Who Are We
Psoriasis Canada is run by a committed Board of Directors who are impacted by psoriatic disease – either as patients themselves or family members – a medical advisory board of experienced experts across their fields who provide the knowledge, insight, and clinical guidance that help shape our work, and a dedicated staff who are committed to furthering PsoCan’s mission.
Board of Directors
Simmie Smith, Chair
Simmie Smith (she/her), M.O.M.,B.A.,M.B.A. is a passionate patient leader who has volunteered for the past 15 years in various capacities locally, nationally and internationally to assist others in navigating their own healthcare journey, including as current Chair of Psoriasis Canada. Her dedication comes from her own lived experience and as a first generation Canadian whose family were the first Sikh farmers in Sumas Prairie, Abbotsford, BC. In this environment she learned from an early age how to navigate the barriers she encountered as a racially diverse child in an English-based education and healthcare system. She has over 30 years of experience serving as a public servant within municipal, provincial and federal governments within Canada. As a result of her working within these public institutions she continues to draw from the similarities faced by those accessing our healthcare system. As a child she was exposed to hard work, inequities, and power imbalance to which she attributes her life-long passion of pursuing social justice for all and in memory of her father. Simmie’s more recent achievements include receiving the Order of Merit bestowed by the Governor General of Canada, the Canadian Police Exemplary Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal.
Christian Boisvert-Huneault, Vice Chair
Christian Boisvert-Huneault is a dedicated Healthcare Implementation Consultant at Harris Healthcare, specializing in workflow optimization and software integration. With a rich background as radiation therapist and Radiation Oncology Manager at the McGill University Health Centre, Christian has honed skills in team leadership, quality assurance, and patient care. An award-winning leader, Christian holds a BSc in Human Kinetics and a DEC in Radiation Therapy. Passionate about advancing healthcare, Christian also volunteers as a cyber mentor and serves as Chair of the Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patients and Vice-Chair of Psoriasis Canada.
Kimberly Seguin, Secretary
With over 20 years of dedicated nursing experience, Kim has become a valuable support for patients living with psoriasis and other auto-immune and inflammatory conditions. Her journey in healthcare began with a passion for patient care and a commitment to making a difference in the lives of those affected by chronic conditions. Her extensive career has been marked by her dedication to patient advocacy. As a Psoriasis patient and mother to a child with severe Eczema she has a unique perspective from both sides of the curtain. Having navigated the journey for herself, her son and many patients over the years she understands the art of advocating for what you need.
Simon Cheng, Treasurer
Mr. Cheng has over ten years of experience in the resource, technology and finance sector. He specializes in capital finance, business agreement negotiations and corporate development and has previously held positions with professional investment firms providing advisory services to high net worth individuals and institutional investors. He currently serves as CEO and director of Trench Metals Corp. (TSXV: TMC), a mineral exploration company with a focus on uranium; as a director of ALDD Ventures Corp. (TSXVC: ALDD.P.CC) and as CEO and director of Little Fish Acquisition I Corp. (TSXV: LILL.P), both capital pool companies; as CEO and director of BioCure Technology Inc. (CSE: CURE.X), a biopharmaceutical company; and as director of P2P Group Ltd. (formerly, Pure to Pure Beauty Inc.) (CSE: PPB), of which he was both CEO and director until August of 2024, which is engaged in the development and sale of consumer product goods. In the recent past, he has also served as a director and/or officer of a number of private companies in resource and health.
Kimberley Hanson, Director
Kimberley is a seasoned executive with a track record of strong leadership and execution and deep experience in the health charity sector in Canada. She is an expert in corporate strategy, public affairs, and communications. In recent years, she has worked as a strategic advisor to many organizations in the health and chronic disease community as Vice President at Hill+Knowlton Strategies and as Executive Director of Advocacy at Diabetes Canada. For nearly five years, she was Executive Director of Advocacy at Diabetes Canada, responsible for advocacy with the federal, provincial and territorial governments. She also led the Diabetes 360˚ initiative that has resulted in the passage of a law requiring Canada to implement a nation-wide framework to address the diabetes epidemic and a federal budget commitment in 2021. Kim is a fully bilingual, experienced spokesperson and public speaker who holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa. Prior to joining Diabetes Canada, Kim held various senior management positions in Communications, Business Development and Human Resources at Payments Canada and Export Development Canada. As a passionate volunteer and community member, over the past 25 years, Kim and her family have raised more than $1 million for local charities.
Reena Ruparelia, Director
Reena Ruparelia is a mindfulness advocate, wellness coach, and a voice for individuals living with chronic skin conditions, particularly psoriasis. Diagnosed with psoriasis at the age of 14, Reena is dedicated to spreading awareness about the emotional and physical challenges associated with skin disorders. Through her journey, she has cultivated a deep passion for mental health, body positivity, and self-acceptance. In addition to her digital advocacy, Reena is an HR Professional and avid dancer.
Kerry Yang, Director
Kerry Yang (he/him) is currently a medical student at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. As someone who has grown up with psoriasis and having more recently developed psoriatic arthritis, he is a passionate about supporting people with psoriasis through advocacy, collaboration, and research.
Medical Advisory Board
Dr. David Adam:
Dr. David Adam is the Medical Director of Baywood Dermatology. He is also the Lead Investigator at CCA Medical Research, a center for advanced dermatologic therapeutics.
Dr. Adam is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine.
Dr. Adam received his medical degree at the University of Toronto graduating with honors. He completed his residency at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Dermatology and Skin Science, serving as Chief Resident.
Dr. Adam is also the President of the Dermatology Association of Ontario, serves as a reviewer for several medical journals and regularly publishes in peer reviewed journals.
Dr. Vinod Chandran
Vinod Chandran MBBS, MD, DM, PhD, FRCPC, a rheumatologist, is a clinician scientist at the Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network (UHN), Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and holds the Dr. Dafna D. Gladman Chair in Psoriatic Arthritis Research at UHN. He is an expert in psoriatic arthritis and directs the Gladman Krembil Psoriatic Arthritis Program at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute. His translational research program is focused on developing biomarker-based diagnostic and prognostic tools for psoriatic arthritis, with support by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Psoriasis Foundation, the Arthritis Society, and the Krembil Foundation. He has published more than 250 papers. He is an elected member of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA- an international organization facilitating research and education on the diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis) Board of Directors and its Co-Vice President.
Dr. Charles Lynde
Dr. Charles Lynde is the Medical Director of Lynde Institute for Dermatology and Lynderm Research.
His clinical practice is a full-service dermatology practice offering medical and cosmetic dermatology as well as clinical trials.
A leader in Canadian research, Lynderm Research has been under the direction of Dr. Lynde for over 40 years. Dr. Lynde has been a Principal Investigator for over 400 clinical trials. He has authored more than 500 publications.
Additionally, with medical education as a pillar of his practice, Dr. Lynde maintains an associate professorship with the University of Toronto, teaching many medical students and residents throughout the years. A founding partner of DREAM, an annual program for new graduates of dermatology as they enter clinical practice. Dr. Lynde has been the chair of the Dermatology Update Conference since 2015.
Dr. Lynde is a nationally, and internationally recognized Key Opinion Leader in dermatology, having spoken at many major conferences worldwide.
Dr. Lynde has 6 children and 17 grandchildren.
Dr. Max Sauder
Dr. Maxwell Sauder is a board-certified dermatologist in Canada (FRCPC) and the United States (DABD) with additional fellowship training in cutaneous oncology. He is an assistant professor in the division of dermatology at the University of Toronto. He is an onco-dermatologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre where he assists in the management of complex cutaneous malignancies and skin toxicities of anticancer treatments. He also practices at Toronto Dermatology Centre where he has a large general dermatology practice and is the director of the Pigmented Lesion Clinic. He is the research director at Toronto Dermatology Centre where he runs clinical trials investigating new therapies for various dermatologic conditions.
Dr. Sauder earned his Doctor of Medicine degree at McMaster University and completed a residency in dermatology at The University of Ottawa where he was the chief resident and received The D.C. Montgomery Resident Award for excellence in research. He completed fellowship training in Cutaneous Oncology at Harvard Medical School. He is a former instructor in dermatology at Harvard Medical School. He is an active member of the Canadian Dermatology Association where he is a member of the Sun Awareness Working Group. He is the secretary of the Dermatology Association of Ontario. He is the Treasurer of the Section of Dermatology within the Ontario Medical Association where he advocates for dermatologists, doctors and most importantly patients.
Staff
Antonella Scali, CEO
Antonella Scali is a seasoned leader in the nonprofit sector, specializing in health policy, community engagement, and coalition-building. As the Chief Executive Officer of Psoriasis Canada, she focuses on raising awareness about psoriatic disease, enhancing care, and fostering community support. With a background as a registered social worker, Antonella has experience in crisis counseling, community engagement, and mental health policy analysis. This informs her collaborative leadership style and her dedication to supporting individuals with psoriatic disease. Her personal experiences as a family caregiver and community volunteer further motivate her commitment to improving health and social care.
Helen Crawford, Senior Programs Manager
Helen is an experienced patient advocate who has been working on behalf of Canadian skin patients since 2011. As the Senior Program Manager at PsoCan, Helen brings a strong background in communications, marketing and overall project management and works hard to bring valuable resources, tools and information to those Canadians impacted by psoriatic disease. She is also proud to serve as the vice president of the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations – a global organization representing over 60 million people living with psoriatic disease.
Affiliations
Psoriasis Canada is proudly affiliated with the following organizations.
Best Medicines Coalition
Canadian Skin Patient Alliance
IFPA
GlobalSkin
Sponsors
PsoCan is able to fulfill our mission through the generous support of our funders, partners, sponsors, donors and volunteers.
Platinum: AbbVie, J&J Innovative Medicines Canada
Silver: Arcutis
Bronze: Bausch Health, Organon
Supporter: IFPA, Innovative Medicines Canada