CFCPS 2019 CONFERENCE SPEAKER BIOS

HIS EMINENCE THOMAS CARDINAL COLLINS
ARCHBISHOP OF TORONTO

Born and raised in Guelph, Ontario, Thomas Collins was ordained a priest in 1973. He considered other paths, but was inspired by a high school English teacher who suggested he should consider the priesthood.

He earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in English, later pursuing theological training in Rome. Specializing in the Book of Revelation, he earned his licentiate in sacred scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute and a doctorate in theology from Gregorian University.

Saint John Paul II appointed him as the Bishop of St. Paul, Alberta in 1997 and Archbishop of Edmonton in 1999. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Collins as the Archbishop of Toronto in December 2006. On February 18, 2012, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals in Rome. Cardinal Collins was one of 115 cardinal-electors to participate in the 2013 conclave in Rome, where Pope Francis was elected to succeed Pope Benedict XVI.

Cardinal Collins serves as the spiritual leader for Canada’s largest diocese, stretching from Toronto north to Georgian Bay and from Oshawa to Mississauga. It is home to 2 million Catholics and 225 churches, with Mass celebrated in more than 30 languages each week.

NEIL MACCARTHY
ARCHDIOCESE OF TORONTO DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Neil MacCarthy was born in Toronto, attended Senator O’Connor College School and earned his Bachelor of Applied Arts in Radio and Television Broadcasting from Ryerson University. Upon graduation, Neil began work as an on air personality at rock radio station, Q107, where his broadcasts were heard by an audience of close to one million listeners.

Neil has worked for the Archdiocese of Toronto, in numerous capacities since 1995: as Director of the Office of Catholic Youth, Communications Manager for ShareLife and since 2006 in his current role, the Director of Public Relations & Communications.

Neil is responsible for directing internal and external communications, public relations, government relations & media relations for the Archdiocese of Toronto. He serves as the lead spokesman for the archdiocese as well as the press secretary to Cardinal Thomas Collins. The Archdiocese of Toronto is Canada’s largest diocese, comprising two million Catholics and 225 churches. Mass is celebrated in more than 35 languages each week.

Neil, his wife Laura and daughters Katie and Quinn live in Toronto.

DR. ANN SIREK
ENDOCRINOLOGIST

After practising internal medicine and endocrinology in Kitchener Waterloo for 32 years, while also chairing various ethics committees in that community, Ann moved back to Toronto in 2011 to pursue a PhD in Christian Ethics. After a life-time of experience in companioning the sufferer, she wanted to explore what the Christian tradition had to say about suffering in general and the sufferer in particular. In her study of Thomas Aquinas from the medieval period in human history, she discovered an approach to life’s difficulties that richly complements modern medicine’s evidence-based, problem-solving ways. Her interest in ethics has matured into the role of facilitator for professionals who understand their practice not only as the competent execution of interventions, but also as the ministry of companioning a sufferer. She practices medicine part time in Scarborough, Ontario, and writes as an independent scholar for academic journals. She has raised three children and enjoys her several grandchildren. Her hobbies are ballroom dancing and dressmaking. She loves her dog, her cottage, and sunrise over Brandy Lake.

DR. ED RZADKI
PSYCHIATRIST

Ed Rzadki is a Psychiatrist on active staff at William Osler Health System and in private practice in Etobicoke.  Ed was born North Battleford, Saskatchewan, raised in Toronto. Exposure to the Oblate Fathers and Felician Sisters at St. Stanislaus Kostka Polish Parish were influential in his Christian formation as were the Basilian Fathers at St. Michael’s High School. After completing a B.A. at University of St. Michael’s College with a major in Food Chemistry, he obtained his M.D. at U of T. Following an internship at St. Michael’s he did a 3-month family practice Locum in Red Lake Ontario. He obtained his Fellowship in Psychiatry while being on staff at the Toronto General Hospital, where he attained the rank of Assistant Professor, and Teacher, U of T. He moved on to become Chief of Psychiatry at a new community Hospital, Etobicoke General. At EGH he served as Chief of Staff for 11 years. As Corporate Chief of Psychiatry & Medical Director of the Mental Health & Addictions Program he was involved in the development of the Brampton Civic Hospital.
He serves on the Board of Southdown Institute, and is chair of the Risk Management and Quality Assurance Committee. He also serves on the Quality Assurance Committee of Copernicus Lodge, a senior’s retirement and extended health care facility. He and his wife Stella were founding members of this caring Christian Polish environment whose mission is to provide a continuum of care for our aging community.
Dr. Rzadki is a member of many professional organizations and has always been involved in leadership positions.  From 1969-71, he chaired the Section of Psychiatry in the Academy of Medicine of Toronto.  In 1995 he held the position of President of the Ontario Psychiatric Association.  From Sept. 1994 to Oct. 1996 he served as a member of the executive committee of the Canadian Psychiatric Association.  At the Ontario Medical Association, he served on the Committee on Hospitals (1983-1985). In the mid 80’s he was president of the Toronto Catholic doctor’s Guild. Rev. John Michael Kelly (Kelly Library) was the chaplain.  As member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Knight Grand Cross he supports the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
He is married for 60 years to Stella and is proud father of seven children and 16 grandchildren.

LARRY WORTHEN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CHRISTIAN MEDICAL AND DENTAL SOCIETY

Larry Worthen has been the Executive Director, Christian Medical and Dental Society of Canada since 2012. Prior to that, Larry served in a variety of leadership roles in the not for profit sector and in the Nova Scotia provincial government.
 
Larry has a BA and a law degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax. He also has a MA in Theology as well as a Diploma in Adult Education.
 
Larry has been married to Dr. Linda Gagnon since 1986. They have two children and five grandchildren. Larry has been an ordained Permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church since June 2012. His ministry consists primarily of pastoral care but he also assists the pastor in preaching and conducting baptisms, weddings and funerals.

DR. JOHN SCOTT
PALLIATIVE CARE PHYSICIAN

Dr. John Scott is presently an Associate Professor in the Division of Palliative Medicine at the University of Ottawa. In most of the last decade he has been based at The Ottawa Hospital (Civic Campus) as palliative care consultant to neurology, cardiology, geriatrics and other non-malignant diseases. He has been an active palliative care physician longer than anyone else world-wide in this field. Dr. Scott graduated from Medicine at the University of Toronto (1973) and interned at the University of Montreal. In early 1975 he joined Dr. Balfour Mount and Dr. Ina Cummings in developing Canada’s first palliative care program at the Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University. At that time, Dr. Scott and Dr. Cummings were two of only six physicians in the world practicing full-time palliative or hospice care along with another six part-time physicians.
 
Dr. Scott went on to undertake postgraduate studies in Theology (University of Toronto, M.Div. 1979) and Clinical Epidemiology (McMaster University 1982-5). He developed pioneer programs in the new discipline of Palliative Care at the University of Toronto (both St. Michael’s Hospital and Women’s College Hospital) and McMaster University (St. Joseph’s Hospital). In 1984 he authored The Monograph on Cancer Pain Management which was distributed by Health Canada to all Canadian physicians promoting the methodology and philosophy of palliative care. It acted as a model for the 1986 WHO Cancer Pain Relief Program. His CV went on to include over 38 publications.
 
In 1988, Dr. Scott was recruited to Ottawa and was appointed Head of a newly created Division of Palliative Medicine – the first such academic division in Canada. He was Director of the clinical programs at both Bruyère and Ottawa General Hospitals and later became Vice-President of the Bruyere Hospital. During his tenure as Division Head (1988–1998), there was significant growth in academic activities: Canada’s first postgraduate training program in Palliative Medicine and Canada’s first research institute in this discipline – The University of Ottawa Institute of Palliative Care. There was also rapid expansion in clinical activities with the Regional Unit at Bruyère becoming the largest unit in Canada and development of one of Canada’s earliest regional programs which included a consultation service throughout Eastern Ontario.
 
Dr. Scott was one of the founding members of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians (CSPCP) and the Canadian Palliative Care Association.
Photo by: Michael Swan, the Catholic Register

DR. MOIRA MCQUEEN
THEOLOGIAN

Moira McQueen, LLB, MDiv, PhD, was appointed Executive Director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute in July, 2004. The Institute has a mandate to conduct research and education in bioethics from a Roman Catholic perspective, and pursues bioethical issues in palliative and end of life care, reproductive technologies, stem cell experimentation and regenerative medicine, genetics, transgender issues and other current areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence and synthetic biology.

FR. DCN. ANDREW BENNETT
PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR CARDUS LAW / DIRECTOR OF CARDUS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM INSTITUTE

The Rev. Dr. Andrew P. W. Bennett is an ordained deacon in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in the Eparchy (Diocese) of Toronto and Eastern Canada.
 
Fr. Deacon Andrew served as Canada’s first Ambassador for Religious Freedom and Head of the Office of Religious Freedom from 2013 to 2016 during which time he led in defending and championing religious freedom internationally as a core element of Canada’s principled foreign policy. At the same time, he served as Canada’s Head of Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, a 31-country body which leads international efforts in Holocaust education, research, and remembrance.
 
As Director of the Cardus Religious Freedom Institute, Fr. Deacon Andrew works to promote religious freedom and the importance of public faith to our common life. Through Cardus Law, he works to shape Cardus’ research on how citizens engage with public institutions, including exploring the relationship between government and faith institutions. In conjunction with his work at Cardus, Fr. Deacon Andrew holds the position of Senior Fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) in Washington, DC. The RFI is an independent think-tank committed to achieving broad acceptance of religious liberty as a fundamental human right, the cornerstone of a successful society, and a source of national and international security.
 
Fr. Deacon Andrew holds a Ph.D. in Politics (2002) from the University of Edinburgh as well as degrees in history from McGill and Dalhousie universities. When not praying, studying, or advocating, Fr. Deacon Andrew can be found with his fly rod in a stream, listening to bluegrass or Bach, or reading the Church Fathers.

EOIN CONNOLLY
CLINICAL ETHICIST

Eoin Connolly is an Ethicist in the Regional Ethics Program at Trillium Health Partners (THP) and an Adjunct Lecturer with the Joint Centre for Bioethics in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. For the past three years Eoin has been embedded in the Critical Care Program at THP, working mainly in the intensive care units focusing on ethical issues in critical care medicine. He holds an MA in Bioethics from the University of Leuven, Belgium. Previously, he was a Clinical Ethics Fellow at the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics and an Associated Medical Services Clinical Ethics Intern at William Osler Health Centre in Brampton. Prior to joining Trillium Eoin worked as a Bioethicist at the Centre for Clinical Ethics, a shared service of Providence Healthcare, St. Joseph’s Health Centre and St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Eoin’s research interests include end-of-life decision making, social justice, organizational ethics, and Roman Catholic bioethics.

DR. THOMAS BOUCHARD
FAMILY PHYSICIAN

After completing his undergraduate at McGill University, Dr. Thomas Bouchard spent three years doing research on dementia in Parkinson’s disease at the University of Alberta.  He then completed medical school and residency at the University of Calgary.  He now practices general family medicine, low risk obstetrics at the Rockyview Hospital, and is the medical director at Fr. Lacombe and Providence Care Centres.  He has a special interest in natural family planning and is a medical consultant for the Institute of Natural Family Planning at Marquette University.  Dr. Bouchard has been on the board for CFCPS and CPL. He has published articles on a wide variety of issues from Natural Family Planning to Parkinson’s disease.

DR. MICHAEL SY
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST

Michael Sy has been with The Southdown Institute since 1987 and he currently is the Assessment Team Leader. Michael obtained his doctorate from Fordham University in New York City, NY. He is licensed to practice in the Province of Ontario and the State of Massachusetts and is registered in both the Canadian and American Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. Dr. Sy’s primary focus is in assessment, clinical neuropsychology, cross-cultural differences and cognitive behavioural therapy. He assists religious communities and dioceses with interventions, crisis management and personnel issues. Michael provided assistance in establishing assessment and outpatient services in Philippines and United States. In addition to English, Michael speaks several languages including Filipino (Tagalog), Mandarin and Fukienese.

FR. PETER TURRONE
NEUROSCIENTIST AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHAPLAIN

Fr Peter Turrone is the current Pastor and Executive Director of the Newman Centre Catholic Mission located at the University of Toronto, St. George Campus. He prepared for his priesthood by studying theology in Rome and spending 3 years working as a missionary in Mongolian desert. Fr Turrone completed his MSc and PhD (1998-2004) in the collaborative Medical Science/Neuroscience Program at the University of Toronto.

DR. QUENTIN GENUIS
FAMILY PHYSICIAN

Quentin Genuis is a Resident Physician at the University of British Columbia. He holds a Master of Letters from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland with distinction and with research focus in bioethics (as of November 2015). His research interests include end-of-life care, virtue ethics, the place of autonomy language in contemporary bioethics, and human dignity. He is a published author in peer-reviewed journals in the fields of both medical science and bioethics. Notable awards include the Dr. and Mrs. Hazen Hakinson Dean’s Undergraduate Citation in Medicine and the Dr. Ernest L. Ransome III Scholarship. In his spare time, Quentin enjoys rock climbing, playing music, and exploring the beautiful city of Victoria with his wife Kalyn and daughter Lila.

DR. DARREN HOLUB
PSYCHIATRIST

Dr. Darren Holub was born in Guelph, Ontario.  Initially trained in biochemistry, he obtained his medical degree from the University of Toronto in 2001, and completed his psychiatry residency through McMaster University.  He has volunteered at various Catholic medical missions including Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying Destitutes in Calcutta, India, and Hospital Andres Cuschieri in Colcapirhua, Bolivia.  Through his training and experiences, Dr. Holub developed a keen interest in the field of addiction, along with strong passion, empathy, and desire to serve those individuals and families affected by this devastating disease.  For ten years he served as the Lead Psychiatrist of the Concurrent Disorders Program at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.  Dr. Holub now primarily practices community-based addiction medicine, and, along with his wife Louisa, recently founded the Halton Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinic with locations in Oakville and Milton.  He is blessed to be the father of three wonderful young children.

DR. JOSIE LOMBARDI
MORAL THEOLOGIAN

Dr. Josephine Lombardi is an Associate Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology, Professor of Field Education, and Director of Lay Formation at St. Augustine’s Seminary in Scarborough. She is an award winning author and has facilitated numerous retreats and presentations in Canada and in the U.S.A. She is the series theologian for the catechetical resource, Growing in Faith Growing in Christ, used in Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.