP, working with dozens of
multinational organizations helping them solve problems, create new products and
understand their clients and staff.
Hugh brings a capacity for seeing and explaining any situation from informed multiple
perspectives. While comfortable in all aspects of innovation, Hugh excels in bringing his
deep curiosity and understanding of human behavior to every project.
Hugh also produces, shoots and edits Ethnographic videos and brings them to life by
analyzing the language and behavior patterns of the consumers to illuminate their deeper
unarticulated needs, to help corporations have a deeper dive into the customers’
unconscious minds.
Hugh lives in Oakville with his family.