Melanie is President and CEO of Michael Garron Hospital (MGH). She is a talented, compassionate and dynamic health system leader with more than 20 years of progressive experience leading transformational projects benefiting patients, families and communities in Toronto and Ontario.
She came to MGH in June 2023 from the Ontario Ministry of Health (MOH), where she served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Hospitals and Capital Division. In this role, she oversaw multi-billion-dollar budgets supporting the operations and capital funding of Ontario’s hospital sector, including all 144 hospitals in the province.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Melanie was the Assistant Deputy Minister of Mental Health and Addictions at the MOH. In this role, she was responsible for the implementation of critical mental health investments supporting Ontario communities.
Prior to joining the Ontario Public Service, Melanie spent most of her career working in acute care hospitals. Most notably, she worked at St. Michael’s Hospital for over 12 years in operational and strategic roles, including strategy and corporate planning, project management and research administration.
Melanie holds a Master of Business Administration, with a specialization in Health Services Management, from McMaster University, and a PhD in Evidence-Based Strategic Decision Making from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation.
She is highly regarded for her ability to develop meaningful and collaborative partnerships with colleagues and valued stakeholders across the health sector.
Dr. Simone is the Vice President, Medical Operations, Strategic Partnerships and Innovation. He is the Executive overseeing our real estate and redevelopment projects as well as MGH’s participation in the OHT (East Toronto Health Partners) as a founding anchor partner. Dr. Simone has been part of the leadership team since joining MGH in 2004. He was the inaugural Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit in 2004 and he was the first Head of the new Division of Critical Care. He established our current model of intensivist-led care at MGH. He was the Chief of the Department of Surgery as well as the first Medical Director of Integrated Programs, which was a joint position between Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and MGH.
He is a thoracic surgeon and critical care physician currently holding courtesy privileges at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, North York General Hospital and Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, University of Toronto. He is a dedicated and passionate healthcare leader committed to improving the patient and healthcare provider experience.
Kevin Edmonson is the Vice President, Clinical Programs and Quality at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH). Kevin is responsible for clinical programs at the organization, as well as the Quality Improvement and Operational Excellence portfolio.
Kevin is a steadfast and seasoned leader, most recently leading MGH’s Emergency, Critical Care and Cardiology Services, and Clinical Strategy. Prior to this, he held progressive leadership roles across the hospital in Support Services, Medicine, the Nursing Resource Team, and Diagnostic Imaging. Kevin also worked as the Vice President, Community Care at WoodGreen Community Services, a large community social services provider in Toronto, where he led the expansion of supportive housing and seniors assisted living services.
Kevin played an instrumental role in MGH and East Toronto Health Partners’ (ETHP) integrated, community-based response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With Kevin as a co-lead, MGH and ETHP opened one of Canada’s first COVID-19 Assessment Centres and set new world records for the most COVID-19 vaccines administered at a single-day clinic in one location.
Kevin takes pride in helping to mentor new leaders and support people exploring healthcare management. He co-facilitates a course at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto.
Mikki Layton is Vice President of Professional Practice, Programs, Scholarship & Chief Nursing Executive at Michael Garron Hospital. In addition, she is a practicing Nurse Practitioner. She holds a clinical appointment as an Adjunct Professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto.
Mikki’s career spans over 35 years at MGH in various nursing and leadership roles and she serves on the board of Shared Hospital Lab.
Phillip Kotanidis has a master’s degree in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology, both from York University, as well as a Post-Graduate Human Resources Management Diploma. Having worked in Human Resources for almost 25 years, Phil has developed a focus and passion for ensuring that the full potential of all employees is nurtured and realized.
Throughout Phil’s career, he has focused on areas such as employee development, safety, engagement, labour and employee relations, wellness and mental health initiatives, as well as diversity and inclusion. Phil has been with Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) for 18 years, initially as the Manager of Human Resources, Labour and Employee Relations, then as the Director of Human Resources, Occupational Health and Safety, Organizational Development, Wellness and Volunteers Services and currently the Vice President People and Chief Human Resources Officer.
Previous to MGH, Phil worked at University Health Network (UHN) in Labour and Employee Relations. Phil also works closely with the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), providing support on a number of provincial human resources matters.
Dr. Sheila Laredo is the Chief of Staff and Vice President, Academics at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH). She received her MD from the University of Toronto in 1991 and specialized in endocrinology and metabolism. Dr. Laredo holds a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Her clinical interest is in women's reproductive health and the role of insulin resistance and obesity on reproductive health outcomes. She is an enthusiastic teacher, has mentored many trainees, physicians and leaders and has received several research and teaching awards.
She has used her background to advocate for effective evidence-based interventions for children and adults with developmental disabilities on a provincial and national level. She advocates and participates in the creation of public policy that provides appropriate evidence-based services and support. She teaches medical trainees about public health policy advocacy and has supervised social justice initiatives annually with these students. She created and chaired a multi-hospital committee that developed a Domestic Violence training manual that Ontario hospitals use province-wide. She is the Chair of the Kids Brain Health Foundation, supporting a national network that is advancing evidence-based interventions for children and youth with developmental disabilities.
As Clinical Lead at Women's College Hospital, she implemented Lean process change initiatives that improved clinical documentation, improved effectiveness and reduced wait times. She went on to serve as Chief of Staff from 2013-2019, focusing on physician engagement and improvement, and quality initiatives to improve patient safety and care. She was responsible for a refresh of the hospital medical bylaws. She worked for two years at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, leading the Medical Advisory and Quality Management teams. In this role, she successfully designed and implemented a province-wide hospital quality improvement partnership program, which MGH now uses to support physician wellness.
In her role as the Vice President, Academics at MGH, she leads the hospital's strategic mandate to embed science directly into all clinical programs to improve the quality and safety of patient care and experience. She also leads MGH’s academic training mandate to create the best possible training experience for health professionals at MGH, with a goal of establishing the hospital as the best community training hospital in Canada.
In Sandra Chiu’s role, she is responsible for Finance, Decision Support and Supply Chain. Sandra joined Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) in 2018, as Deputy CFO. She is a collaborative leader with an extensive background in finance and analytics.
Prior to joining MGH, Sandra was Senior Director of Finance at Sinai Health System for 4 years, where she led major projects including the merger of Mount Sinai Hospital and Bridgepoint Hospital, the financing strategy to secure a multi-million debenture issuance for a major redevelopment project, multi-million land and building acquisition transactions, and co-chaired the Sustainability & Operational Efficiency Committee. Before joining the hospital sector, Sandra held a senior role at KPMG LLP, specializing in hospital and public sector. Sandra is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Accountant (CA). She is currently the Board Director and Treasurer for New Circles Community Services.
Mitze Mourinho, FAHP, is President of Michael Garron Hospital Foundation. An accomplished fundraising executive with over 25 years of experience in healthcare fundraising, Mitze is a strategic leader with a strong record of success in building long-term relationships with donors and volunteers.
Mitze joined our team in 2015. That year, she helped secure a record-setting gift from Berna and Myron Garron in honour of their late son Michael Garron. Their $50-million contribution was the largest donation ever made to a Canadian community hospital at the time. Three years later, Mitze championed the Heart of the East Campaign to raise $100 million for the hospital’s historic redevelopment and its most pressing needs. The campaign closed in 2023 at $26 million above goal, culminating in the opening of the eight-storey Ken and Marilyn Thomson Patient Care Centre.
Mitze became a Fellow of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy in 2013, when only 20 Canadians held this professional designation, recognizing dedication, continual advancement and demonstrated commitment to ethical standards of professional practice in healthcare resource development. She has served as an Ex Officio member of the Michael Garron Hospital Foundation Board since 2015.
