Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice Leadership Team

• Megan Wright Executive Director
  

  Megan Wright joined Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice in 2014 as the Executive Director and has over 25 years of healthcare leadership experience, mostly within child and family services. Megan has been a valued member of the CHEO Management team since 2003, currently serving as the Director for Palliative Care. Before that, she was the Emergency, Critical Care, Inpatient Medicine, Surgery and Oncology Director.

  Born and raised in Ottawa, Megan completed a Bachelor of Nursing at the Toronto Metropolitan University, a Master’s of Nursing Degree at the University of Toronto, and a Health Leadership Certificate from Ottawa University

  Before joining CHEO, Megan was a nursing manager at the Credit Valley Hospital and the Bloorview MacMillan Centre. She has served on numerous regional, provincial, and national committees, advancing the care of pediatric palliative care for children and their families.

  She is passionate about ensuring equity and accessibility for all families facing life-limiting illness and access to grief services for children and their families. Currently, Megan Chairs the National Pediatric Hospice Leadership Committee.

  When she’s not at work, Megan treasures spending time with her family and friends, escaping into a good book and riding her bike.

• Dr. Christina Vadeboncoeur Medical Director
  

  Dr. Vadeboncoeur is the Medical Director of the Palliative Care Program at Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice and CHEO, leading the team of palliative care physicians and overseeing our medical policies.

  Christina is also an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Her advocacy roles for pediatric palliative care include her positions as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Network of Palliative Care for Children, Canadian Trustee for the International Children’s Palliative Care Network and her roles for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada on the Palliative Medicine Specialty Committee.

  Dr. Vadeboncoeur collaborates on multicentre clinical research in Canada and population data research in Ontario.  She is a Fellow of interRAI, an international not-for-profit organization involved in developing assessment tools for vulnerable populations.

  She enjoys exploring Ottawa on foot and singing with her choir when not working.

• Nahal Yazdani Manager
  

  Nahal Yazdani is the Manager of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice, providing strategic and operational leadership. She has been an integral part of the team since 2012 and deeply understands the expert pediatric palliative care required to support the complex needs of children and families.

  Nahal is a nursing leader committed to advancing pediatric palliative care, including grief and bereavement support, engaging stakeholders, and fostering a culture of partnership, innovation, and excellence. With experience managing dynamic health human resources, facilitating strategic planning, and driving quality improvement, Nahal is focused on a family-centred care approach.

  Nahal is committed to serving alongside a multidisciplinary team where she offers mentorship and identifies continuous learning and engagement opportunities.

  Among other training and certifications, she maintains a Hospice Palliative Care Nursing specialization from the Canadian Nurses Association and is in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario. Having completed her Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Ottawa, she returned to the Telfer School of Management for their Regional Health Senior Leadership Program.

  Nahal has contributed to research publications, presented at several national and international conferences, and participated in regional, provincial, and national working groups and committees.

  In her well-deserved downtime, Nahal enjoys being with her family, travelling, learning to play golf, attending concerts, and supporting the Ottawa Senators!

• Bruno Perrier Manager of Community Engagement and Volunteer Relations
  

  Bruno Perrier leads our team of volunteers and community partners.

  He is an accomplished social worker and manager with over 25 years of experience in the child protection and healthcare sectors. Before joining Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice, Bruno was a manager with the Autism Program at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), taking part in leading the program’s client-centered services, human resources, risk management, and quality improvement initiatives.

  Building on his experience at CHEO as a social worker and manager, his communication, project planning and collaboration skills help foster a positive environment where our volunteers feel engaged and valued. Bruno also builds and strengthens partnerships with various community supporters and stakeholders who help Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice live its mission daily. He is passionate about providing the best possible care to children and their families, helping Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice to enrich the quality of lives for children and families.

  In his free time, Bruno enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends, woodworking, reading a good book and being an enthusiastic Ottawa Senators fan.

• Stephanie Poirier Manager of Quality and Patient Safety
  

  Stephanie Poirer is responsible for enhancing patient safety and leading the quality improvement program. Stephanie is a highly accomplished and compassionate healthcare administrator with over 20 years of experience at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). She began her career as a Registered Nurse and has since moved into leadership positions focused on improving patient safety.

  Before joining Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice, she was CHEO’s Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Manager, overseeing safety assessment, monitoring, and review. With her extensive experience coordinating safety reporting, clinical risk management and accreditation at CHEO, she provides her expertise and guidance on our patient safety and program improvement. Her commitment to helping children and improving healthcare outcomes is unwavering, ensuring the highest standard of care for the children and families at Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice.

  Stephanie loves spending her free time with family and friends, cooking and enjoying great food, or curled up with a good book.

• Dr. Stephanie Veldhuijzen van Zanten Assistant Medical Director
  

  Dr. Stephanie Veldhuijzen van Zanten graduated from Dalhousie Medical School in 2012. She completed her pediatric residency and an additional year of extra training in pediatric palliative care in Ottawa. She is a Pediatric Palliative Care Physician at CHEO and Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. Her special area of interest is in perinatal palliative care.

  Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family and singing in a choir when she is not working.