St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital

Gwen is a Perinatal Professional Practice Consultant with the MNCYN – Regional Perinatal Program. She received her BScN from the University of Western Ontario in 1980. Gwen has dedicated her career to perinatal nursing. She was employed for several years on the antenatal, labour/birth, mother/baby care units and the NICU at St. Joseph’s Health Care London, which was the tertiary perinatal centre for southwestern Ontario at the time. Gwen has been a nurse consultant with the Regional Perinatal Program since 1987.  In this role, she has also facilitated a Maternal Newborn Nursing course as a joint venture between the MNCYN and Fanshawe College and has worked alongside her physician colleagues to provide ongoing professional education and consultation regarding the care of mothers and infants.

Gwen is an associate member of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) and the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS). She is also a member of the Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health (CAPWHN). She sits on the Canadian Perinatal Partnership Coalition (CPPC), an organization of perinatal/reproductive care programs across the country, committed to fostering and supporting optimal care and outcomes for mothers, babies and childbearing families. Gwen has maintained her certification credentials in Perinatal Nursing with the Canadian Nurses Association since 2001. She has also maintained her status as a registered Neonatal Resuscitation Instructor/Trainer and an instructor of the ACoRN (Acute Care of at-Risk Newborns) program. During the last several years, Gwen has participated in the Canadian Fetal Health Surveillance Steering Committee. As part of this committee, she was also a member of the FHS Refresher course working group.

Kristine is a Paediatric Professional Practice Consultant with the MNCYN – Regional Paediatric Program. She received her Nursing Diploma from Mohawk College in 2001 and her Bachelor of Nursing Degree from Athabasca University in 2012, followed by her Master of Nursing in 2018. Kristine has dedicated her career to paediatric nursing, specifically critical care. She began nursing at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton after graduating, working there for several years before deciding to travel and practice nursing in California. While at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, Kristine was fortunate enough to work within the paediatric cardiac stepdown unit, gaining first-hand experience caring for critically ill infants and children. In 2006, Kristine moved back to Ontario and joined the Children’s Hospital, LHSC’s Paediatric Critical Care Unit and became a member of the Paediatric Critical Care Outreach Team (PCCOT). Kristine also did a contract position at the Middlesex London Health Unit working on the Early Years Team, providing breastfeeding support and care to new mothers and families. Kristine joined the MNCYN team in June of 2018 as the Paediatric Nurse Consultant with the Regional Paediatric Program. Since joining the team, Kristine created the Regional Paediatric Orientation Program, an online paediatric nursing course for our regional partners.

Kristine works closely with the Children’s Hospital, LHSC’s CME Paediatric Regional Outreach Program (PROP) and is a CME committee member. She has partnered with the PROP team when providing regional high-fidelity simulation days and enjoys working alongside her physician colleagues to provide professional education and consultation regarding the care of children and youth. Kristine is also a member of the TREKK Knowledge Mobilization Advisory Committee, a Canadian organization dedicated to creating high-quality, evidence-based resources for hospitals in order to reduce barriers for the best possible care for children. Kristine has maintained her certification credentials in Paediatric Critical Care Nursing with the Canadian Nurses Association since 2009. She is also a registered Neonatal Resuscitation Instructor as well as a Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Instructor with the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

Kerri has been the Manager of the Maternal Child Program and Scheduling Department at the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) since 2017.  A graduate of Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Nursing Science, her professional development continues as she is currently completing her Masters of Nursing Leadership in Professional Nursing Practice at Western University.

Kerri has been an instrumental partner with MNCYN for many years, contributing through the dissemination of lessons learned and resources developed to support partner organizations to drive change and evidence-based care. She has been a key stakeholder as MNCYN pilots many new resources, tools, and surveys.

Anita has been a Program Assistant at Maternal, Newborn, Child & Youth since June 2015. She has a wide variety of experience and skills she brings to the program and supports the team with her knowledge of administrative software and technology. Anita provides administrative support to the Executive Director and Paediatric Nurse Consultant. She coordinates committee meetings and provides administrative support with MNCYN regional events, including workshops and conferences.

Anita graduated from Lambton College (Sarnia) in 1988 with a Diploma in Business Administration, majoring in Accounting. She began her career working for the Sarnia-Lambton Small Business Development Corporation as a secretary/bookkeeper to the CEO. Anita worked as a Business Consultant for Whitney Business Development. During this time, she partnered with the Seven Bands Economic Development to provide business support services to the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Kettle and Stoney Point First Nations, and Walpole Island First Nation, small business owners. Anita obtained a Diploma with honours for Child & Youth Work (1999) at Lambton College, practicing for four years, following which she was allowed to complete her degree in International Development with a major in Community Development (2005) at the University of Western Sydney (Sydney, Australia). She returned to working the frontlines as a CYW for the next three years and then moved to London to work as a PSW alongside children and adults to support their quest for a meaningful life. In 2015 she received her Diploma in Medical Office Administration at Fanshawe College and began working for MNCYN.

Anita was the Administrative Coordinator for the NRP program at LHSC until 2019 and worked briefly as a Unit clerk for the Mental Health Department.

Anita enjoys spending time with her grandsons, being active by cycling and walking, and is a self-taught artist and music lover.

Dr. Roukema received his medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1987. He received his Paediatric certification from UWO in 1992 and his Neonatal-Perinatal Subspecialty qualifications from the University of Toronto in 1995. Also, he completed a Master’s Degree in Clinical Epidemiology from U of T in 2003. Dr. Roukema has been a staff Neonatologist at SJHC since 1997 and was the Program Director for the Neonatal-Perinatal subspecialty training program from 1999-2003. He is also an Associate Professor for the Dept. of Paediatrics at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, UWO.

Dr. Roukema is clinically active in the NICU at London Health Sciences Centre, and administratively is the Director of Nurseries and the Neonatal Director of the Paediatric and Neonatal Transport Team at LHSC. Regionally, he actively participates in the Perinatal Outreach Program for South-Western Ontario as an Executive Committee member of the Maternal, Newborn, Child and Youth Network (MNCY&N).

Provincially, Dr. Roukema is very involved with Critical Care Services Ontario (CCSO). CCSO serves to monitor and Coordinate critical care across the province. NICU has recently come under the jurisdiction of CCSO. Dr. Roukema co-chairs the Ontario Intensive Care Advisory Committee (ONICAC) through CCSO. CCSO acts as the coordinating body for Neonatal care. He also Chairs the Performance Management Workgroup (one of two sub-committees from ONICAC) and this serves to develop evaluative metrics for NICUs and the development of a near real-time database for NICU care through the Critical Care Information System (CCIS) at CritiCall Ontario

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Dr. Tijssen completed her medical school at McGill University in 2006, and went on to complete her Paediatric Residency, and obtain her FRCPC in 2010 from the joint training program of McMaster University and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. She completed her critical care training at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where she was also the Chief Fellow. She completed her Masters of Science in Health Services Research at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Tijssen is the interim director of the paediatric critical care unit at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, a co-medical director for the Regional Paediatric Program of MNCYN, and the medical director for the Children’s Hospital’s Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) education program and the Paediatric Critical Care Outreach Team. She is a member of the Paediatric Life Support Taskforce for the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) and is involved in producing internationally accepted resuscitation guidelines adopted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Dr. Schmidt is a native of North York, Greater Toronto Area and attended the University of Guelph for his undergraduate degree in Human Biology from 1990-94. Following graduation, he moved to London for his medical degree, graduating from the University of Western Ontario in 1998. He did his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in London and then completed a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at St. Joseph’s Health Care, London. He joined the staff as a full-time obstetrician in March of 2007 and then joined the MFM team in 2007.

Dr. Schmidt became a member of the medical consulting staff of the Perinatal Outreach Program (now the Maternal Newborn Child Youth Network) in the summer of 2007 and is currently the obstetrics Medical Director and a member of the MNCYN Executive.

Dr. Schmidt became the Chief of Obstetrics at London Health Sciences Centre in April 2018. He continues to be highly involved in both clinical and academic aspects of the residency program and the undergraduate education program at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University.

Dr. Coughlin is a Neonatologist and Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. He serves as the Neonatal Medical Director of the Maternal Newborn Child Youth Network of Southwestern Ontario and Medical Director of the Neonatal Developmental Follow-up Clinic at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre.

Dr. Coughlin has a Master’s Degree in Bioethics. He has contributed to the dissemination of Neonatal-Perinatal knowledge provincially and nationally through his involvement on MNCYN, CPS and Ontario NRP Steering Committees and ACoRN Executive. His involvement with these organizations includes educational, guideline and curriculum development, review of research projects, granting requests and regional administrative duties.

Dr. Coughlin’s educational and research interests include neonatal transition, resuscitation and stabilization and bioethics. His foundation in qualitative methodologies offers a unique opportunity to study the complex psychosocial phenomenon in difficult clinical settings, such as resuscitation of extremely preterm infants and priority setting in health care.

Dr. Coughlin is currently the Chair of the Ontario Nunavut Provincial NRP Committee, and a member of the National NRP Steering Committee. He is also the current Chair of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s Acute Care of at-Risk Newborn (ACoRN) Program.

Dr. Ojha is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the Western University, Ontario and in 2014 became an Academic Paediatrician at the Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre. He earned his Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical degrees from India. He completed his Fellowship in Paediatrics from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and worked at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia. He served as a lecturer at Sydney Medical School- Nepean (University of Sydney) before moving to Canada. Dr. Ojha has vast clinical and teaching experience in the field of Paediatrics. He has worked as a Paediatric specialist in India and served the Ministry of Health in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Ojha became a member of the consulting staff of the Maternal Newborn Child & Youth Network (MNCYN) Regional Paediatric Program in 2019. He has a keen interest in teaching and has been a faculty examiner and reviewer. He has been a part of various administrative and clinical committees looking into establishing and directing clinical programs for paediatric trainees and quality assurance activities. He also contributes to the planning, drafting and publishing of paediatric guidelines; and has various publications to his credit. He has been an active advocate for the health needs of children and youth. He was awarded a gold medal for his outstanding efforts toward improving child health care.

Dr. Ojha has a strong research interest in Medical Education. His focus is on Continuing Medical Education and Simulation and its role in paediatric education.

Sheila has been the Program Assistant for the Perinatal Outreach Program since September 2000, providing administrative and team support, as well, for the Maternal, Newborn, Child & Youth Network (MNCYN), since the establishment of the network in 2009. Sheila graduated from St. Lawrence College (Kingston) in 1976 with an Honours Diploma in Early Childhood Education (ECE), and subsequently received an Honours certificate in 1978 as a Registered Nursing Assistant (now Registered Practical Nurse). Sheila pursued a nursing career at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London from 1979 to 1992, working primarily in the areas of Gynecology and General/Family Medicine. Sheila also served for 10 years on the Executive of her local Union and later joined the staff at the London & District Service Workers’ Union, Local 220 in 1992. In 1998, Sheila graduated from Fanshawe College with an Honours diploma in Office Administration (Medical) and returned to St. Joseph’s Hospital in August 2000 as a data analyst for Neonatal Associates. In September of the same year, she joined the staff of the Perinatal Outreach Program (now MNCYN). She currently divides her time between MNCYN and the NICU database at London Health Sciences Centre. She retired her College of Nurses of Ontario membership in 2003, and is a former member in the Ontario Medical Secretaries Association. Sheila is currently a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the School of Information Technology at Fanshawe College and provides mentorship and placement opportunities annually to graduating students of the College’s Health Services program.

In her personal life, Sheila is a specialist in genealogy and family history research, providing consultation and assistance to the public through the London Family History Centre (LDS). She is also currently the Co-Chair and Recording Secretary of the London & Middlesex Branch of Ontario Ancestors (The Ontario Genealogical Society).Society).

Dr. Hardy is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and obstetrician-gynecologist. He completed his Medical Doctorate at Montreal University and obtained his specialty training in obstetrics and gynecology at McGill University. His subspecialty fellowship training was in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Hardy is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Western Ontario. He has previously practiced as a general obstetrician-gynecologist in the urban and rural areas of Quebec and Ontario. Dr. Hardy recently completed a Masters in Health Economics, Policy and Management at the London School of Economics and Political Science.