Director of Chapter Development Report

We are Ontario strong, with members in every corner of this great province! We are 50 years young, and we have made it this far with the support and participation from all of our members, from small clinics to our large facilities. In the effort to grow our chapters and show our commitment to every part of Ontario, we have embarked on a path of scheduling our provincial board meetings in as many different chapters as possible. 

Our first board meeting this year, in February, was held in Thunder Bay. This was our first effort in the start of our new initiative. Before our meetings, we had the privilege of touring and speaking to the staff at Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre at the invitation of Jodi Lewicki, Manager. It was a great success, with Nathalie Lagault, Director of Education, Candia Anderson, Director of Finance, myself Tony Leite, Director of Chapter Development, and Megan Bozec, Lambda Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer, having an opportunity to speak to the staff at the start of the afternoon shift. The staff present had some great questions, and we were all happy to respond in our capacity. As Director of Chapter Development, I emphasized the need to grow our membership and to encourage our current members to participate in the executive positions in their chapters. We all continued to outline the benefits of being a member of MDRAO and again encouraged staff members who were not currently members to consider becoming members. 

Following our meeting with the staff, Jodi provided us with a tour of their department, and I was impressed to see all of the protocols that we teach and learn through MDRAO were being successfully implemented. From proper PPE to parameters in assembly / prep, sterilization, storage and distribution, guidelines that we follow from CSA and teach in MDRAO were evident throughout this very busy department. I compliment Jodi Lewicki for her achievements in her year and a half as manager and the professionalism that her staff showed throughout the tour.


No regional meeting is complete without a luncheon, and with that, staff members at Thunder Bay Regional were invited to a lunch on Saturday, February 22, 2020. There were nine staff members that attended the lunch. While there, the board agreed to offer a free membership to MDRAO for the 20-21 year, and the lucky winner was Kelly Papineau. Congratulations, Kelly, and we hope that our visit was able to answer questions for staff and MDRAO members at Thunder Bay Regional. We on the board are very grateful for the hospitality that was demonstrated throughout our recent board meetings and visits.

On closing, I would again like to remind all members that chapter executive positions are being arranged for voting. If you were not able to submit your nomination forms in time for voting, there may still be an opportunity if a position has not yet been filled. Good luck to all of the nominees and we appreciate the effort that members put into their Chapters.

Best Wishes and Continue the Great Work

Tony Leite

Provincial MDRAO Director of Chapter Development