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Pediatric palliative care is so much more than end-of-life support — it’s about walking alongside children and their families from diagnosis through symptom management, grief, and beyond. In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, Dr. Katharine Smart speaks with Megan Wright (Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice) and Denise Praill (Canuck Place Children’s Hospice) about what it takes to right-size pediatric palliative care systems across Canada, improve equity and access, and support families, and providers, through the most challenging moments of care.

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What does it take to build a truly integrated, child- and family-centered healthcare system? In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, host Dr. Katharine Smart speaks with Lauren Ettin, CEO of the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO). Together, they explore how POGO as the leader of Ontario’s Childhood Cancer Care system has become a model for right-sized healthcare - from diagnosis to treatment through survivorship - by combining visionary leadership, strong partnerships, robust data, and diversified funding support. Listeners will learn how Ontario’s childhood cancer system provides supports that wrap around children and families, not only in providing physical and mental health care, but beyond to other supports and programs to help children, youth and families through treatment and survivorship. The system offers valuable lessons for reimagining pediatric care more broadly.


About Lauren
Lauren Ettin is currently the CEO of the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO), the advisor to government on childhood cancer with accountability for the delivery of care of Ontario’s Childhood Cancer System. Lauren’s career has spanned the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She has proven herself as a strategic and entrepreneurial leader. Lauren has had great success in leadership, partnership, system integration, and advocacy through her work with Kids Health Alliance, the Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario, PwC and the Ontario government.

Lauren’s career has spanned the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She has proven herself as a strategic and entrepreneurial leader and is currently the CEO of the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO), the advisor to government on childhood cancer with accountability for the delivery of care of Ontario’s Childhood Cancer System. Previously, she was the founding Executive Director of Kids Health Alliance. In this role, Lauren forged relationships and formal collaborations with and between children’s and community hospitals, associations, and government. In addition, she was instrumental in the work of the Children’s Health Coalition, bringing together a collective voice for the pediatric sector, which resulted in a historic investment of $330M for programs and services across Ontario.

Prior to her time with Kids Health Alliance, Lauren served as the Director of Policy and Member Relations with the Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario, worked in consulting and had leadership roles at the Ministry of Health and Cabinet Office.

She is also a previous Board member of Scientists in School, PACE Independent Living and Daytrippers Children’s Charity, and Vice Chair of Elizabeth Fry Toronto.

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, host Dr. Katharine Smart is joined by Rochelle Reid, Senior Lead and Strategic Advisor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Hamilton Health Sciences Centre. Rochelle shares insights from the development of the organization’s first five-year EDI plan and emphasizes the importance of community partnerships, equitable policies, and data governance to right-size services for children and families. Don't miss the launch of Children's Healthcare Canada's new National Child Health Equity Practice Network aimed at fostering collaboration across the country.

In this episode of SPARK Conversations, host, Dr. Katharine Smart, and guest Fabiana Bacchini explore the impact of Family Partnership on children’s healthcare across the country. Fabiana shares her perspective on family engagement in right-sizing the system for children and their families in Canada through involvement in education, research, advocacy.

Fabiana Bacchini is the Executive Director of the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation (CPBF), a journalist, and an author.

Her journey as an advocate began in the NICU with her surviving twin, born extremely preterm. During this time, she participated in the Family Integrated Care (FiCare) study, a model that empowers parents to be active partners in their baby’s care. Inspired by its impact, Fabiana became a dedicated volunteer at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and an ambassador for FiCare, sharing her story across Canada and internationally to promote more inclusive, family-centered neonatal care.

Following her son’s diagnosis with cerebral palsy, Fabiana’s advocacy deepened. She has worked to ensure that families are not only heard but are meaningfully involved in research and healthcare decision-making. Through her leadership, she has fostered collaborations with hospitals, researchers, and global organizations, advancing parent-led initiatives and driving systemic change in maternal and newborn health.

In this episode of SPARK Conversations, host, Dr. Katharine Smart, and her guests explore the impact of the recent Canadian federal election results on children’s health and healthcare across the country. Podcast guests, Danielle Flieler, Manager, Federal Government Affairs at Santis Health, and Jim Armour, Managing Partner with Summa Strategies Canada, share their perspectives on the cabinet composition and government priorities in relation to healthcare, especially for children and their families in Canada.

What does it really take to right-size Canada’s children’s healthcare systems? In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the powerful role of philanthropy in shaping accessible, equitable, and innovative care for kids. Featuring inspiring stories and expert insights, our guests unpack how donor dollars fuel breakthroughs, fill critical gaps, and help build a healthier future—one bold investment at a time.

In this episode of SPARK Conversations, we explore right-sizing children’s healthcare systems from the perspective of Community Hospitals that serve children, youth, and their families. Our guest for this episode, ‘Remi Ejiwunmi, Vice President, Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children, with Trillium Health Partners, shares her perspectives regarding the role and impact of community hospitals play within the Canadian healthcare system to ensure every child, youth and family can feel supported, no matter where they receive their healthcare.

Special Guest:

‘Remi Ejiwunmi is the Vice President of the Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children at Trillium Health Partners (THP). ‘Remi’s leadership and expertise will help shape the development of the future Shah Family Hospital, a first-of-its-kind facility designed to transform care for women, children and families. ‘Remi’ has been a visionary leader in the field of midwifery through her three decades of service. She joined THP in 1996, becoming Head Midwife in 2001 and the inaugural Division Head of Midwifery in 2013. She has also played an instrumental role in advancing quality at THP through the development of the Perinatal Quality, Safety and Risk Council. Her influence extends beyond THP as she has held leadership roles at the Association of Ontario Midwives, the Health Insurance Reciprocal for Canada (HIROC), the Provincial Council for Maternal Child Health (PCMCH) and the Better Outcomes Registry and Network (BORN). She has a deep commitment to equity, inclusion and anti-racism through training and work within the health system to help shape policies to improve reproductive health and reduce health care inequities including within the Black community.

‘Remi holds a Master of Science in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety from the University of Toronto, an appointment as an investigator at the Institute for Better Health, is an Adjunct Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and an Adjunct Scientist at McMaster University Midwifery Research Centre.

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the role of Ronald McDonald House Charities. Kate Horton, Chief Executive Officer at Ronald McDonald House Charities and Karima Karmali, President and Chair of the Board of Directors at Ronald McDonald House Charities discuss the role Ronald McDonald House Charities plays within the Canadian healthcare system to ensure that every child, youth, and family can feel supported both during and after treatment.

Speakers:

Kate Horton

As President & CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada, Kate Horton leads the national foundation of support for RMHC, championing and enabling an essential mission that provides families with sick and injured children with the support and resources they need to focus on what matters most – caring for their sick child.

RMHC is the only national organization enabling access to Canada’s paediatric healthcare system through the 35 program locations across the country. Since inception in 1981, RMHC across Canada has proudly supported more than 468,000 families during their child’s medical treatment journey.

Kate is a seasoned senior executive with over 20 years’ experience in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors. She is a passionate advocate for building strong communities and a better future by investing in children, youth and families. Over her career she has worked provincially and nationally to deliver meaningful social impact. Having been recognized for achieving excellence in fundraising and nonprofit leadership, Kate is known as a strategic and collaborative people-first leader who inspires high-performance and an inclusive culture.

Karima Karmali

Karima Karmali is a seasoned health care leader with over 35 years of expertise in clinical operations, inter-professional practice, patient experience, and health equity. Recently retired from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), she held the pioneering role of Director of the Centre for Innovation & Excellence in Child- and Family-Centred Care. In this capacity, Karima provided strategic and operational leadership, driving the design and delivery of patient and family-centric paediatric healthcare and advancing clinical practice, education and research in this critical field.

Karima has spearheaded numerous large-scale, multi-million dollar initiatives, fostering transformational change in healthcare. Her work has been published extensively, and she is a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences. Additionally, she has contributed her expertise to global task forces, including collaborations with the World Health Organization.

Prior to her tenure at SickKids, Karima held significant leadership positions at the University Health Network in Toronto and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario.

A dedicated advocate for volunteerism, Karima devotes her time to various causes locally, nationally, and internationally. She is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors for Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada, where she has served on the Board for seven years. Passionate about international development, Karima serves as the Senior Advisor to the Aga Khan Leaders International Forum on global poverty issues, currently supporting poverty alleviation initiatives in 22 countries across Africa, Central and South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. She also recently completed a four-year term as the Vice-President of the Aga Khan Council for Canada.

Karima holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from McGill University and an MBA from Queen's University.