Update (May 11, 2023): Starting June 12, 2023, Melanie Kohn is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH). Read the full announcement and learn more about Melanie.
Melanie 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 comes to MGH 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.
Wolf Klassen has over 25 years of healthcare leadership experience. He is currently the Vice President, Program Support at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH)/ Toronto East Health Network, a full service community teaching hospital.
Between August 2022 and June 2023, Wolf was appointed President and CEO, Interim at MGH. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing a $500-million redevelopment project, including ensuring the safe and efficient transition of staff and patients to the hospital’s new Ken and Marilyn Thomson Patient Care Centre. As President and CEO, Wolf also played a leading role in the development of MGH’s 2022-25 Strategic Plan and is an executive member of East Toronto Health Partner (ETHP), one of the province’s first Ontario Health Teams (OHT). He served as the Executive Lead for MGH and ETHP COVID-19 vaccination program, which involved more than 350 staff and successfully delivered over 600,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to East Toronto residents.
Wolf has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Master of Health Science in Health Administration from the University of Toronto. He is a certified health executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders and has completed the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management executive program in understanding the new world of healthcare. Wolf is also an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. Wolf has served as a Board member on several community organizations.
Dr. Sheila Laredo received her MD from the University of Toronto in 1991 and specialized in endocrinology and metabolism. She 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 been the recipient of several research and teaching awards.
Dr. Laredo 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 is teaching 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 has been used province-wide in Ontario.
As a clinical lead at Women’s College Hospital (WCH), Dr. Laredo implemented lean process change initiatives that improved clinical documentation, improved effectiveness and reduced wait times. She was Chief of Staff at WCH from 2013 tp 2019, focusing on physician engagement and improvement, and quality initiatives that improve patient safety and care. She was also responsible for a refresh of the hospital medical by-laws. Dr. Laredo worked for two years at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), 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 is now being used at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) to support physician wellness.
Using a strengths-based and collaborative approach, Dr. Laredo has undertaken change management in several of her roles, including co-leading leadership teams to improve cross-departmental collaboration, enabling her teams at CPSO, and as Chair of the Board at Kids Brain Health Network, a national Networks of Centres of Excellence, promoting a focus on evidence-based impact.
Mikki Layton is the Chief Nursing Executive at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) and a practicing Nurse Practitioner. Her career spans 34 years at MGH in various nursing and leadership roles, including manager within the medicine health service and the hematology oncology clinic during the clinic’s redevelopment in 2009 as well as opening the first inpatient unit under the Coordinated Care Team model.
Mikki holds an undergraduate degree from Ryerson University, a Master of Nursing from the University of Toronto and maintains two Canadian Nursing Association certifications: Hospice Palliative Care Nursing and Oncology Nursing. She holds an adjunct clinical appointment with the University of Toronto's Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and is part of the faculty with Centennial College's Bridging to University Nursing program.
Mikki’s career has been dedicated to advancing nursing practice and advocating for high-quality and safe person- and family-centered care.
Kevin Edmonson is the Vice President, Clinical Programs, Interim, at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH). Kevin is responsible for clinical programs at the organization, including Emergency, Medicine, Critical Care, Surgery; Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Services; Complex Continuing Care; Rehabilitation; Family and Community Medicine; Mental Health and Substance Use Services, Diagnostic Imaging, and Allied Health Services.
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) 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 has begun co-facilitating a course at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.
In Sarah Chow’s role, she is responsible for Financial Services, Decision Support, Retail Services; Support Services: Supply Chain, Environmental Services, Portering, and Food Services; and Engineering Services: Plant Maintenance, Security, and Biomedical engineering. Sarah joined Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) in 2016.
Prior to joining MGH, Sarah was Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer at St. Michael’s Hospital for 15 years. Sarah has also held senior roles at Princess Margaret Hospital/University Health Network and Ernst & Young. Sarah is a CPA, CA, and a chartered director.
Sarah sits on the Board of HIROC and is Chair of Audit Committee. As well, she is a member of the TAHSN Sustainable Health System Community of Practice and is a member of the Sustainable Procurement Working Group.
Tony Khouri is the Vice President of Redevelopment at Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital (MGH). He is a licensed member with Professional Engineers Ontario, holding masters and PhD degrees along with health service management and administration and LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt certifications.
Mitze Mourinho is an accomplished fundraising executive with more than 20 years of healthcare fundraising experience. Mitze is a strategic leader with a strong record of success in building long-term relationships with donors and volunteers.
Before coming to MGH, Mitze spent close to 17 years with St. Michael's Hospital Foundation, most recently holding the position of Vice President, Major Gifts and Planned Giving. She played a pivotal role in the hospital's successful capital campaigns and in securing the hospital's largest individual and corporate gifts.
Prior to joining St. Michael's Foundation, Mitze was Manager, Development at Wellesley Hospital. Mitze is passionate about healthcare fundraising and, in 2013, earned the designation of fellow from the Association of Healthcare Professionals. This professional distinction recognizes dedication, continual advancement and demonstrated commitment to ethical standards of professional practice in healthcare resource development. Mitze is one of only 20 Canadians to hold this professional designation.
Dr. Carmine Simone obtained his medical degree from McMaster University in 1998. He completed his Adult Critical Care Medicine fellowship and Thoracic Surgery Residency Program at the University of Toronto in 2004, and joined Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) in July 2004. Dr. Simone is also an assistant professor in the Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto.
He has held many leadership roles at MGH, including Surgeon-in-Chief (until August 2020), Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Head of the Division of Critical Care and, most recently, Medical Director of Integrated Programs in collaboration with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Dr. Simone has been invited to speak about his approach to ICU care and leadership at various provincial meetings. he has also participated in numerous Ministry of Health projects, such as the Chronic Ventilation Task Force and Critical Care Performance Improvement Coaching Teams. He is involved in various hospital, regional and provincial committees dealing with critical care and thoracic surgical standards.
Dr. Simone has courtesy privileges at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, North York General Hospital and Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, Ontario.
