Meet the Team

Who is Involved in the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team?

There are 22 local health, community and social service organizations working together as signatory partners in the CKOHT. Additionally, several more agencies have given their support to the CKOHT as affiliate partners and intend to become more involved in future phases. Current partners include:

Alzheimer Society Chatham-Kent

Canadian Mental Health Association Lambton-Kent

Chatham-Kent Health Alliance

Chatham-Kent Community Health Centres

Chatham-Kent Family Health Team

Chatham-Kent Hospice

Erie St. Clair Behavioural Supports Ontario

Ontario Health atHome

March of Dimes Canada

Municipality of Chatham-Kent

St. Andrew’s Residence

Thamesview Family Health Team

Tilbury District Family Health Team

TransForm Shared Service Organization

Westover Treatment Centre

New Beginnings ABI & Stroke Recovery Association

Bayshore HealthCare

Care Partners

Community Living Wallaceburg

Entite Erie St. Clair/Sud-Ouest

Epilepsy Southwestern Ontario

CKOHT Co-Chairs

The CKOHT has 3 Co-Chairs: A Physician Co-Chair, a Patient and Family Advisor Co-Chair, and a Primary Care Administrative Co-Chair.

PCN Lead | Dr. Yee-Providence

Dr. Yee-Providence is the Physician Co-chair for the CKOHT. Dr. Briana Yee-Providence, as the Physician Co-Chair will engage physicians as a liaison for the CKOHT to provide feedback, and develop/implement initiatives within the CKOHT. She will also advocate for local healthcare needs, provide medical leadership, and clinical oversight to achieve CKOHT’s goals.

Dr. Yee-Providence is a Family Physician who joined the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team in 2015 at the Dresden location where she currently practices. She completed her residency in Canton, Ohio at the Northeastern University College of Medicine in Family Medicine in 2010 and is board certified by the American College of Family Physicians. Since then she has had extensive experience working in rural settings as a family physician both in the outpatient and inpatient settings, as a medical director for long-term care, and in a busy urgent care facility in the USA. Since returning home to Ontario, she has continued to practice comprehensive Family Medicine in both the outpatient and hospital setting.

She has continued to expand her experience in healthcare administration as the Vice Lead of the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team, as Primary Care Lead with Ontario Health, Medical Director of the COVID Assessment Center in CK and most recently as the Physician Lead in the CKOHT.
Patient & Family Advisor Chair | Jeanette Smith

Jeanette Smith is a PWLE of heart failure, aortic valve replacement, arrhythmias and she has an implanted CRT- D (defibrillator and pacemaker). The device is monitored remotely, every night, and if needed, a report is sent to her clinic.

Dr. Abejirinde was working on an evaluation of remote patient monitoring which Jeanette joined as a patient partner evaluator. This led to being on the multi-disciplinary team that applied for the TRANSFORM-HF grant, which, in turn, has led to CIHR multi-year funding.

Jeanette’s patient partner experience is varied, but largely focused on research projects.. She is involved at local, provincial and national levels. Locally, she is Chair of the Chatham-Kent Patient Advisory Council. Some other projects have included Ontario Health (notably in heart failure and virtual care for primary care clinicians), patient perceptions of virtual care after the pivot during the pandemic. This is now in Phase #3. Her involvement with the Centre for Digital Health Evaluation is ongoing. She is a lay summary reviewer for a national charitable organization, and has reviewed abstracts for conferences. Jeanette successfully applied for a seed grant from the Canadian Heart Function Alliance for a patient-led research project. Her topic is regional anaesthesia as an alternative to general anaesthesia for heart failure patients.
Primary Care Administrative Co-Chair | Jessica Smith

Born and raised in Chatham, Ontario, Jessica’s career started in healthcare nearly 25 years ago. Her career began as a student dishwasher at St. Andrew’s Residence in high school where she discovered a passion for caring for people at some of the most vulnerable times in their lives. This inspired her to obtain degrees from McMaster University, studying Social Work and Gerontology. Jessica was involved in the early planning stages of establishing a residential hospice in Chatham-Kent and served as a shared Executive Director for St. Andrew’s Residence and Chatham-Kent Hospice for 10 years, before transitioning into a full time Executive Director role at Chatham-Kent Hospice in 2024.
Physician Co-Chair | Dr. Su

A Windsor native, Dr. Hong Yu (Andrew) Su completed his high school at Riverside Secondary. He subsequently received his bachelor’s degree at McGill University in First Class Honours in Pharmacology, followed by completion of his Doctor of Medicine at Schulich School of Medicine, and family medicine as well as hospital medicine fellowship training through University of Toronto and University Health Network.

He is currently a physician practicing at the Chatham Kent Community Health Centre – Wallaceburg Site, he also works as an associate hospitalist at Chatham Kent Health Alliance and currently services as the medical director of the hospitalist program. He is excited to be taking the role of physician co-chair at the CKOHT and looks forward to the additional challenges and opportunities this position will bring in the foreseeable future.

He enjoys Chatham both for its fulfilling professional development as well as its sense of community. When not at work, he can be found playing tennis with his colleagues, going on a hike in the surrounding areas, or exploring the variety of restaurants and bars around Chatham Kent to satisfy his inner foodie.

CKOHT Staff

CKOHT staff are employed to support the work of our various partners.

CKOHT Executive Lead | Melissa Sharpe-Harrigan

Melissa Sharpe-Harrigan is the Executive Transformation Lead with the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team (CKOHT). Melissa has a wealth of experience and knowledge in the broader public sector, academics and health care leadership. Melissa has served the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) as the Director, Medical Affairs and Medical Recruitment where she has worked with a number of internal and external stakeholders to ensure a strong support for the Chief of Staff, physicians, and leadership at CKHA. Melissa has held a number of other leadership and project coordination and policy roles in the health, academic, and government sectors.

Outside of the CKOHT, Melissa serves as the Chatham-Kent Municipal Councillor representing the area and residents of West Kent. Melissa has significant volunteer and community service experience. Melissa has an Honours BA, MA in Political Science and is in the final states of dissertation for her doctoral thesis.
Administrative Assistant | Paige Delanghe
Community Drug Strategy Coordinator | Jordynne Lindsay

Jordynne Lindsay is the Community Drug Strategy Coordinator with the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team (CKOHT). Her work aims to turn the evidence and ideas brought together during the creation of the Community Drug Strategy into programs, policies and practices that improve the health and well-being of Chatham-Kent. This involves ongoing planning, oversight, communications and coordination of the strategy in collaboration with people with lived and living expertise, partner organizations and the community.

Jordynne strives to be a steward to a network where individuals and organizations feel recognized and valued, that is strengths-based and celebrates successes, and that contributes to advancing equity and social justice, and builds capacity, sustainability and resilience in C-K.
Integrated Care & Partnership Lead | Tiffany Gartner-Duff

Tiffany Gartner-Duff is a dynamic leader passionate about transforming community health and well-being. As the Integrated Care and Partnership Lead at the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team, she successfully bridges gaps between sectors, using her Master’s in Health Sciences and certifications in Lean Six Sigma and Prosci Change Management to drive impactful collaborations.

Tiffany has an extensive 15+ year background working in public health, hospital, community services, and as an independent consultant. She has experience at the municipal, provincial and federal level of community development and policy implementation. She thrives in bringing together multi-sectoral partners to achieve significant accomplishment.

When she’s not championing health improvements, Tiffany embraces adventure through travel and outdoor activities, all while cheering on her two boys in their sports endeavors.
Navigation & Community Innovation Lead | Laura MacDougald

Laura is a dedicated leader with a strong commitment to enhancing access to healthcare and social services in Chatham-Kent. In her role as the Navigation and Community Innovation Lead at the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team (CKOHT), Laura leverages her experience in health promotion, community engagement, and system navigation to co-design impactful, patient-centered solutions. Her strategic efforts focus on bridging gaps in care and driving innovative partnerships across sectors.

With over a decade of experience in local health services, including her role as Health Promoter at Chatham-Kent Community Health Centre, Laura brings a wealth of expertise in implementing and evaluating health promotion initiatives. She holds an Honours Degree in Biology with a Business Administration option and a Master’s of Science in Public Health.

Outside of work, Laura enjoys exploring Chatham-Kent’s beautiful outdoors with her family, whether golfing, hiking local trails, or just taking in the scenery.
Population Health & Quality Improvement Specialist | Kait Pataki
Physician Recruitment Coordinator & Community Engagement Specialist | Rebecca Smyth

Rebecca Smyth is the Physician Recruitment Coordinator and Community Engagement Specialist with the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team (CKOHT). In her role, Rebecca leads local physician recruitment and retention efforts, working closely with health partners, the municipality, and community organizations to attract and support family physicians in Chatham-Kent.

With a strong background in leadership, program development, and community engagement, Rebecca is passionate about building meaningful connections that strengthen health care delivery and enhance the sense of belonging across the community. Her work also includes promoting digital health tools, such as ConnectMyHealth.

Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys spending time with her three daughters and family, being active in local community initiatives, and continuing her family’s long farming tradition in North Buxton.

CKOHT PFAC

The CKOHT Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) is a key component of co-designing a local patient centred health system. Click here to learn more about the PFAC.