MFC’s Leadership

Board Members

Trish Barbato, Co-Founder and Director, The Menopause Foundation of Canada

Trish Barbato

Trish has held numerous senior leadership positions in healthcare and is currently President and CEO of the Arthritis Society. She has held executive roles in the hospital, retirement and long-term care, home care, mental health and community sectors. Trish is passionate about innovation as strategy and created an award-winning innovation program in the senior living sector. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Trish is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant. She is Co-Founder and Director of Community Meditation and is a published author and international speaker on topics such as design thinking, innovation and leadership. Trish received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award for her 25+ year volunteer commitment to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Janet Ko, President and Co-Founder, The Menopause Foundation of Canada

Janet Ko

Janet has held numerous senior leadership positions in pharmaceuticals, global life sciences and the senior living sector. She has served on the management teams of leading Canadian companies as SVP Communications and has led marketing and organization development functions throughout her career. An award-winning creator of innovative communication campaigns, Janet has launched thought leadership programs focused on raising awareness of ageism and fostering inter-generational learning. She has helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity and is passionate about helping women thrive through their menopausal years. She received her Master of Arts in Journalism from Western University and holds a Queen’s University Certificate in Organization Development.

Trish Barbato
Co-Founder and Director,
The Menopause Foundation of Canada

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Trish has held numerous senior leadership positions in healthcare and is currently President and CEO of the Arthritis Society. She has held executive roles in the hospital, retirement and long-term care, home care, mental health and community sectors. Trish is passionate about innovation as strategy and created an award-winning innovation program in the senior living sector. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Trish is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant. She is Co-Founder and Director of Community Meditation and is a published author and international speaker on topics such as design thinking, innovation and leadership. Trish received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award for her 25+ year volunteer commitment to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Janet Ko
President and Co-Founder,
The Menopause Foundation of Canada

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Janet has held numerous senior leadership positions in pharmaceuticals, global life sciences and the senior living sector. She has served on the management teams of leading Canadian companies as SVP Communications and has led marketing and organization development functions throughout her career. An award-winning creator of innovative communication campaigns, Janet has launched thought leadership programs focused on raising awareness of ageism and fostering inter-generational learning. She has helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity and is passionate about helping women thrive through their menopausal years. She received her Master of Arts in Journalism from Western University and holds a Queen’s University Certificate in Organization Development.

Our Story – We had looked forward to menopause as a time of freedom and an exciting second act in life. Instead, we were blindsided by a host of symptoms we did not appreciate were part of the menopause transition. We realized that women – like us – were struggling to find answers and to get help. Many were suffering in silence. Our journeys to get support through the health care system and beyond convinced us that menopause was a gender equity issue that required urgent attention. We created the Menopause Foundation of Canada to lead a national conversation about menopause and to advocate for concrete action to improve mature women’s health.

Medical Advisory Board

Members of the Medical Advisory Board will offer guidance on The Menopause Foundation of Canada’s advocacy goals and public awareness campaigns. These clinical experts provide a front-line perspective on women’s experience during menopause and direct us to the best sources of evidence-based health information.

Dr. Marie Christakis, MD, FRCSC, NCMP, MPH
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Menopause Specialist St. Michael’s Hospital

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Dr. Marie Christakis received her medical degree from McMaster University and completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Toronto. She then completed a fellowship in Menopause and Mature Women’s Health. Her clinical interests include menopause, premature ovarian insufficiency, and vulvar diseases. She sees patients at the Gynelogical Department at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

During her fellowship, she also completed a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, with a focus in population-level data analysis. Her research interests include the interactions between menopause and obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk.
Dr. Natasha Deshwal, MD, FCFP, BSc
Founder and Director, Bedford Basin Women’s Health Clinic, Nova Scotia

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Dr. Natasha Deshwal completed her medical degree and family medicine residency at Dalhousie University. She then established one of the first primary care physician-led clinics for women’s health in Nova Scotia where her patients receive support and care for menopausal and perminenopausal symptoms. Dr. Deshwal is a leader in family medicine who has served as President of the Nova Scotia College of Family Physicians. She is passionate about women’s health and has dedicated her career to sharing her knowledge with colleagues and empowering women to participate in their own care, particularly as they enter their menopausal years.
Dr. Debra Evaniuk, MD, FRCSC
Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba Obstetrics & Gynaecology

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Dr. Evaniuk completed her medical degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba. She then completed a fellowship in Menopause and Mature Women’s Health in 2013. She is currently Assistant Professor and Section Head of Menopause with the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Manitoba and accepts referrals through the Blue Bird Clinic at HSC Winnipeg Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Evaniuk is a board member of the Canadian Menopause Society and is a passionate supporter of menopause education. She speaks locally and nationally to audiences on a variety of menopause related topics, and was an author on the most recent edition of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada’s Menopause Guidelines.
Dr. Michelle Jacobson, MD, FRCSC
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Menopause Specialist Women’s College and Mount Sinai Hospital in Ontario

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Dr. Michelle Jacobson is a menopause specialist with an interest in menopause oncology and Hereditary Breast and Ovarian cancer syndrome. She completed medical school at the University of Western Ontario, residency at McMaster University, and fellowship in menopause and mature women’s health at UofT. Her MHSc is in the field of translational research. Dr. Jacobson utilizes this in her research on menopause management in BRCA Mutation carriers, women survivors of blood, bone, gynaecologic, and breast cancers, and women with turners syndrome. She practices in the Gynecology Program at Women’s College Hospital.
Dr. Radomir Jarcevic, MD, FRCSC
Clinical Lecturer, Université de Montréal, Menopause Specialist IUSSS-de-l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal

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Dr. Radomir Jarcevic completed his medical degree in obstetrics and gynecology at Université de Montréal in 2015. He then completed additional training in menopause and mature woman’s health at Mount Sinai Hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. He has been practicing at the CIUSSS-de-l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal since 2016, and works out of GMF District Medical.

Dr. Jarcevic has a general practice in obstetric gynecology and offers dedicated healthcare to perimenopausal and menopausal women. He is also actively involved in the training of medical students and residents through his role as a clinical lecturer at Université de Montréal. Dr. Jarcevic significantly contributes to medical education by regularly giving presentations at conferences.

Dr. Jarcevic is a member of the Board of Directors for the Association des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Québec.
Dr. Kelsey Mills, MD, FRCSC
Associate Professor, University of British Columbia and Affiliate Associate Professor, University of Victoria

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Dr. Kelsey Mills obtained her honours undergraduate degree from Mount Allison University and her medical degree and residency in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Toronto. She completed a fellowship in Mature Women’s Health at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto. She obtained her Master of Science in Health Science Education at McMaster University.

Dr. Mills has been a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) since 2013 and has previously won the SIGMA Young Canadian Menopause Scholar Award, the NAMS/Teva Women’s Health Resident Excellence Award and the NAMS New Investigator Award. She is currently a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in Victoria, BC where she has a complex menopause practice. She is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia and Affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Victoria. In 2022 she was elected to the Boards of the Canadian Menopause Society and Canadian Women in Medicine (CWIM).
Dr. Shafeena Premji, MD, CCFP, MHA, BSc, NCMP
North American Menopause Society Certified GP Operating a Menopause Clinic in Alberta

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Dr Premji completed a Masters Degree in Health Administration (2005-2007) from the University of British Columbia. She then went on to complete medical school (2007- 2010) at the University of Calgary followed by her Family Medicine Residency at Queens University. She completed a fellowship in Women’s Health (2012-2013) at the Shirley E Greenberg Women’s Health Centre in Ottawa. Dr Premji then received her NAMS certification in 2015 and then began a menopause clinic within her general family practice. Dr. Premji also operates two medical clinics in Alberta focused on women’s health and sits on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Menopause Society.
Dr. Alison Shea, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Assistant Professor, McMaster University, Obstetrician, Gynecolgist and Menopause Specialist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Ontario

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Dr. Alison Shea completed her medical degree at the University of Ottawa and her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Toronto. She then completed a clinical fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto in Menopause and Reproductive Mental Health. Dr. Shea is an Assistant Professor at McMaster University, cross-appointed to both the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Psychiatry. She is certified menopause practitioner through the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and is a member of the NAMS education and examination committees. She also earned an MSc in Neuroscience and Behavioural Sciences at McMaster University in 2003 and a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences in 2007 from the University of Toronto, with a focus on women’s mental health.
Dr. Lindsay Shirreff, MD, MSc(HQ), FRCSC
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Menopause Specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Ontario

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Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Menopause Specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Ontario then completed fellowships in Minimally Invasive Gynaecologic Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital and Mature Women’s Health and Menopause at Mount Sinai Hospital. She also completed a Master of Science in Healthcare Quality at Queen’s University. Dr. Shirreff is an assistant professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at University of Toronto and is a member of the Generalist Division at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto.
Dr. Wendy Wolfman, MD, FRCS(C), FACOG, NCMP
President of the Canadian Menopause Society and board member of the International Menopause Society

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Dr. Wendy Wolfman has dedicated her entire career to improving the lives of women. She is the director of the Menopause Clinic and the Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital. She is also a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Toronto. She received her MD from the University of Calgary and her post-graduate training in Calgary, Toronto, and South Carolina. She lectures extensively across Canada and internationally and, as the inaugural recipient of the Carol Mitchell Chair in Menopause, runs an annual course on menopause for up to 400 physicians and other health professionals