Expert hub

Nadia Aleem, MD, MSc, FRCP, Trillium Health Partners

Dr. Nadia Aleem initially worked as a Family medicine Doctor and Addictions Physician prior to retraining and starting her work as a Psychiatrist. She is currently the Mental Health Lead Physician at Insight Solutions, Trillium Health Partners and was formerly the Medical Head at the Work Stress and Health Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Aleem works exclusively in the field of Occupational Psychiatry, specializing in disability management and providing consultation and education on workplace mental health policies. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and provides education seminars to organizations and medical training programs across Canada.

Megan Edgelow, BScOT, MScRHBS, EdD, Queen's University

Dr. Megan Edgelow is an occupational therapist who works as a clinician, researcher, and educator. She is an Assistant Professor at Queen's University in the Faculty of Health Sciences, where she teaches and supervises students in the Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and Health Leadership, and Health Professions Education Programs.

She has two decades of clinical experience in mental health practice and maintains a small private practice in the Kingston, ON region. She also has research expertise with occupational therapy mental health interventions. In her current research, she focuses on return to work for populations with work-related psychological injuries, including first responders and public safety personnel.

James Jefferson, Greater Sudbury Police Service

James Jefferson is a 16-year police service veteran and the current mental health and wellness coordinator with the Greater Sudbury Police Service. In a policing career that involved a fatal shooting and working undercover; Jefferson experienced debilitating P.T.S.D which forced him into an extended leave of absence due to an operational stress injury (OSI). Through supports and a tireless work ethic, Jefferson was able to heal from his trauma and is now a voice for those experiencing mental illness.

Jefferson is a keynote speaker and has shared his story along with his Blueprint to Resilience throughout North America, and was recognized as the recipient of the 2022 Canada Beyond the Blue Darius Garda Legacy award.   

Vivien Lee, C.Psych., Ontario Provincial Police

Dr. Vivien Lee is the Chief Psychologist for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Bureau Commander of the OPP Healthy Workplace Team. In this role, she oversees a Bureau with a mandate to support OPP members, families, retirees, and auxiliary officers. Dr. Lee is the clinical advisor for Boots on the Ground which provides 24/7 telephone peer support to first responders, and a Board Director for Toronto Beyond the Blue which provides support to families of Toronto Police Service members.

Lee serves on the Psychological Services Committee of the Canadian Association Chiefs of Police (CACP). She is a member of the Academic, Research, and Clinician (ARC) Network with the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) and a graduate of the Police Executive Leadership Program at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Particular interests include: early intervention; evidence-based return-to-work practices; and family, peer, and organizational support.

Lee previously worked as a staff psychologist in the Psychological Trauma Program/Work, Stress & Health Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and clinician for Wounded Warriors Canada. She has previously served as a Board Director on the Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA), Chair of the Service Provider Reference Group with the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, and the Service Delivery Working Group for the 988 mental health crisis and suicide prevention line in Canada. She has also served as an ex-officio member of the Traumatic Stress Section of the Canadian Psychological Association.

Megan McElheran, R.Psych., Wayfound Mental Health Group

Dr. Megan McElheran is a Clinical Psychologist and the Chief Executive Officer of Wayfound, a national organization that provides mental health services across Canada.  McElheran’s research over the last 20 years has been focused on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of operational stress injuries in active-duty military, veterans, and public safety personnel. McElheran’s passion and interest in proactively preventing operational stress led her to develop the Before Operational Stress (BOS) program as a way to address gaps in proactive mental health training for public safety personnel and frontline workers.

McElheran completed graduate training at the Stanford University clinical psychology consortium, during which she obtained specialized training in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through the National Center for PTSD in Menlo Park, CA. McElheran routinely engages in teaching and supervisory activity to ensure sound dissemination of empirically-grounded interventions for trauma, providing a range of empirically-supported treatments for PTSD, including Prolonged Exposure, which is a therapy for which she also provides supervision; Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ARTS).

McElheran is a TEDx alumni and has participated in a number of panels and speaking engagements across Canada and the United States about proactive mental health training for first responders. McElheran also received the Queen’s Jubilee in 2013 for her pioneering work in mental health research.

Beth Milliard, MA, PhD, York Regional Police

Dr. Beth Milliard is a police officer in her 21st year and is currently serving as a Uniform Staff Sergeant overseeing a platoon. Before returning to uniform duties, she was assigned by her Chief to develop a unit dedicated to the mental wellness of all members and their family.  She also worked as a post-doctoral fellow with the University of Regina in the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) conducting research in peer support and mental health support for PSP.

Milliard is also an adjunct professor with Georgian College in the Police Studies degree program and previous instructor and creator of the Peer Support Code of Ethics for Public Safety Personnel (PSP) course at Simon Fraser University. Currently she is volunteering with the Mental Health Secretariat (MHS) as the Chair of the Evaluation Advisory Committee (EAT), co-lead for the Peer Support task team and member of the Joint Knowledge Sub-Committee and is the co-chair for the National Peer Support Community Network (PSCN) with Atlas Institute for Veteran’s and Family.

As a subject matter expert and consultant in PSP assessments, safeguard, and peer support, she has had the opportunity to speak at venues internationally, and has been asked to participate in various podcasts on her work as a leader in police wellness. She has been the author and peer reviewer of many articles and book chapters related to PSP mental health and wellness. She is a board member for Canada Beyond the Blue and Resilient Kids Canada. Her PhD is in Criminal Justice/Law and Public Policy with an emphasis in mental health.

Tanya Morose, M.Sc., CCPE, CRSP, Waterloo Regional Police Service

Tanya Morose is the Manager of Occupational Health Safety and Wellness for Waterloo Regional Police Service. Before that, she was the Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing for the Public Safety sector at Public Services Health and Safety Association. She has over 20 years’ experience in health and safety and ergonomics in a variety of industries with a particular focus on municipal government and public safety. Prior to taking a management role at PSHSA she was PSHSA’s Police Services Specialist. Morose has a strong skill set in auditing, leading projects and the assessment, review and implementation of effective health and safety programs. She is co-chair of the Solicitor General’s Mental Health Secretariat Joint Knowledge Sub-committee.   

Morose holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo and is a Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomist (CCPE) and Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP). 

Erika Pond Clements, OT Reg.(Ont.), CDMP, Waterloo Regional Police Service

Erika Pond Clements is a registered Occupational Therapist with many years of experience in mental health and work practice in hospital, clinic and community settings. Pond Clements also holds the designation of Certified Disability Management Professional.  Over the past 10 years, Pond Clements has also gained experience in the handling of insurance claims in the roles of Mental Health Specialist at Manulife and Return to Work Specialist in the mental stress injuries program at WSIB. Pond Clements currently works as an Abilities Management Specialist for the Waterloo Regional Police Service. 

Vivian Sapirman, MD, MA, FRCPC, Workplace Safety and insurance Board

Dr. Vivian Sapirman is a Psychiatrist in Toronto. She is the Mental Health Physician Lead at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and a Medical Advisor at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). She is also a physician in the Department of Psychiatry at Women’s College Hospital, where she has a focus on medical psychiatry.

Prior to joining the CPSO, Sapirman held a number of leadership roles in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto (U of T), including Postgraduate Site Director for Women’s College Hospital and Resident Remediation Coordinator. Sapirman completed her undergraduate medical training at McMaster University and her residency in psychiatry at U of T.

Taylor Sayers, UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service

Taylor Sayers is the Director of Corporate Services with UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service. In her role she works closely with the Police Service Commission and the Chief of Police to deliver the organization’s strategic objectives and oversees the corporate services, which includes Human Resources (HR). As part of her role overseeing HR, she provides leadership in the return-to-work programs for personnel in the police service, requests for accommodations and leaves, and health and safety.

She recently created a comprehensive curriculum being delivered by the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service for the Lighting the Fire Within project. The curriculum focuses on providing participants with crisis intervention and de-escalation training, improving responses to mental health and addictions crisis in communities, trauma informed approaches to policing from a culturally safe lens, and ensuring a proactive approach to an individual’s own mental health as a first responder. This training has allowed individuals in the service to partake in seminars that focus on bettering their overall health and well-being from a holistic perspective - the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of an individual. 

Sayers serves on various provincial and national working groups that focus on improving the mental health of public safety personnel and is a member of the Policing Mental Health Collaborative Table for the province. She is also a member of Indigenous Police Chiefs of Ontario (IPCO) and was part of the advisory panel for the IPCO Mental Health Review of the Indigenous Police Services of Ontario completed in 2021 and served as the police service representative during the review. Sayers is a graduate of Business Administration from Laurentian University – Algoma University College and holds certificates in Labour Law and Workplace Mental Health Law from York University.