A warm welcome to our new Board members!

Refat Jiwani

Refat Jiwani CPA, CMA, FCCA (UK) comes to us with extensive experience in non-profit governance, risk management, and, financial and operations management, having most recently held the position of CFO at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto until his retirement this past December.

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Refat is a Chartered Professional Accountant with 25+ years of corporate business experience, plus 15 years more recently with AKDN. He has worked in the United Kingdom, North America, and Central Asia. Refat is a C-Suite executive (CFO & CEO) in Corporate Canada and the Charities sector with experience in governance, strategy development, operational execution, and financial and risk management. He was the CFO of the Aga Khan Museum until his retirement in December of 2020. During his tenure he refined the business model, upgraded systems and processes, and set the new organization on the path to financial self-sustainability. Refat established fiscal discipline with finance as an enabling business partner and achieved a record of $10M fundraising as interim Chief Development Officer. He stewarded the Museum through the COVID-19 Pandemic, judiciously managing resources without any layoffs despite a significant drop in revenues.

Refat serves on the Board of Directors of Imagine Canada (national umbrella organization of Canadian Charities & NFPs) as Treasurer and Chair of the Risk Management, Finance & Audit Committee, and Chair of the Standards Council. He is also on the Board of COSTI Immigrant services as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee, and Chair of the Nominations & Governance Committee.

Darcy Yamada

Darcy Yamada comes to us with significant expertise in corporate finance as well as personal experience with the disease having touched several family members. Darcy is a Senior Vice President with Ernst & Young in Edmonton and has held multiple roles on the board of the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories. 

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Darcy is a Senior Vice President with Ernst & Young Orenda Corporate Finance Inc. in Edmonton. Darcy specializes in advising mid-market private companies on transaction strategy, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and raising capital from institutional and private funders. 

Darcy joined the board of the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories in 2016 and has previously served as Chair of the Audit & Finance Committee and is currently serving as President since taking on the role in September 2019.  Darcy’s passion for supporting those with Dementia is based on his family’s history with Alzheimer’s, including his mother, aunt, and uncle. Having experienced the impact on his family, Darcy sees the importance of improving the quality of life of those with Dementia and their support network.

Dr. Roger Wong

Dr. Roger Y. M. Wong CM, BMSc, MD, FRCPC, FACP, FCAHS comes to us as a highly regarded expert in geriatric medicine and senior health care. He is currently a Clinical Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Vice Dean (Education) in the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Medicine, as well as a Consultant Physician at Vancouver General Hospital.

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Dr. Roger Wong is a Clinical Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine in the University of British Columbia (UBC) Department of Medicine and is a Consultant Physician of the Geriatric Consultation Program at the Vancouver General Hospital. He is the Vice Dean (Education) in the UBC Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Wong has been appointed to the Order of Canada, the first time a geriatrician is appointed to the country's highest civilian honour, for his contributions to the field of geriatric medicine, including the advancement of policies, education and specialized, culturally sensitive health care. 

Dr. Wong received his M.D. degree with Honours in Research from the University of Alberta and completed his postgraduate and fellowship training there. He was elected to the Fellowship of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, one of the highest honours in the health sciences field in Canada. Nationally, he is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Geriatric Medicine and Internal Medicine Examination Boards, and internationally, he was elected to the Fellowship of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Wong has received a number of prestigious awards in recognition of his exceptional national leadership in the field of seniors’ health care, including the 2019 Ronald Cape Distinguished Service Award,which recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the health care of older adults in Canada and is the highest honour given by the Canadian Geriatrics Society. He is also awarded the Lions Club International Medal of Merit, the highest honour that the Lions present He has received a number of Awards of Appreciation from the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia to recognize his advocacy work in the community. He has also received numerous medical education awards, including the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s Duncan Graham Award for Outstanding Contribution to Medical Education for his impact on medical education across Canada, the Donald Richards Wilson Award for his excellence in integrating the CanMEDS roles, the UBC Killam Teaching Prize, the UBC Faculty of Medicine Clinical Faculty Award for Career Excellence in Clinical Teaching, and the UBC Department of Medicine Master Teacher Award. 

Dr. Wong works tirelessly to advance academic and clinical health sciences related to geriatrics, and his work has made significant impact on the care for older people in Canada and the world. He was the 13th President of the Canadian Geriatrics Society and founded the state-of-the-art Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Unit in Vancouver, which has been implemented nationally and internationally. His clinical research focuses on hospital medicine in vulnerable older adults, including quality improvement in acute care geriatrics. Dr. Wong has made significant contributions in showcasing Canadian geriatrics around the world, culminating in his selection as the Trevor Howell Guest Lecturer in London, a prestigious honour bestowed by the British Geriatrics Society for an eminent physician or scientist with an international reputation. Dr. Wong also received the International Visiting Professor Medal from the Australia and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine, the first Canadian who has received this highest honour awarded by the Society to an international scientist in geriatrics. 

Dr. Wong has published and lectured extensively on geriatric medicine and medical education. He is also a TEDx Speaker, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by international audiences around the world.to non-members, as a special recognition for his outstanding community contribution in seniors care and medical education. 

Thank you to our parting board members!

We also wish to thank Dr. Serge Gauthier and Chris Lane for their time and contributions as their term on our Board of Directors comes to an end. Their insight and dedication were invaluable in our ongoing mission to support people living with dementia and advance research in Canada.

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Mr. Jiwani, Mr. Yamada and Dr. Wong and our deepest gratitude to Dr. Gauthier and Mr. Lane.