The Connected Care Halton Ontario Health Team is guided by a Collaborative Committee with equal leadership representation from Acclaim Health, Halton Healthcare, and Halton Region, and our Patient, Family, & Caregiver Advisory Committee, as well as physicians from Milton, Halton Hills, Oakville, and specialty care.
Collaborative Partners
Halton Healthcare
Melissa Farrell
President and CEO, Halton Healthcare
CCHOHT Collaborative Committee Co-Chair
Melissa joined Halton Healthcare as President & CEO in June 2023. Melissa is a health system leader who is passionate about building integrated care and making sure that people have the support they need from all parts of the health system – this includes hospitals, community services, primary care, mental health, public health, population health and more.
Prior to joining Halton Healthcare Melissa served as President of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton where she led an innovative multi-site academic teaching hospital, affiliated with McMaster University. Before her time at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Melissa had a long and distinguished career largely focused in the public sector including her role as Assistant Deputy Minister, Acute and Emergency Health Services for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Melissa is currently a Board Member of the Ontario Hospital Association. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Master’s Degree in Planning from Queen’s University and has continued educational development in leadership programs at Harvard Business School, Ivey Business School and The Rotman School of Management.
Acclaim Health
Kelly McWilliams
CEO, Acclaim Health
CCHOHT Collaborative Committee Member
Kelly McWilliams (RN, MBA), has over 30 years of healthcare leadership experience in both home care and hospital settings. Her deep understanding of both of these sectors, has given her a unique perspective on the challenges facing the healthcare system today and has made her a passionate advocate for better integrated patient care. She leads Acclaim Health in providing innovative care and support for families that combines the best of the home care and community service sectors in unique, patient-centred ways. A champion for healthcare workers, she has fought hard for wage parity and improved working conditions for front line team members. Believing strong collaborative relationships is the key to moving the sector forward, she is actively involved in the home care transformation across three Ontario Health Teams and is committed to building a resilient and sustainable healthcare system for the future.
Halton Region
Dr. Deepika Lobo, MD, MBA, MPH, FRCPC
Commissioner & Medical Officer of Health, Halton Region
CCHOHT Collaborative Committee Member
Dr. Deepika Lobo is the Commissioner and Medical Officer of Health for Halton Region, where she leads the Health Department’s work to promote health, prevent disease, reduce inequities, and deliver essential public health and paramedic services to the community. She was appointed to the role in 2024, following her service as Associate Medical Officer of Health since 2019.
With a career spanning clinical medicine, public health, policy, and leadership, Dr. Lobo brings a wealth of experience to her role. She completed her residency in Public Health and Preventive Medicine at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Medicine and has also earned a Master of Public Health and a Master of Business Administration from McMaster University. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and holds a Doctor of Medicine from Kasturba Medical College at Manipal University in India.
Before joining Halton Region, Dr. Lobo held diverse positions across healthcare and health system administration including clinical practice in India, policy advisory work with the Ontario Ministry of Health, and clinical and administrative placements in hospitals, community care, and health system organizations in Ontario.
Throughout her career, Dr. Lobo has been recognized for her dedication to evidence-based decision making, community health, and collaborative leadership. Her commitment ensures Halton Region continues to deliver high-quality, accessible, and innovative public health and paramedic services that protect and improve the well-being of all residents.
Patient, Family, and Caregiver Representation
Michele Sparling
Chair, PFAC
CCHOHT Collaborative Committee Member
Michele Sparling has more than 30 years of in-depth experience as a results-oriented senior human resources professional. Her work experience ranges from small entrepreneurial firms to large multi-location companies covering the private, public, and not-for-profit sector across provincial and federal jurisdictions. She has over 18 years of experience as Chair for Boards, Committees, and Advisories at local, provincial and national level in healthcare, education, and social services. Through community collaboration, Michele helped create the grassroots program, Just Be You, to provide peer support for youths (15-25) dealing with mental health and addiction concerns.
She serves as Chair of the CCHOHT Patient, Family, and Caregiver Advisory Committee, and as a member of the CCHOHT Collaborative Committee, in addition to being a member of the Mental Health and Addictions work stream. She signed up because of her strong advocacy for patient and family centered care, believing strongly in the need to treat patients and their families and cargivers as a partner in the healthcare system, especially when informing system change and co-design.
Primary Care Representation
Vacant
HPA Oakville Primary Care Representative
Dr. Kiran Cherla
HPA Halton Hills Primary Care Representative
CCHOHT Collaborative Committee Co-Chair
Dr. Kiran Cherla is a family doctor in Halton Hills for over 18 years and serves as their representative on the CCHOHT Collaborative Committee. He is also the co-lead for the Mental Health work stream and serves as a Halton Physician Association liaison at the Collaborative Committee. He is a primary care lead for the Mississauga-Halton Ontario Health atHome, and has been the President of Halton Healthcare Services Professional Staff Association, a Board Member for the Ontario Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association, and is an Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University.
Vacant
HPA Specialist Representative
Expression of Interest Partners
If you wish to collaborate with the Connected Care Halton OHT, please select and fill in one of the two Expression of Interest Forms below and email it to info@connectedcarehalton.ca
By signing the expression of interest you are communicating your willingness to participate in further discussion and exploration of involvement with the Connected Care Halton Ontario Health Team.
Please note you can fill in an Expression of Interest form with multiple OHTs.
General Inquiries: info@cchoht.ca