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Meet the Board Candidates

 

EVERY ATTENDEE MUST REGISTER INDIVIDUALLY. 

In the event that more than one participant is enrolled from one location, i.e. a group setting (several attendees in one room), the full title of the organization attending must be spelled out when that group is logging in to the webinar. 

All participants in an educational webinar must log into the webinar room with their full name.

New incoming attendees who enter with less than 15 minutes left in the session will not be admitted.

This webinar is for IPAC Canada members. This webinar is NOT eligible for IPU's.

Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Time:1000 PT, 1100 MT/SK, 1200 CT, 1300 ET, 1400 AT, 1430 NL
Duration: 1 Hour

THIS WEBINAR IS FOR IPAC CANADA MEMBERS
IPUs are not provided for this webinar.

DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION:  Friday, April 11, 2025.

Register Now

Description

The Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors of Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC Canada) and members of IPAC Canada have put forth the following candidates for positions open as of June 4, 2025:

President-elect (Two year term followed by two year term as President and one year term as Past President)
Francine Paquette CPHI(C) BASc CIC LTC-CIP
Waterloo, Ontario

Director (Programs & Projects) (Three year term)                        
Kasey Gambeta RN MN CIC
Kitchener, Ontario

AND

Safiyya Khamis BScN CIC MPH
Richmond Hill, Ontario    

Director (Standards & Guidelines)  (Three year term)                        
Katherine Paphitis BSc BASc MSc CPHI(C) CIC                        
Guelph, Ontario

Public Representative (Three year term)                        
June Anonson RN BScN MEd PhD 
Christopher Lake, Saskatchewan

The Candidates:

Francine PaquetteFRANCINE PAQUETTE possesses a strong infection prevention and control (IPAC) background, spanning over three decades in many healthcare sectors.  Starting as a public health inspector in 1992 at the former Oxford Public Health Unit, she has specialized in IPAC since 1998.  At Public Health Ontario, she held various IPAC Specialist roles including Team Lead of the IPAC West Regional Team, Regional IPAC Specialist, and representative on PIDAC-IPC.  In 2020, Francine transitioned to long-term care and joined peopleCare Communities as the Director of IPAC, bringing expertise in outbreak management, knowledge translation, and implementation of best practice to safeguard staff and residents at the outset of the pandemic.  She has maintained CIC certification since 2007 and in 2024 attained the LTC-CIP designation.  Francine has mentored and coached countless Infection Control Professionals (ICPs) throughout her career, supporting novice IPAC professionals, fostering and guiding their education and professional development towards certification and leadership.  Francine has served as President, Secretary, and on the Education Committee with IPAC Southwestern Ontario, With IPAC Canada, she is currently the Chair of the 2025 Scientific Program Committee, mandated to develop the education program for the 2025 conference.  Francine was the 2023 recipient of the Julie Larose Memorial Scholarship.

PHILOSOPHY:  IPAC Canada directly contributes to the growth and development of ICPs and helps ICPs realize how to use and strengthen their voice to be IPAC champions and leaders. As IPAC President I will support organizational goals through the local and national education opportunities, the promotion of the mentorship program and access to resources that better enable ICPs to perform in their roles. By investing in the development and support of all ICPs, IPAC Canada not only strengthens individual professionals but also contributes to advancing the field as a whole, ultimately improving healthcare quality and patient safety nationwide. I will advocate for the advancement of the ICP through our IPAC Canada Chapters by demonstrating how I have used my voice and my position to implement change. Elevating one individual through education, mentorship, and support contributes to the advancement of our entire profession.  When we raise one, we raise all.

Kasey GambetaKASEY GAMBETA holds a BSc in Nursing from Queen’s University, and a Master of Nursing from the University of Toronto. She started her Infection Prevention and Control career at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto in 2009 as an Infection Control Professional. In 2018, she began working at Public Health Ontario as an IPAC Specialist, where she now works as a Team Leader since 2022. She is certified in Infection Prevention and Control. She is currently a member of the IPAC Central South Ontario Chapter, and is the current Secretary for the IPAC Canada Programs and Projects Core Committee.

PHILOSOPHY: In my experience, a shared vision and goals across membership are crucial for the success of a committee. Through inevitable turnover, the current Programs and Projects Core committee (PPCC) is very different than when I joined three years ago. The PPCC committee also has a fairly broad and varied role at IPAC Canada. For these reasons, a shared vision can help us focus our role, prioritize our work, and orient new membership, to ensure we have an effective impact on behalf of IPAC Canada. In addition, the vision and goals of IPAC Canada must be central to what we do. Therefore, if I am elected, I believe one of my most important roles is to facilitate the development of a shared vision that fits with that of IPAC Canada’s, and to motivate and support the committee in its direction.

 

Safiyya KhamisSAFIYYA KHAMIS  has been working in Infection Prevention and Control for the last 14 years. She holds a BScN from McMaster University and a Masters in Public Health from Western University. Safiyya has held a variety of leadership positions within IPAC including acute care, local public health and provincial work. Throughout her career, Safiyya has always worked to advocate for the enhancement and development of IPAC in all healthcare settings. She has been CIC certified since 2013. Safiyya is currently the Manager of the IPAC program at Mackenzie Health, a large community hospital and is currently a member of the Programs & Projects Committee. 

PHILOSOPHY: For any committee to have an impact, it is important to have overarching principles, goals and a purpose. The Programs and Projects Core Committee (PPCC) will continue to foster a collaborative work environment with other board members as well as other committees to support IPAC Canada in driving initiatives and strategies outlined in the 2025-27 strategic plan and beyond. As a member of the committee, it has been challenging to fully ascertain the future potential and direction of the PPCC. If elected, I'll strive to work with the team to develop shared principles and goals to ensure that all committee members new and existing are working towards the same shared purpose.

 

Ktherine PaphitisKATHERINE PAPHITIS is currently the Enteric & Zoonotic Specialist at Public Health Ontario. Dr. Paphitis is a certified Public Health Inspector and holds a PhD in Population Medicine. Katherine has been CIC certified for 10 years and was previously an IPAC Specialist at Public Health Ontario. Her research focuses on public health surveillance and outbreak detection, with a focus on One Health, enteric and zoonotic diseases, and potentially overlooked pathways for infection.  With IPAC Canada, she is currently Co-Chair of the Surveillance & Epidemiology Interest Group and a member of the Editorial Board of the Canadian Journal of Infection Control (CJIC). 

PHILOSOPHY: I appreciate the diversity of professional expertise, experience and perspectives that IPAC Canada members have. I welcome opportunities to bring members together to combine our knowledge to collaborate on the development of resources that can continue to guide and support the work of IPAC Canada members throughout Canada. I hope to contribute to the excellent work that is done by the Standards and Guidelines working group by continuing to play an active role in the working group, to acknowledge identified needs from IPAC professionals and to support the valuable work done by those working in various professional roles and settings.         

                                                                                                                                                                                      

June AnonsonJUNE ANONSON began her career as a front-line Medicine-Surgical Nurse for approximately 10 years. She took a two year LOA and worked as a front-line Social Worker with the government of Alberta at Social Services working in the area of Child Welfare and Income Security. She then returned to university for the remainder of her degrees and leadership roles in health care. All of her career Dr. Anonson has been a Role Model and ambassador for Patient Advocacy, Progressive and excellent Health Care practices and sharing of Best Practices. She has supported, encouraged and mentored novice health care professionals in all disciplines. Her research has always consisted of Multidisciplinary teams studying areas of Health Care Promotion and Prevention primarily with Vulnerable/marginalized populations. The area of Social Justice, education and leadership in Health Care has been an important component of her work. Improved policy and inclusive practices have also been an important aspect of her career as a health care leader and professional for over four decades. She has been a leader in Acute Care, Public Health and Education. She has also done extensive consulting on Best Practices in Health Care Internationally and continues to do that as a Professor Emeritus. One of June’s roles over the past 20 years has been to lead or participate on Professional Practice reviews with the profession of Nursing in various provinces in Western Canada at Universities and Colleges. She has also consulted on these reviews internationally.

PHILOSOPHY: My philosophy towards the position I am applying for as Director, Public Representative is to focus on infection prevention and control in the area of healthcare facilities, education and prevention and also in the community at large. Two of my focusses in this role will be standards and practices.  I practice exemplary communication at all times. I believe in this position it is important to be inclusive and support the concerns and challenges that the public has on a daily basis. I have been on several Awards committees with two different universities and so the evaluation and allocation of scholarships and awards as mentioned in the description for this position will be an area I will have some expertise to offer.