e-Health Patient Partners

e-Health is committed to incorporating the experiences of patients. Patients are key members of the health community and important contributors to the e-Health conference program. Patient committee volunteers contribute to conference planning and in the selection of patient partners, and patient attendees organize patient-partner meetups and contribute valuable insight to the discussions that take place at e-Health.

How to find an e-Health Patient Partner

Attendees will be able to identify Patient Partners by their name badges and willingness to share their insights with eloquence and the truth of lived experience. Connect with the e-Health25 Patient Partners at sessions they are moderating or during breaks on the trade show floor near the e-Health host booths (Look for a “Ask a Patient Partner” sign) at the following times:

Monday, June 2 from 9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 2:40 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

What to ask a Patient Partner

How can I get patients involved in product development?
How can we be more welcoming to patients when conducting research?
How can I collaborate with patients on projects
What value do patients and caregivers bring to projects?
What’s in it for the patient partners?
What are some best practices for patient inclusivity?
How can we create safe and inviting spaces for patients?
How can we engage with young patients?

e-Health25 Patient Partners

Alifa Khan (she/her) (Ontario)

Alifa Khan passionately partners within the healthcare and educational system to shift the culture and experiences of care for patients, parents, caregivers, and their loved ones. She is the mother of three children, two of whom have developmental differences and one who has a congenital heart defect.

Alifa is an Opening Ceremonies Emcee.
Anne O’Riordan (Ontario)

Anne is both a patient, living with chronic health conditions, and a caregiver for her husband. A healthcare practitioner and educator in her former career, Anne now collaborates as a patient partner with health organizations and researchers, advocating for people-centred care to improve care and caring for all.
Catherine Rahal (Quebec)

Catherine Rahal retired from a career as a financial advisor in 2018. Over the intervening years she has written a book (If You Love Them Leave Them Lists), is working on a second one, and has participated in two projects as a patient-partner, including additional work as a document designer.
Cyndi Peal (British Columbia)
traditional Nisga’a name: Lo’obim Xsgaak: Stone Eagle

I am originally Nisga’a/Kwakiutl and am a registered member of the Heiltsuk Nation. A long time Patient Partner with Patient Voices Network, a rural and remote Indigenous Patient Navigator working with Indigenous Health|Vancouver Coastal Health at the ƛúxválásu’ailas Heiltsuk Hospital. Coming from community to support community while honoring our indigenous being. I believe the best medicine starts with being present, listening and willing to learn. We share our common bowl and motto: Sayt K’ilim goot : One heart, one path, one nation.

Cyndi is a Host Plenary Session Emcee.
Dana Greenberg (Ontario)

Dana Greenberg became a patient partner with Diabetes Action Canada in 2017 and since then she has brought her years of lived experience with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) to dozens of research projects. Dana is passionate about directing research into areas that matter most to those living with T1D and is a co-Principal Investigator on seven CIHR SPOR funded research grants. Dana also chairs DAC’s Collective Patient Circle and sits on DAC’s steering committee where she helps to develop and improve policies related to meaningful patient engagement.

Dana is a Tuesday Closing Plenary Emcee.
Jennifer Monaghan, BA, LLB (British Columbia)

She was only 43 when, without any risk factors or symptoms, Jennifer Monaghan’s stroke and discovery of cardiomyopathy happened. After relearning her ABC’s and 123’s as well as regaining use of her right side, she turned to volunteering and found a meaningful path forward. A lawyer by training, she is engaged in many national, provincial and local health initiatives.
Natasha Trehan (Ontario)

Natasha Trehan is an undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa and the Founder of Take a Pain Check Foundation, a non profit that supports young people with rheumatic diseases. She is a certified patient researcher through the University of Calgary, actively contributes to research as a partner and serves on advisory boards. She has presented at prominent national and international conferences and collaborates with leading healthcare institutions.
Pam Dawson (British Columbia)

Pam is retired and lives with her husband in Kelowna in the beautiful Okanagan in the traditional, unceded territory of the Syilx First Nation . She enjoys golfing, cycling, walking and discovering wineries that are just outside her door.

Pam joined the BC Patient Voices Network 8 years ago with a focus on Patient Safety and Quality Improvement and recently AI. She looks for opportunities for the patient voice to be an integral part of healthcare policy, programs and care practices.

“Let’s develop technology together so that it is of mutual benefit to patients and providers—ensuring that no one is left behind.”

Pam is a Tuesday Opening Plenary Emcee.
Sandra Holdsworth (Ontario)

Sandra Holdsworth is a retired financial professional and a liver transplant recipient due to Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis which usually is accompanied with Crohn’s disease, which she required a permanent Ileostomy. Sandra is currently on the waitlist for a simultaneous liver/kidney transplant. Drawing from her lived experience, Sandra advocates for organ & tissue donation.

For over a decade, Sandra has been a patient partner co-lead with the Canadian Donation Transplant Research Program, contributing to research on quality of life, exercise, nutrition, mental health, skin cancer, AI, and patient engagement. Sandra partnered as a Patient/Caregiver co-chair with her local OHT, Muskoka & Area since their application was submitted in 2019. Along with her co-chair they developed the Patient, Family, and Caregiver Partners Advisory Council (PFCPAC). Sandra stepped down from her role with the MAOHT in December 2023 to focus on her other partnerships. Sandra is also on the Ministry of Health, Minister’s PFAC, and a board member of Patient Advisors Network (PAN). Locally, she volunteers with Gravenhurst Against Poverty and co-founded Spark Muskoka.
Sandra Ketler (British Columbia)

Sandra Ketler (she/her) lives with gratitude as an uninvited guest on the unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan. Sandra is a wife, mother and friend who enjoys singing and gardening. She is a retired physiotherapist, who as a patient advisor has been involved in digital health, quality improvement, patient education, and planetary health initiatives.

e-Health Patient Partners