CanLyme board of directors and advisory council
Residing from coast to coast, CanLyme’s Board of Directors each has a unique connection to the cause.
Some are Lyme survivors, some are scientists, and some are friends or family members of Lyme victims. Each one volunteers their time and expertise — and all are committed to preventing the spread of Lyme disease and other tick borne diseases, improving diagnostics, and improving treatment. Tick borne diseases do not discriminate by language, education, financial standing, religion, race, gender, or age. We are driven by passion led by compassion.
Janet Sperling, PhD
Edmonton, AB
President, CanLyme, Entomologist
Janet Sperling has personal experience navigating the complexities of Lyme diagnosis and treatment for her family. A Master’s in Entomology, and now a PhD, has given her the tools for understanding the biological diversity and diagnostic complexity of arthropod-vectored illnesses. Janet is currently also a lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta. More about Janet.
Suzanna Wong, PhD
黃 素 霞 (she/her) Edmonton, AB
Treasurer CanLyme
Suzanna So Ha Wong is an adjunct Professor & an Associate Lecturer at the College of Social Sciences & Humanities, Faculty of Education (Elementary Education), University of Alberta. She has two primary research areas. One is understanding young children’s home digital literacy practices. The other is the connections between literacy learning and makerspaces in elementary classrooms. More about Suzanna.
Robert G. Murray (DDS)
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Dentist
Robert Murray has a biology background, with summer employment from the National Research Council and Department of Fisheries, while he studied dentistry (Dalhousie). He established a dental practice in the first collaborative Medical/Dental Centre in Lunenburg in 1973. Rob retired after a 40 year practice. More about Robert.
Mary Keating
Niagara Region, ON
Technology and Corporate Communications
Mary is committed to applying her expertise in communications—developed over a career in executive and communications consulting roles—to improve Lyme literacy and to help advocate for better diagnostics and treatments for all tick-borne diseases. Her passion for supporting the cause of Lyme comes from personal and family experience. More about Mary.
Dr. Sarah Keating
Toronto, ON
Anatomic Pathologist
Sarah Keating has witnessed the barriers to diagnosis and treatment of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in a close family member. She is committed to spreading awareness of the potential causative role of tick-borne diseases in mental illness, promoting education of Canadian health care practitioners and policy makers in tick-borne diseases, and promoting the role of tissue diagnosis to increase our understanding of these diseases. More about Sarah.
Vett Lloyd, PhD
Sackville, New Brunswick
Biology, Mount Allison University
Dr. Vett Lloyd is a professor of Biology at Mount Allison University working on ticks and the pathogens they transmit. Dr. Lloyd is the co-founder of the Canadian Lyme Science Alliance, an organization that aims to unite scientists, clinicians, and patients in the quest for a more comprehensive understanding of Lyme disease. She is also the founding member of the Canadian Lyme Consortium and the Mount Allison Lyme Disease Network. More about Vett.
Herman Green BEd., MEd
Buffalo Point, Manitoba
Councilor and Land/Office Manager
Land Manager, Jan 2008, and still Councillor for the First Nation, Director for the Buffalo Point Development Corporation, Administrator of both Council/Board activities. Employed with Southeast Resource Development Council, 1985, as First Nation Government Development Advisor, worked with 9 First Nations. Buffalo Point is an endemic area for Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections as is most of Canada now. Herman has witnessed the effect lack of proper diagnostics and access to appropriate treatment has had on people in his community. More about Herman.
Dr. Linda Laidlaw
Edmonton, AB
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education; University of Alberta
Linda Laidlaw’s research is in the area of literacy, curriculum, diversity, and complexity theory. After witnessing her own daughter’s struggle with Lyme disease and diagnosis, Linda developed an interest in the cognitive problems associated with chronic Lyme disease, and how parents and schools can best address those issues. Linda’s daughter has made a substantial recovery, and her positive response to treatment has moderated her doctors’ previously skeptical view of Lyme disease.
Advisory council
CanLyme also works with a valued team of advisors.
Anna Ignaszak, PhD
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Professor, University of New Brunswick
Anna Ignaszak is a professor in analytical chemistry at the University of New Brunswick (UNB, Canada); before that, she was a Junior Professor (W1) at the Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena (Germany). Anna obtained a PhD in my native Poland in 2006 and moved to Canada to take on a position as a research associate at The University of British Columbia and the National Research Council of Canada. More about Anna.
John McLaughlin, PhD
Toronto, Ontario
Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto
Dr. John McLaughlin is a Professor Emeritus of epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. As a scholar he has more than 350 peer-reviewed publications. He continues to teach, mentor trainees and investigators, and advise organizations on population health policy and research. He is recognized as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (FCAHS). More about John.
Mario Levesque, PhD
Sackville, New Brunswick
Associate Professor, Mount Allison University
Mario Levesque is an Associate Professor of Canadian politics and public policy in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Mount Allison University. His teaching and research focus on Canadian politics and public policy with an emphasis on Atlantic Canadian politics, especially disability policy and environmental policy. His research examines relationships between governance arrangements, civil society actors. More about Mario.
Recent board members
Dr. W. Reuben Kaufman
Salt Spring Island, BC
Professor Emeritus of Zoology, Uof A
A Professor at the University of Alberta from 1977 to 2012, Reuben Kaufman has conducted research on numerous aspects of tick biology since 1968. He retired to Salt Spring Island from U of A in 2012, and through the courtesy of Dr. Justene Tedder he was given space at the Gulf Islands Veterinary Clinic to continue his research on the mechanical properties of the tick cuticle. More about Reuben.
Chris Robinson, MA
Cavendish, PEI
Health Economics/Epidemiology
Chris was an epidemiologist/manager with Public Health Agency of Canada from 2000 to 2012. He led a $3 million federal / provincial research culminating in CANRISK diabetes screening protocol & risk scoring tool and a urinary sodium survey in Eastern Ontario to assess dietary salt intake in general population. He was Senior health Economist in New Brunswick, Health and Community Services (1992 to 2000). He has worked as a Public health advocate with various CBC interviews & letters to editor regarding tick borne disease; creating PEI defibrillator registry; and ambulance / emergency medical services.
In memoriam
Jim Wilson
Past President and Founder; Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation
January 2, 1954 – June 28, 2024
Jim Wilson was involved in networking with Lyme victims and providing information for over 25 years. He contracted Lyme disease in 1991 in Dartmouth, N.S. and his daughter contracted Lyme disease in 2001 in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. With a background in investigating medical malpractice and legal liability matters, Jim provides unique insight into medical research from a perspective of conflict of evidence.