2022-2023
Executive of the CAR Board of Directors
President – Dr. Gilles Soulez
Past President – Dr. Michael Barry
Vice President – Dr. Ania Kielar
Secretary-Treasurer – Dr. Alison Harris
Board Meetings Chair – Dr. Carolyn Flegg
CAR Board of Directors
Dr. William Anderson
Dr. Michael Barry
Dr. Pierre Bourgouin
Dr. Virginie Demers
Dr. Darren Ferguson
Dr. Carolyn Flegg
Dr. Alison Harris
Dr. Ania Kielar
Dr. Kiana Lebel
Dr. Frank J Lexa
Dr. Daniel Petrie
Dr. Heidi Schmidt
Dr. Gilles Soulez
Dr. Carlos Torres
Dr. Sheldon Wiebe
Biographies
Dr. Gilles Soulez, President
Dr. Soulez is a vascular and interventional radiologist based in Montreal. He is currently Professor of Radiology and Chair of the Department of Radiology, Radio-oncology and Nuclear Medicine at the University of Montreal.
Born in France, Dr. Soulez completed his medical studies at the Université Paris Descartes. After receiving his board certification in radiology in 1988, he completed a two-year fellowship and subsequently received certification from the College of Interventional Radiology in 1990 in Paris. He moved to Montreal in 1991 and was certified as a radiologist in the province of Quebec in 1992. He continued his work and studies at the Université de Montréal, completing a Master of Science in clinical epidemiology in 2000, and becoming radiology board certified at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2010.
Since arriving in Canada, he has remained at the Université de Montréal, having been promoted to full professor in the department of radiology in 2003, and becoming the department’s chair in June 2012. He has mentored many students in the last 20 years, including residents, fellows, graduate and post-doctorate students, as well as involving himself in undergraduate training.
He has funded the research imaging platform at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal Research Center and was involved in multiple preclinical and clinical research studies. His research program is exclusively dedicated to vascular and interventional radiology with a particular interest in the field of aneurysm endovascular repair, peripheral vascular disease and advanced image guidance for IR procedures.
Dr. Soulez has published 177 peer-reviewed papers, 27 book chapters, 57 proceedings, 374 scientific abstracts, 97 scientific exhibits and has delivered over 163 invited presentations at conferences in North America and Europe. His publications were cited 5538 times with a 37 H-index (25 since 2011) and a constant increase during the last years. He is author or co-author on 8 patents in the field of vascular and interventional radiology and filed 4 licenses (ORS, Siemens Medical, Acist and Cook Medical).
He serves on the editorial committee of the Journal de Radiologie Diagnostique et Interventionnelle, as well as acting as a reviewer for many English-language journals, including Investigative Radiology, the European Radiology, the American Journal of Radiology, British Journal of Surgery, the European Journal of Gastroenterology, the Canadian Association Radiologist, Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Journal of Endovascular Therapy, Medical Physics, Medical Engineering & Physics, Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Circulation.
Dr. Michael Barry, Past President
Dr. Barry is an Assistant Professor in Radiology at Dalhousie University and has served on numerous political action committees both locally and nationally, along with being President of the Saint John Chamber of Commerce and Vice-Chair of the Economic Development Agency for Southern New Brunswick. He serves on the Board of Canadian Health Solutions, an Atlantic Canadian Private Health initiative focused on research, occupational medicine and medical best practice.
Dr. Barry is the former Chief of Radiology at the Saint John Regional Hospital. He is also the founding President of Atlantic Diagnostic Medical Services and was a founding committee member of DalNB, the undergraduate medical school in Saint John.
Mike has a long history of working through the challenges of being a front-line radiologist. Not satisfied with the status quo, he has long been an advocate for better patient care as well as a sustainable work environment. A fifth-generation son of the Maritimes, he brings his grounded leadership to the national stage. He looks forward to connecting with the Canadian radiology community from coast-to-coast-to-coast and amplifying their voices.
Dr. Barry has been married to his wife Susan for 37 years and is the proud father of four children and one grandchild.
During his two-year term Dr. Barry will have a strong focus on advocating for the best interests of patients, reducing national wait times for medical imaging and encouraging greater public investments in capital equipment for imaging. Now more than ever, there needs to be a better understanding of the value of diagnostic imaging for the future of health care in Canada.
Dr. Ania Kielar, Vice President
Dr. Kielar is a radiologist at the JDMI (Joint Division of Medical Imaging) in Toronto. She completed medical school and residency at the University of Ottawa. She completed her fellowship in abdominal cross-sectional imaging at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, USA. She subsequently returned on staff at the Ottawa Hospital. She was the division director of the abdominal division at The Ottawa Hospital from 2010 until 2017. During this time, she also worked part-time as a community radiologist, as she enjoys all facets of radiology. In 2018, she joined the University of Toronto and the imaging department. She is currently the deputy chief for quality and practice improvement at the Joint Department of Medical Imaging as well as the Vice Chair at large for the department of Radiology at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Kielar has published more than 115peer-reviewed manuscripts, 15 book chapters and delivered invited educational lectures at numerous international radiology meetings. She is actively involved in the ACR LI-RADS group as well as participating in various national and international committees. . She is grateful for the opportunity to serve the CAR in this new capacity.
Outside of radiology, Ania enjoys playing ice hockey, cycling, SCUBA diving and adventure travels. Rob and Ania welcomed their son Edwin to the family in 2018 and he is already an avid adventure seeker.
Dr. Alison Harris, Secretary-Treasurer
Dr. Harris is an abdominal radiologist at the Vancouver General and University of British Columbia (UBC) Hospitals in Vancouver and a Clinical Professor at University of BC. She has been the division head of abdominal imaging at VGH for over 13 years. Dr. Harris is a past president of the British Columbia Radiological Society and Doctors of BC Section of Radiology (from 2017-19) and a BCRS executive member since 2008. She is a participates in multiple hospital, regional, provincial and national committees and is a member of the recently formed Canadian Society of Abdominal Radiologists.
Dr. Harris has a particular interest in quality. She has chaired several Doctors of BC committees on the appropriate utilization of ultrasound, CT and MR and is involved in work focusing on “essential imaging” and supporting referring practitioners. More recently, Dr. Harris was pleased to contribute to the CAR’s Radiology Resilience Report. Locally, Dr. Harris currently serves as Vice-President of the Health Authority Medical Staff Association. She is honoured to be considered to serve the CAR on the board.
Dr. Harris graduated from Leicester University Medical School and undertook Radiology residency at St. Mary’s Hospital, London, UK. She completed a fellowship in Abdominal Imaging and Intervention at UBC and has worked both in Toronto and Vancouver since then. Dr. Harris has published over 85 peer review papers and is actively involved in education and mentoring residents and fellows. She has presented at multiple local, national and international meetings and is a member of the American College of Radiology’s LI-RADS Committee.
Dr. Harris’s interests beyond abdominal imaging include leadership development, diversity, equity and inclusion, engagement and physician wellness.
Her outside interests include travel, running, cycling and spending time with her husband and three children.
Dr. Carolyn Flegg, Board Meetings Chair
Dr. Carolyn Flegg received her medical degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Following her radiology residency training at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, she completed a fellowship in Oncology Imaging through McMaster University at the Henderson Hospital site in Hamilton, Ontario.
In 2007, after working at the Henderson Hospital for a year following her fellowship, Dr. Flegg returned home to Saskatchewan, where she joined Associated Radiologists in Saskatoon. While her practice encompasses all areas of general diagnostic radiology, her primary field of interest is oncology imaging, particularly breast, thyroid and gynecological imaging.
In 2009 and 2010, Dr. Flegg served as the Clinical Head for the Department of Medical Imaging of the Saskatoon Health Region. She is currently the Medical Director of the Breast Health Centre at Saskatoon City Hospital.
Dr. Bill (W. W.) Anderson
Dr. Bill Anderson graduated from the University of Alberta Medical School in 1980, and Radiology from the University of Calgary in 1985. He moved back to Edmonton in that year and joined Clare and Associates Radiology partnership at the Edmonton General Hospital. He did further training in Neuro-diagnostics at the University of California, San Francisco in 1994. With changes in health care in the mid-1990s, he was instrumental in the merger of four separate imaging partnerships in Edmonton to form Medical Imaging Consultants (MIC), the largest partnership of diagnostic imagers in Canada and still serves on their executive. Still successful today, MIC serves Northern Alberta through serving eight separate hospitals as well as operating over a dozen major full-service outpatient medical imaging facilities.
He became involved in medical politics and advocacy early in his career. He was the President of the Alberta Society of Radiologists in 1994-1996 and the Alberta Medical Association in 1997. He subsequently was on the CMA Board from 1998-2001 and again as Observer to the Board in 2006- 2009. During this time he chaired both the AMA Government Affairs Committee from 2002-2008 and then subsequently the CMA Political Action Committee from 2006 to 2009. He was awarded the Sir Charles Tupper Award for Advocacy by the CMA in 2010.
He has been heavily involved in medical administration serving on numerous governmental, medical associations and hospital/ health authority committees. These included several years on the Standing Policy Committee on Health and the Private Hospital Committee for the Provincial Government, as well as numerous information technology and governance committees. He has been recognized for his leadership and service over the years with a REACH Award from Capital Health for Medical Leadership in Administration as well as named one of the Alberta Physician of the Century in Alberta (joint award from AMA and CPSA recognizing 100 Physician Leaders in Alberta over the preceding century). He also received the Member Emeritus Distinction in 2014 from the AMA.
Dr. Anderson is currently the Provincial Medical Director Diagnostic Imaging for Alberta Health Services(AHS) as well as the Zone Medical Director for Diagnostic Imaging AHS Edmonton Zone and a clinical professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Alberta.
Dr. Anderson lives in Edmonton with his wife Diane and has two daughters (Alexandra and Hannah) and their dog, a Havanese named Lucy. Their time away is often enjoyed at their family cabin in Jasper where he loves to mountain bike, hike, golf and ski.
Dr. Pierre Bourgouin
Dr. Pierre Bourgouin is currently a neuroradiologist at the CHUM in Montreal, full professor at the University of Montreal and Associate Dean at the Faculty of Medicine. He completed his residency in Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Montreal and 2 ½ years of fellowships at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Montreal Neurological Institute in chest radiology, magnetic resonance imaging and neuroradiology.
Dr. Bourgouin has been teaching Neuroradiology to medical students, clinical clerks, residents and fellows at the University of Montreal since 1991 and also at McGill University from 1991 to 1999. His research interests include magnetic resonance imaging of multiple sclerosis and functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain.
Dr. Bourgouin’s scientific publications include 2 books, 4 book chapters, 53 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 116 abstracts at scientific meetings. Financial support for his research programs included two grants for development of research infrastructures from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Dr. Bourgouin was a member of the annual meeting scientific committee of the Radiological Society of North America during 7 years. He was radiologist-in-chief at the CHUM during 12 years, chairman of the academic department of Radiology, Radiation oncology and Nuclear medicine during 7 years and has been Associate Dean of Medicine, executive, clinical sciences and health network since 2011.
Dr. Bourgouin lives in Montreal with his wife and 3 children, once of which is currently training in diagnostic radiology. He enjoys skiing, jogging and windsurfing.
Dr. Virginie Demers
Dr. Virginie Demers works as a radiologist in the greater Outaouais region of Quebec, where one team of radiologists serves 6 hospitals.
After completing her residency at McGill and a fellowship in Interventional Radiology in Toronto, Dr. Demers decided to gear her practice towards community radiology in order to feed her passion for community medicine, where it is often required to “do more with less.” She has a particular interest in medical imaging innovation and providing radiology services to remote areas.
She also teaches students from McGill University on the Outaouais Campus. Dr. Demers holds a medical licence in Alberta and Ontario, where she works as a locum doctor to keep aware of radiology practices across the country.
Outside radiology, Dr. Demers likes to walk along the Rivière des Outaouais and look for treasures with her daughter and her spouse. She also likes gardening, running, and painting.
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Dr. Darren B Ferguson
Dr. Ferguson (Ferg) is an Associate Professor at Dalhousie University. He occupies the role of Representative for the Canadian Association for Interventional Radiology (CAIR) on the Canadian Association of Radiologists Board of Directors.
Ferg completed his radiology residency at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia in 1995 and his fellowship in Cardiovascular & Interventional Radiology at George Washington University in Alexandria, Virginia in 1996.
Ferg was the Divisional Head of Vascular & Interventional at the Saint John Regional Hospital from 1996-2019. During that time, he, along with his colleagues, forged many first’s for New Brunswick, and he has the bruises to prove it.
Ferg has been the Section Representative to the New Brunswick Medical Society (NBMS) since 2003, and the President of the New Brunswick Association of Radiologists (NBAR) since 2008. On the bureaucratic level, he is inspired to pursue lasting relations with administrative colleagues that truly impact insightful advancements in patient-centered care and to maintenance of service delivery. Ferg has served on many national and provincial committees that continue to foster relations with community leaders, for the betterment of the public, which radiologists are so privileged to serve.
While Ferg will always remain pragmatic, he is never reticent to marketing the value of Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging within the Canadian Healthcare Continuum. His commitment, as a Board Member is to assure that all radiologists are well represented at-the-table and encourages his colleagues to become engaged and to join the team.
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Dr. Kiana Lebel
Dr. Kiana Lebel is a resident radiologist at the Université de Montréal. Before studying medicine, Dr. Lebel completed two years of a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She then enrolled in the medical program at the Université de Sherbrooke at their satellite campus in Chicoutimi. There, she was able to get involved with vulnerable populations, such as First Nations, elderly people in isolation and homeless women.
This interest in equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) issues led her to publish, as first author, the very first literary review on diversity in Canadian radiology (The Status of Diversity in Canadian Radiology—Where we stand and what can we do about it?). This article was one of the catalysts that led to the creation of the CAR’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.
This article also suggests increasing opportunities to expose medical students to radiology in order to ensure equitable representation in this speciality. It was with this goal in mind that she returned to Montreal as a resident radiologist and became the Medical Student Network (MSN) Coordinator for the 2021–2022 year to work with Canadian students from the 17 faculties of medicine. Among other projects, she developed the first mentorship network in radiology, which involves 60 residents and 60 medical students.
Passionate and motivated with regard to medical education and EDI issues, Dr. Kiana Lebel embarks on her term as President of the RFS in order to increase involvement and leadership opportunities for Canadian residents and fellows.
In her spare time, Dr. Lebel loves hiking and travelling around the world to discover new cultures. She has visited over 50 countries.
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Dr. Frank J. Lexa
Dr. Lexa, is an academic neuroradiologist and is currently a Professor and Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh where he also does global radiology work for UPMC International and teaches at the Katz business school. He holds MD and MBA degrees and is an FACR. He is alsothe author of : “Leadership Lessons for Success in Health Care” which takes a systematic approach to developing medical leadership skills. Previously, Dr. Lexa served as a Professor, the Associate Chief and the Vice Chair of Strategy and Leadership in the Department of Medical Imaging at the University of Arizona. He began his career in France with a visiting position at the Université de Bordeaux, and has been a Clinical Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a Professor of Radiology at the Drexel University College of Medicine where he was also the Vice Chair.
He has been honored with several major scientific research awards including the Cornelius G. Dyke Memorial award of the American Society of Neuroradiology. He also works outside of academic medicine and was a member of the adjunct faculty of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in the marketing department for seventeen years, where he taught both graduate and executive MBA students in the Global Consulting Practicum (GCP). In the GCP, he worked on five continents including leadership roles in Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and in East Asia for both mainland China and Taiwan.
For several years he also held an appointment as a Professor of Business Development in the Life Sciences at the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, at the time the top business school in Europe. There he won the prestigious “Prize of Excellence” twice for outstanding teaching.
He served as an ASNR ambassador in Lviv, Ukraine in 2017 and has also done international medical and education work on several continents including volunteer work in Uganda, Thailand, China and Russia. He has plans to serve again in Africa and Asia in the next two years.
Dr. Lexa lectures, consults and writes extensively on issues at the interface of healthcare and business. He has authored over 150 peer reviewed papers as well as multiple articles in the general medical press and in alternative media and has contributed multiple book and encyclopedia chapters. He has given over 2,000 academic, invited, educational, business and grand rounds lectures as well as chairing and directing numerous educational meetings for academic, professional and business organizations.
He has chaired, co-chaired and served on several key national committees and task forces for major organizations in US radiology. He is the 2022-2023 Vice President of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and served on the Board of Chancellors of the ACR for two terms as the Chair of the Commission on Leadership and Practice Development. He is the Chief Medical Officer of the Radiology Leadership Institute. He is also the current chair of the ACR International Economics Committee and a member of the ACR International Commission as well as the chair of the Intersociety Committee which brings together all of the key organizations in US radiology. He recently began an educational collaboration with the International Society of Radiology resulting in a leadership program in Lusaka, Zambia. In the past, he also served for six years as a founding co-chair of the Future Trends Committee for the ACR and was on the Budget and Finance Committee. Previously he directed healthcare investments for the British Technology Group International and worked as a strategic consultant for the Boston Consulting Group in their healthcare practice. He is also the founder and CEO of a boutique healthcare strategy group: LSG Ventures. For several years, Dr. Lexa was a partner at Philadelphia Ventures-a venture capital firm focusing on high tech medical and information technology early stage investments and he continues to work with start up companies in the healthcare sector.
He was educated and did his medical training in Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, and in Philadelphia. He is a licensed general aviation airplane pilot and an avid skier and SCUBA diver. He has raised money for several charities in multiple ways including a 100 mile bike ride for MS research. In his spare time, he cycles and chases after his Portuguese water dog Gabby and his pot belly pig, Pyper.
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Dr. Daniel Petrie
Dr. Daniel Petrie is a community radiologist at the Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, serving the Northern Zone of the Nova Scotia Health Authority.
Dr. Petrie completed his medical studies and diagnostic radiology residency at Dalhousie University, and is certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as well as the American Board of Radiology. Before entering medicine, he studied undergraduate physics at the University of Guelph, and completed a Master’s degree in biomedical physics at the University of Western Ontario, focusing on MRI physics.
Dr. Petrie served as President of the Nova Scotia Association of Radiologists from 2015-2017 and has been re-elected to serve as President again in the fall of 2019. He has developed interests in teleradiology, lung cancer screening, smoking cessation, breast imaging and advocacy for a strong future for community radiology in Canada. Recent work includes the Cancer Care Nova Scotia Thoracic Diagnostic Specialist Working Group for early notification of suspicious lung lesions pilot project.
Dr. Petrie and his spouse live in Halifax and are excited to be starting their family.
Dr. Heidi Schmidt
Dr. Heidi Schmidt is the Radiologist-in-Chief of the Joint Department of Medical Imaging (JDMI) at the University Health Network, Sinai Health and Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, and Professor of Radiology at the University of Toronto; she is also Chief of the Medical Imaging Department at Health Sciences North in Sudbury.
She trained in Germany, where she finished her residency in diagnostic radiology in 1993. Following a research fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 1994, Dr. Schmidt was on faculty of the Department of Radiology at UCSF until 2002.
After her recruitment to Toronto in 2002, her research focused on lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography, both as a site in the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP), as well as a site in the Pan-Canadian Early Lung Cancer Detection Study. Since 2017, Dr. Schmidt is the Radiology Quality Lead of the High Risk Lung Cancer Screening Pilot at Cancer Care Ontario.
Dr. Carlos Torres
Dr. Torres is an Associate Professor of Radiology at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine and a staff neuroradiologist at The Ottawa Hospital since 2008. Before joining uOttawa and the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at The Ottawa Hospital, Dr. Torres completed a two-year Neuroradiology Fellowship at McGill University in Montreal.
Dr. Torres is the former Program Director of the Royal College Accredited Neuroradiology Fellowship Program at uOttawa, a position he held from 2010 to 2016. He is a member of the Royal College Neuroradiology Examination Board and member of the Royal College’s Specialty Committee in Diagnostic Radiology as the National Speciality representative for the CAR. He has also been the Director and Co-Director of multiple CME Courses in Europe, North America and Latin America.
Dr. Torres is in the Executive Committee of the Eastern Neuroradiological Society (ENRS), he is the Chair of the International Scientific Committee and president-elect for the Ibero Latin American Society of Neuroradiology (SILAN), a member of the Executive and Organizing Committee of the European Course of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology in Latin America, a member of the Organizing Committee of the 2022 World Federation of Neurological Sciences WFNRS Symposium Neuroradiologicum, in New York and the Director of the Neuroradiology Chapter for the Interamerican College of Radiology. In addition, Dr. Torres serves in multiple committees for the RSNA, ARRS and ASER.
Dr. Torres has given approximately 300 national and international invited lectures and is regularly invited to speak at all the major Radiology and Neuroradiology Meetings including: RSNA, ARRS, ISMRM, ASNR, ASSR, ASHNR, ASER, ENRS and CAR. He is an International Visiting Professor for RSNA, ASNR, ARRS and for the Interamerican College of Radiology (CIR). He has been Visiting Professor in multiple academic centres in the US and Canada as well as in Asia, Central and South-America, including Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Chile, Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Mongolia.
Dr. Torres is actively involved in medical education and research; his main areas of interest include vascular pathologies, brachial plexus imaging, spine and tumor imaging. He has multiple peer-reviewed publications and has written 16 book chapters. He is an Editor of the journal 3D Printing in Medicine, and a reviewer for multiple national and international journals including AJNR, CARJ and European Radiology.
He has received numerous departmental, national and international awards for his teaching and research including undergrad teacher of the year award, fellow teacher of the year award and most recently the 2017 RSNA Honored Educator Award. In 2017, he received the National Order of Merit Award in the Rank of Officer from the Republic of Colombia (equivalent to The Order of Canada) for his scientific contributions in the field of Diagnostic Neuroradiology and he was appointed as Distinguished Professor of Radiology at Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University in China. Most recently, he received the 2018 Anne G. Osborn ASNR Outreach Professor Award to represent the American Society of Neuroradiology in Myanmar and he was selected as Outreach International Visiting Professor to represent the ARRS in Valladolid, Spain in April 2019.
Dr. Sheldon Wiebe
Dr. Wiebe obtained his medical degree and did his post graduate training at the University of Saskatchewan. He then undertook a pediatric radiology fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children from 2002 to 2004 and then returned to Saskatoon to take a faculty appointment at the University of Saskatchewan and has been practicing in Saskatoon since July 2004. He was actively involved in the Biomedical Imaging and Therapy Beamline at the Canadian Light Source (Canada’s National Synchrotron Facility) and in 2012 obtained an MSc degree in work related to x-ray phase contrast imaging using synchrotron light, also from the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Wiebe has been actively involved in many administrative and leadership positions over that time; taking on the Interim Head of Department for the Saskatoon Health Region/University of Saskatchewan from 2006 to 2009 and again for part of 2010 and now again with the restructuring of the new Saskatchewan Health Authority has taken the role of Provincial Head for the Department of Medical Imaging, Saskatchewan Health Authority/University of Saskatchewan since January 2018. He is a full professor of the department of Medical Imaging, College of Medicine and University of Saskatchewan.