Our Team

Regional Ethics Network (REN) was created in 2013 as a result of the needs identified by the healthcare organizations across HNHB LHIN. The interested partners participated in a series of meetings as affected parties where they themselves identified what kind of ethics support would fit their individual mission, vision and values. The agreement was that the partners wish to foster a culture of ethics throughout their organizations. REN is administratively housed within Hamilton Health Sciences, Program for Ethics and Care Ecologies Program (PEaCE). The close relationship between the Network and HHS Ethics Office facilitates a number of projects, like development of standardized framework for clinical and organizational ethics, creation of curriculum for education for ethics committee members, etc. The strategic direction of REN is guided by the Steering Committee, that has representatives from each partner organizations.

Team

Dr. Andrea Frolic is the Director of the Program for Ethics and Care Ecologies (PEaCE) at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS), Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University, and Adjunct Professor in Bioethics at Dalhousie University. She has a Ph.D. in Anthropology and Bioethics from Rice University in Houston, Texas. Over her twenty-five year career in healthcare, she has directed the HHS Clinical & Organizational Ethics Program, created a Regional Ethics Network, designed a multidisciplinary Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) team, managed the Psycho-spiritual Care program, and developed a Resilience Integration program to address the occupational stress of healthcare workers. Andrea’s research interests include: MAiD; ethics consultation practice; healthcare ethics professionalization; and trauma-informed care for patients, families and providers. She is currently serving as Chair of CAPHE-ACESS, the Canadian Association for Practicing Healthcare Ethicists.

Dr. Catherine Gee is the Clinical and Organizational Ethicist for the Regional Ethics Network. She completed a clinical and organizational ethics fellowship in London, Ontario where she was jointly appointed with London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care London. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Philosophy with a specialization in Ethics and Bioethics from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Arts in Philosophy from Wilfrid Laurier University. Before joining Hamilton Health Sciences and the Regional Ethics Network, Catherine was a College Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Okanagan College in Kelowna, BC where she primarily taught applied ethics courses for a wide range of disciplines.

Dr. Winifred Badaiki is a Clinical and Organizational Ethicist at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS). Winifred earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the National University of Kharkiv, Ukraine and a Master’s in Health Ethics from Memorial University, Newfoundland and Labrador. After her masters, she worked in various clinical research capacities and proceeded to complete an ethics fellowship at Hamilton Health Sciences with the Program for Ethics and Care Ecologies and the Regional Ethics Network. She currently serves as a board member of the Canadian Bioethics Society. Her professional interests include ethics in palliative care and ensuring the provision of high quality, patient centered care that supports dignity especially for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Jami-Leigh Sawyer is the Clinical and Organizational Ethicist for the Children’s Hospital and Women’s Health at Hamilton Health Sciences. She completed a clinical and organizational ethics fellowship at HHS in the Program for Ethics and Care Ecologies, where she focused on projects related to trauma-informed care and pediatric voice. Jami holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Social Work and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Bioethics, both from the University of Toronto, as well as a Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Toronto where she specialized in Health and Mental Health. Jami works collaboratively with the HHS ethics team to provide ethics consultation on patient care and organizational issues; ethics education and capacity-building; policy development and review; as well as ethics QI projects.

Sue Pantitis
Administrative Coordinator
905-5212100 ext. 73661
pantitis@hhsc.ca