Organizational Team
Executive Board
As the co-founders of RTWB, the executive team functions unanimously to provide leadership through visioning how RTWB will achieve the desired goals of its membership.
Annette Lievaart, Director, Africa Lead
Edmonton, Alberta
"From October 2010-March 2011 I worked as a RT at Tenwek Mission hospital in Kenya. Getting there was a lot of work and through the process I often thought I wish there was an organization that would mobilize RT’s. What a great surprise a few months after I came back to Canada I discovered RTWB, and here I am. A little more about me I grew up on a farm in Southern Alberta where I learned the value of hard work, Christian charity and the value of family. I graduated from NAIT’s respiratory therapy program in 2008 and started working. After some experience working as an RT in Alberta, I had a yearning to do something more. As a child I always wanted to be a missionary, I found a way to combine my love of Respiratory and love of God by serving at Tenwek Hospital. I am currently preparing to return to Tenwek for 2 years starting in early 2013."
"No one can do everything, but everyone can do something...those are certainly not my words, but is something I like to live by. When the chance came by to be part of RTWB, the opportunity was just too good to pass up. It is not everyday you get to impact the world doing something you like."
Eric Cheng, Director, Culture Creator
Dan, a Respiratory Therapist with 15 years of experience as a Paramedic and 20 years of first aid instruction, as well as several years of project management experience is excited to take on this new role. Dan brings with him, several years of involvement with other charities. As an advisor of a 4500 member first aid group and the president of an outdoor education and enablement organization for people with challenges, he is motivated, not discouraged by challenges, and seeks out opportunities to better the organizations he is involved with to help them grow whenever and wherever possible. Dan is looking forward to share his knowledge and help broaden the public and professional awareness of RTWB.
Port Moody, British Columbia
"I was blessed with parents that taught me to value life and the lives of people around me. Rooted in the Christian faith, I wrestled with the need to put my money where my faith was and took a 3month leave of absence to do some capacity building in neonatal/pediatric critical care in 2010. The need here is great; hence a return trip in 2011. Despite the challenges of working in a different culture and healthcare system, the joys of making a difference are unprecedented and truly life-giving. After sharing my developing world experiences, I was encouraged to find that fellow RTs around the world were just as keen in "giving back" through their profession. And so RTWB was birthed to provide RTs a way to give back to the global medical community."
Pauley Ting, Director of Organizational Strategy
Toronto, Ontario
"Having spent most of my working career helping large-scale organizations with their corporate strategy and operational improvement initiatives, I was excited about the opportunity to help build up a not-for-profit organization with local roots and a focus on emerging markets abroad. I look forward to applying my consulting experience and MBA background to help RTWB get up and running and ensure that each dollar is used in a meaningful and sustainable manner."
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Advisors
Les Matthews is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Science teaching in the respiratory therapy program at Thompson Rivers University. He has held the positions of Chairperson of the Canadian Board for Respiratory Care, Co-Editor of the Canadian Journal for Respiratory Therapy and President of the British Columbia Society of Respiratory Therapists. He was the Respiratory Therapy Program clinical coordinator for 10 years from 1984 to 1993. He has 28 years experience as an educator and is presently teaching Human Assessment and neonatal, pediatric respiratory care at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. Les is a published author in cardiopulmonary physiology and has lectured internationally on various topics in respiratory care. He established the Thompson Rivers University Sleep Clinic in 1998 and continues to be active as a clinician and researcher in the study of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
"I believe Respiratory Therapists can contribute significantly to global health. I have had an opportunity to see the difference Respiratory Therapists can make when they work independently or with medical staff in remote and under privileged locations. The need for our skill set is apparent to anyone that looks closely at communities around the world both in urban and remote locations. It is for this reason I think RTWB is an important organization and has the potential for making a difference in peoples lives anywhere in the world."
Kamloops, British Columbia
Marilyn Hyndman
Toronto, Ontario
30 years neonatal RRT & 24 years neonatal respiratory educator at Sunnybrook. Taught and presented neonatal ventilation (invasive and non invasive) internationally over many years.
NRP intructor trainer
STABLE instuctor
ORCS research and fellowship grants committee
Steering committee NRP Canada (CSRT representative)
NRP research subcommittee
Mo Shariff
“I have been a Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP) since 1998. I am the Vice President of the Texas Society for Respiratory Care and have recently graduated with my Master's degree in Respiratory Care Leadership and
Management. I currently provide Clinical Education for healthcare providers throughout the United States dealing with specialty gas delivery devices. I feel that we need to further our profession and one way to do so is to deliver care in other areas of the world."
North York, Ontario
Rob Bryan is a licensed health care professional practicing in Anaesthesia Care, Adult and Neonatal Critical Care and Emergency Medicine. He is a staff Registered Respiratory Therapist and Anaesthesia Assistant at a community hospital in Richmond Hill, Ontario and a Paramedic with York Region Emergency Medical Services. He has extensive experience and current evidence based knowledge in anaesthetic care standards including clinical, technical and equipment standards, point of care lab testing, and air quality/OR pollution control quality assurance programming. He is also a member of the Canadian Standards Association Perioperative Technical Committee and the Canadian Advisory Committee to ISO/TC121 for Anaesthesia and Respiratory Equipment.
Texas, USA
"Mo graduated from Respiratory Therapy school in 1986. Two years later he ventured into Anesthesia and Respiratory medical equipment enterprise. Mo started his own company, CAREstream Medical where he became CEO. After 20 years the company grew to employ close to a hundred people across North America. In 2014, Mo was the recipient of a life time achievement award at the Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists (CSRT). In 2014, Mo needed to take time away to focus on health and well-being. Mo’s involvement in RTWB is his way of giving back to the community."