Hanaa Dwidar 

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Hanaa holds a Master of Gynecology and Obstetrics from Alexandria University, Egypt. She specialized in the area of preventive medicine with a focus on child and maternal health. She worked in different health promotion programs in Egypt. She was chosen to travel to Niger, West Africa, to work on developing programs to decrease maternal and child mortality in 1997. She succeeded with a dedicated team of health professionals and community representatives to establish a school where children can receive a quality education, schedule nutritional meals and operate as a venue for health information workshops designed to empower families towards better health practices. The school initiative was widely successful, leading to two additional schools in the region which continue to operate today.  

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In addition, as of 2018, Hanaa is also a certified Early Childhood ducator. Her passion is helping newcomers integrate better in Canada.  

 

In 2014, Hanaa established Building Bridges, a Canadian Muslim and family-friendly club to help newcomers’ families to integrate smoothly into Canadian society. In 2019 the club’s first-generation established the Building Bridges Youth organization to direct their efforts toward immigrant youth. 

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Tim Hutchinson 

 

Tim is a lifelong resident of Ottawa who has an appreciation of complex systems thinking and is formally educated in Social Work and Public Administration at the Master level. He brings more than thirty years of clinical program and policy experience that encompasses the health, social service and government sectors.  

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Mr. Hutchinson has been actively engaged in a variety of community development and voluntary activities that have included co-chairing a Regional Task Force on Elder Abuse as well as previous board positions with the Ottawa Public Health Department, Pink Triangle Services Ottawa, Psycho-Geriatric Community Services Ottawa, MAX-Ottawa Gay Men’s Health Initiative, Ottawa Senior Pride Network (OSPN), Canada Africa Community Alliance, Alzheimer Society of Ottawa, Palliative Care Association Ottawa, and the Canadian Public Health Association. 

Currently, Tim is in an Associate position at the International Longevity Centre (ILC-Canada) specializing in LGBTQ2s+ policy and programs. Also, he is a board member (Vice-President) at the South East Ottawa Community Health and the Co-chair of the Ottawa Hospital Rainbow Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC). 

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Pierrette Leonard 

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I am currently retired having spent the majority of my career in the health-care field in communications, stakeholder relations, and project management. I was diagnosed with RA about 10 years ago, but I’ve been able to maintain an active lifestyle thanks to advancements in the treatment of RA.  

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I miss travelling and look forward to doing so again, hopefully, next year. I have two daughters and a granddaughter; virtual time with family and friends have taken on a whole new meaning this year.

 

I’m also a patient partner on the Quality Committee of the Bruyère Family Health Team. I look forward to meeting everyone involved in this new endeavour and am confident we’ll do great things together! 

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Oris Retallack

 

As a senior, I have the good fortune to have experienced many aspects of health care. My background over the past decades is nursing, management, teaching and advocacy in hospitals, the community, long-term care and retirement living.

 

I cared for my mother who died, in her 80s, after a long battle with mixed dementia and macular degeneration. And I helped my husband, also a senior, through heart surgery.  

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As a senior, I have had a rather complicated journey through difficult diagnoses and treatment. I am so pleased to be part of this new way of doing health care and look forward to seeing what we can do together.