The Education Committee falls under the direction of the SWAHN Operations Committee. The purpose of the Education Committee is to develop and enhance health education across health professions at all levels (including undergraduate, graduate and continuing professional development) in order to improve the health of the population of Southwestern Ontario (SWO).
Father Matthew Durham (Co-Chair), Director, Community Engagement & Advancement, The Hospice of Windsor & Essex County Inc.
Born and raised in west Windsor, Father Matthew Durham, csb is a Roman Catholic Basilian priest and also the Director of Community Engagement & Advancement at The Hospice of Windsor & Essex County Inc. In his current role as Director, Fr. Matthew oversees an annual fundraising budget of just under $2 million, is part of the senior management team, leading a team of professional staff that communicates the culture and values of Hospice, supporting more than 2,000 patients in Windsor-Essex annually. He is a community leader and former professor at the University of Alberta, demonstrating a passion for leadership, volunteerism, community service, and continuing professional development, including doctoral studies in leadership at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Bertha Garcia (Co-Chair), Vice Dean, Education, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University
Dr. Bertha Garcia was appointed to the Department of Pathology, Western University and University Hospital on July 1, 1985. Dr. Garcia obtained her MD at the Peruvian University “Cayetano Heredia” in 1972 and her subspecialty training in Pathology at the University of Calgary and Foothills Hospital in 1980. Upon her arrival at Western University, Dr. Garcia became a member of the Multiple Organ Transplant Program at the London Health Sciences Centre, University Hospital. Dr. Garcia’s areas of interest and expertise are in the areas of clinical and experimental solid organ transplantation and recently, xenotransplantation.
Dr. Garcia is recognized as an excellent educator and has received numerous teaching awards including the Schulich Distinguished Leader Award for Graduate & Postgraduate Education, at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry; the University of Western Ontario Edward G. Pleva Award for Teaching Excellence; and the 3M National Teaching Fellowship. Dr. Garcia served as the Chair/Chief of the City-Wide Department of Pathology on July 1, 2000-June 30 2011. In July 2008, Dr. Garcia was appointed Vice Dean, Education, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, and has been in this role since.
Under Dr. Garcia’s leadership, the Distributed Education Network (DEN) grew significantly, including the launching of the full four years Campus in Windsor. Most recently Dr. Garcia is leading the school in a strategic planning process for the DEN with the development of six major strategic directions for Distributed Education which are in alignment with with the strategic plans of both Schulich and Western.
