Advisory Committee

Meet our Advisory Committee

The After Stroke Advisory Committee provides counsel and guidance on the design and delivery of the enhanced After Stroke program.

Our committee members use their professional and personal knowledge of stroke rehabilitation and recovery to inform our strategic direction, policy initiatives, and advocacy.

The advice they provide reflects the diverse views of individuals impacted by stroke, key stakeholder groups, and the social and health care sectors.

We’re grateful to all our committee members for generously sharing their expertise and insights for the benefit of all Canadians impacted by stroke.

Mark Bayley

Co-chair

Mark Bayley is program medical director and physiatrist-in-chief at UHN-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and professor at University of Toronto in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine. His work has helped redesign rehabilitation systems in Canada.

Angela Wright

Co-chair

Angela Wright is board vice-chair for the Stroke Recovery Association of BC, steering committee member for Stroke Services BC and founder of the Young Stroke Survivors group in British Columbia. A stroke at age 38 led her to become a strong advocate for system improvement and young stroke survivors.

Sacha Arsenault

Committee Member

Sacha Arsenault has over 20 years’ experience in healthcare, most recently as provincial director of Stroke Services British Columbia. Throughout her career in public health, she has been passionate about improving care and support for people impacted by stroke.

Michael Cole

Committee Member

Michael holds the appointed role of secretary on the March of Dimes Canada Board of Directors. He is executive vice president and chief information officer for Bell Canada, leading a team accountable for application development and infrastructure management. 

Marcie Dolce

Committee Member

Marcie Dolce is a northern Ontario woman with Métis heritage and a stroke survivor. She is passionate about improving stroke research from the perspective of a person with lived experience. She is enthusiastic about encouraging the implementation of patient-driven rehabilitation best practices. 

Isabelle Gaboury

Committee Member

Isabelle Gaboury is associate professor and director of research with the department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at the Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec. Her research focuses on the continuous improvement of care and services within the Quebec rehabilitation stroke continuum.

Trish Helm-Neima

Committee Member

Trish Helm-Neima, physiotherapist is the provincial stroke coordinator, Health PEI. In her current role she facilitates the ongoing development of the Provincial Stroke Care Program through support for the implementation of best practice stroke care.

Patrice Lindsay

Committee Member

Patrice Lindsay is director of Health Systems Change at the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She leads strategic directions for evidence-informed systems change in planning and delivering services across the care continuum. Patrice is senior editor of Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations.

Alan Lipszyc

Committee Member

Alan Lipszyc holds the appointed position of treasurer on the March of Dimes Canada Board of Directors. He is an experienced executive with a demonstrated record for establishing and maintaining an efficient accounting department, generating timely and accurate financial information.

Emily Nalder

Committee Member

Dr. Emily Nalder is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on understanding the factors and processes influencing community integration following acquired brain injury.

Michelle Ploughman

Committee Member

Dr. Ploughman is a recognized expert in neuroplasticity and neurorehabilitation in stroke and multiple sclerosis. Her research focuses on the effects of aerobic exercise, intensive training paradigms and lifestyle habits on the brain challenged by injury, disease and aging.

Peter Stevens

Committee Member

Peter is a retired business executive whose stroke in 2019 gave him a unique opportunity to see life in a different way. Peter’s goal is to help other people who have had strokes like him. The opportunity to be part of this committee gives him a chance to give back to the stroke community.

Michelle Nelson

Committee Member

Dr. Nelson is a scientist in the Science of Care Institute at Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, an Associate Professor at Dalla Lana School of Public Health in the University of Toronto and is a vice president of the World Stroke Organization.  She also was instrumental in driving the strategic development of our After Stroke program from April 2020 to March 2023. 

Marina Wasilewski

Committee Member

Dr. Wasilewski is a scientist at St. John’s Rehab Sunnybrook and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on using social and peer support strategies to optimize health and well-being of patients and families as they journey across the continuum of care.

Christy Nich

Committee Member

Christy Nich is a mother and former freelance journalist who survived an unexpected carotid artery dissection and resulting stroke at the age of 48. She is a passionate leader who supports fellow stroke survivors and their caregivers, through her volunteer work with March of Dimes Canada, Heart & Stroke and as a member of her local Young Stroke Survivors chapter.

Meet our Leadership Team

The After Stroke Leadership Team manages the strategic direction and development of our program across Canada.
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Meet our Regional Teams

Our regional teams support the delivery of After Stroke across the country.
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