Andrew MacPherson is an Emergency Trauma and EMS Physician dedicated to serving the people of British Columbia, specifically from the lands of the Lekwungen people of the Coast Salish Nation, currently known as Victoria, BC.

He has volunteered with the Canadian Red Cross for 20 years, focusing on enhancing First Aid and CPR programs for Canadians. As the longest-standing member and chair of the National Medical Advisory Committee, Andrew has supported, advised on, and sometimes provided direction for all clinical content in the Red Cross First Aid curriculum. His international commitments to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are significant, including roles as Subject Area Coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Evidence-Based Network and lead author of the Canadian and International First Aid Guidelines.

Additionally, Andrew represents the Canadian Red Cross in a North American group of scientists that form the Scientific Advisory Council. He consistently leads discussions and peer scientific reviews on behalf of the Canadian Red Cross and the American Red Cross in response to technical inquiries across the continent.

Aaron Orkin (Co-Chair)

Dr. Aaron Orkin, MD, MSc, MPH, PhD, CCFP (EM), FCFP, FRCPC, is a Physician and Researcher specializing in Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Public Health and Preventive Medicine. He is Ontario's first fellowship-trained Clinical Public Health Specialist and is passionate about enhancing community health by integrating clinical practice and public health approaches.
 

Dr. Orkin has studied, taught, and practiced first aid across Canada, consistently inspired by the ability of friends, family, bystanders, and volunteers to save lives, improve health, and strengthen communities. His practice is focused on addressing health inequities in close collaboration with marginalized communities and building sustainable, community-based services by engaging the public directly in health service delivery. He has advised governments and the humanitarian nonprofit sector in Canada and internationally on population health and equity matters.

He has a History and Philosophy of Medicine background from Oxford, Public Health from Toronto, and Clinical Epidemiology from Toronto. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto's Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and he practices emergency medicine at St. Joseph's Health Centre, Unity Health Toronto.

Lynda Redwood-Campbell

Dr. Lynda Redwood-Campbell is a distinguished senior leader and humanitarian and global health expert. Her career spans several decades and focuses on family medicine, primary healthcare, and community health. As a consultant, author, professor, medical educator, and researcher, Dr. Redwood-Campbell has made significant contributions, particularly to vulnerable populations and underserved communities. Currently, she serves as a locum physician in Northern Indigenous communities in Ontario, continuing her commitment to providing care where it is needed most and striving to engage meaningfully in the Truth and Reconciliation process

Dr. Redwood-Campbell received her medical degree from McMaster University (MD), her Master's in Public Health (International Health) from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and her Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

With over 25 years of involvement in international humanitarian work, Dr. Redwood-Campbell has responded to more than 25 different international disasters in various capacities, including as a senior medical officer or team leader for the International Red Cross (CRC, IFRC, ICRC). Her experience spans many countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Haiti. Dr. Redwood-Campbell has received numerous awards for her lifelong healthcare and humanitarian service contributions, including the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) Presidential Award.

In addition to her clinical expertise, Dr. Redwood-Campbell has been an influential academic and researcher. She is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University, where she mentors the next generation of healthcare professionals. Dr. Redwood-Campbell has authored over 100 publications and delivered invited presentations on topics related to disasters, humanitarian response, global health, and primary care/family medicine.

Caberry Yu

Caberry Yu has been a volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross since 2011, when she helped establish the York Region Youth Action Council. Since then, she has led the McMaster University subgroup of the Red Cross and served as a Personal Disaster Responder in Kingston and Hamilton. She has taken part in major Canadian responses, including those for refugee claimants and the COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently a National Member of the governance team at the Canadian Red Cross.

Caberry is an MD graduate of Queen's University and is currently a Resident Physician at McMaster University. She has a special interest in caring for older adults. As an advisory expert, she produced evidence-based guidelines for improving the health of communities and older adults during her fellowship at the National Institute on Ageing.

Christine Hwang

Christine Hwang is a family and public health physician based in Toronto. She has been a member of the Red Cross since 2007, taking part in multiple international missions in various roles, including physician, public health specialist, coordination and assessment specialist, and even as a chef overseeing the field hospital kitchen. When COVID-19 struck, she became actively involved with the Canadian Red Cross on the domestic front, working with long-term care facilities, federal penitentiaries, and at the Canada-U.S. borders.

In addition to her work with the Red Cross, she practices as a rural physician in northern Ontario and has served two terms as the medical director of Toronto Public Health's sexual health clinics. Her goal is to help ensure that the National Medical Advisory Committee keeps the Red Cross practical, evidence-based, and relevant in its activities.

Hassanali Asgarali Kapasi

Hassanali "Huss" Kapasi has been a delegate to the Canadian Red Cross since 2016 and has been deployed three times to the Emergency Response Unit (ERU). He currently works as an emergency room doctor in Guelph, Ontario, and as an anesthetist in Fergus, Ontario. He also teaches at McMaster Medical School and instructs in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS).
 
In his spare time, Huss is a novice wizard exploring the Sword Coast with his trusty Dungeons and Dragons friends. As the wizard who has the highest intelligence score, he serves as the leader of this eclectic group of adventurers despite the loud objections of the annoyingly vocal bard.

Kimberly deSouza

Kimberly deSouza is an emergency physician based in Toronto with a strong interest in how people interact with and experience healthcare, both in Canada and internationally. She joined the Canadian Red Cross in 2010 as part of the Emergency Response Unit, providing medical care in disaster-affected areas. Her mission work has included providing relief after the Nepal earthquake, working on a search and migrant rescue vessel in the central Mediterranean, and serving at a surgical field hospital in Cox's Bazar during the peak of the Rohingya crisis.

With a Master's degree in Health Practitioner Education and extensive clinical experience, Kimberly is passionate about education, mentorship, and collaboration to strengthen healthcare systems. She has worked in partnership with the University of Toronto's Academic Collaborations in Ethiopia and Ghana, as well as with the Danish Society of Emergency Medicine. Kimberly is motivated by the National Medical Advisory Committee's commitment to advancing equitable healthcare access for all Canadians, regardless of where they live.

Michael Taylor

Michael is a final-year Emergency Medicine resident physician at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. His areas of focused interests as a clinician and academic include medical education, global health, advocacy for vulnerable populations, and transport/rural and tropical medicine. Additionally, Michael is an active ACLS/PALS instructor and holds teaching roles in the undergraduate school of medicine, virtually abroad, and in the emergency department with junior learners at various stages.

Michael has a diverse professional background, having worked in wealth management, data analytics, and public health. His past graduate education in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Business Administration has prepared him for various roles. Notable past positions include Senior Analyst in Cancer Surveillance & Reporting with Alberta Health Services and Vice President of Leadership & Education with the Professional Association of Residents of Alberta (PARA).

Mario Brûlé

Mario Brûlé is a highly experienced nursing professional with a distinguished career as a professor, registered nurse, and educator. With over 25 years of teaching experience, he has dedicated much of his work to supporting First Nations communities as an extended role advisor and coach. In addition, he serves as an educational advisor for the Université de Montréal, where he contributes to the ProNurse project in Bangladesh.

Since 2009, Mario has been actively involved with the Canadian Red Cross, taking part in various international missions. His contributions include serving as an Emergency Response Unit Delegate in 2009, working as an OPC Nurse during the cholera outbreak in Chad in 2012, and functioning as a medical logician during the Nepal earthquake in 2015. He also provided critical help as an OPC Nurse in Syria during the war in 2019, and he participated in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2024, where he worked in a variety of nursing roles.

Within Canada, Mario made significant contributions between 2017 and 2019 as the head nurse for asylum seekers at the Lacolle border in Quebec. He is also part of a roster of nurses, taking on roles such as a physical health nurse and public health nurse in 2021 and later serving as the head nurse and Community Health Outreach Coordinator (CHOC) in 2022. He has been involved with the NGO Nurses Without Borders, serving for 20 years as its founding chairman and president, which included heading missions in countries like Senegal, Benin, Togo, and the Amazon Jungle in Peru.

Mario's academic and clinical training is extensive. He is currently pursuing a postgraduate microprogram in higher education pedagogy at the University of Sherbrooke, which he expects to complete by May 2026. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in International Health from the same university, obtained in 2009, and completed the Ontario Program Nurse Practitioner in Primary Health Care at Laurentian University in 2006. He earned his Master's degree in Educational Sciences from the University of Montreal in 1993 and a Bachelor's degree in Sciences from the University of Montreal in 1988, following his DEC in nursing from Cégep André Laurendeau in 1985. Mario Brûlé's diverse experiences and education highlight his commitment to nursing, education, and global health.