Generous Futures: Delivering Inclusive Healthcare

Dr. Teresa M. Chan is the Founding Dean of the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine as well as TMU’s Vice-President, Medical Affairs. She joins TMU via McMaster University, where she was Associate Dean, Continuing Professional Development and an Associate Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences; she was also a Clinician Scientist with McMaster Education, Research, Innovation and Theory (MERIT). In addition, Dr. Chan has been a practicing emergency physician with Hamilton Health Sciences since 2013. 

An educational leader and scientist, Dr. Chan has advanced the field of medical education by bringing in innovative new approaches. She has supervised, mentored, and spearheaded hundreds of educational development projects, most of which were disseminated as educational research and scholarship. She has also led more than 50 unique research teams while authoring over 200 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Chan has held various leadership or committee roles within the Canadian Association for Medical Education, Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dr. Chan received in-depth exposure to social justice and advocacy while completing her Bachelor of Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and she has brought that lens to her roles as a physician and educator. Her clinical work focuses on helping patients navigate societal and systemic problems preventing them from being seen as a whole person and facilitating their access to care that maintains their dignity. Through her academic work in the classroom, in clinical spaces, and outside of formal learning environments, Dr. Chan inspires future physicians to advance social justice. Her teams have used the power of faculty development to support racialized faculty members and to help others develop the skills needed to serve diverse populations of students and patients.

Dr. Chan is also a leader in new methods for teaching and learning, including technology-enhanced learning and serious games. She has been an advocate, researcher, and contributor for the free open access medical education movement. She has led teams in academic blogging, podcasting, and video creation. She has empowered learners and teachers alike to harness these technologies for education purposes. She has also been a leader in the emerging field of game-based medical education, and is one of the lead developers of the serious board game GridlockED.

Dr. Chan’s previous professional experiences include roles as Program Director in the Area of Focused Competency and Assistant Dean, Faculty Development in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. She was also a Base Hospital Physician with the Centre for Paramedic Education & Research. Dr. Chan is currently an Associate Editor, Academic Medicine (the Journal of the American Association of Medical Colleges), the Chair of the National Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s Clinician Educator Area of Focused Competency Committee, and an honorary Adjunct Associate Professor at Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Sukhdeep Kang, a qualified telecommunication engineer, migrated to Canada in 2001 and created history by being the first South Asian female immigrant to join the Peel Regional Police. Her virtuosity was recognised and she was appointed to the Criminal Injury Compensation Board by the Government of Ontario in 2006.

Her entrepreneurial acumen led her to establish Armour Insurance Brokers Ltd. in 2010, the first immigrant female-owned insurance brokerage in North America. Sukhdeep lived by her motto of youth and women empowerment and founded the Women and Youth Empowerment Centre (WAY), which created livelihood opportunities and sponsored education for many. Sukhdeep continued to transcend in the industry and was conferred “Women of Distinction” and “CEO of the Year” awards by Insurance Business Canada.  Her entrepreneurship steered her way to be awarded “Women Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Indo Canadian Chamber of Commerce. 

Sukhdeep orchestrated the “Armour” flagship to become national brokers and made it a multiline award-winning brokerage. Her benevolence and community service are well recognized, and she was appointed to the Board of Directors for William Osler Hospital Foundation and has raised over $6 million for cancer research and to advance healthcare systems. She also sponsored various youth-focused sports leagues and sponsored fundraising for Bethel Hospice, which earned her the “Women Hero Award” from the Ontario Ministry of  the Status of Women. 

Sukhdeep’s multifaceted leadership and her unfeigned commitment to community make her an unparalleled women leader and she was bestowed a  Leader of Change Award by Insurance Business Canada in 2022.

Aatif Baskanderi is CEO of The Northpine Foundation, a startup that is one of the most giving philanthropy foundations in Canada that supports ventures to achieve scalable outcomes for underserved and underinvested communities in Canada. Their starting portfolios include refugees, formerly incarcerated persons, Scarborough, rural and remote Newfoundland and Labrador, and localized food systems for climate. Northpine deploys approximately $50M annually through gifts, grants, loans, equity, and blended finance while building deep relationships with its portfolio organizations as they pursue their ventures. 

He is also the Co-Founder of Salaam B’y, an award-winning documentary and anti-racism education initiative. His previous work spans leading innovation across sectors and communities. His educational background includes engineering, social policy, and technology management.

Justin Poy is President and Creative Director of The Justin Poy Agency, a full service award-winning marketing and advertising agency based in Toronto. He is an alumnus of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), graduating in 1993 with his degree in Radio & Television Arts. Justin is also very active in charitable and community efforts, establishing himself early on as a leader and role model in the Chinese Canadian community. He participates in many philanthropic causes and sits on more than 20 boards and committees, such as the SickKids Foundation and Trillium Gift of Life. Justin supports education and healthcare through scholarships, including The Justin Poy Media Award at TMU, and the Justin Poy Endowment Fund at the Kidney Foundation of Canada.