Healthcare leaders among those named to Order of Ontario

TORONTO – Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Chancellor of the Order of Ontario, announced 29 new appointments to the Order of Ontario for 2024. Six of the honourees are active in the healthcare sector, and two of them are involved in the use and development of healthcare technologies – Dr. Howard Ovens (pictured left) of Mount Sinai Hospital and Dr. Jean Seely (pictured right) of the Ottawa Hospital.

The Order of Ontario is reserved for exceptional individuals who have made a lasting impact in the province, country and the world. Members of the Order embody the finest qualities of our province, come from all walks of life and represent many fields of endeavour, including public service, medicine, skilled trades, business, technology, mining, sports, the arts, healthcare, science and many more.

“The 2024 appointees to the Order of Ontario have enriched the lives of countless people in our province and well beyond,” said the Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. “Together, they have attained the highest level of excellence in many fields and may we all be inspired by their remarkable contributions.”

The 2024 Order of Ontario appointees will be invested at a ceremony in Toronto in 2025. The healthcare recipients are:

Howard Ovens – Toronto
Under Dr. Ovens’ leadership, Mount Sinai Hospital became internationally recognized for innovation in the emergency care of older adults and respectful treatment of marginalized populations, including those suffering from homelessness, mental illness and/or addictions. The Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute at Mount Sinai is the only one of its kind in Canada, and an international leader in research advancing wide-ranging aspects of emergency care. A preeminent emergency medicine thinker, Dr. Ovens has influenced practices in emergency department overcrowding, technology for efficient patient triaging, and violence in emergency departments.

Dr. Ovens has been in Emergency Medicine practice since 1982. He is the former chief of the Dept. of Emergency Medicine for Sinai Health System in Toronto and is now the Chief Medical Strategy Officer and Medical Advisor to the Foundation. Dr. Ovens is a full professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, and a member of the Public Affairs Committee of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians.

He’s the former Lead for EM for the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and has been the Ontario Expert Lead for EM since 2009. In that role he’s championed two unique provincial initiatives: eCTAS and The Return Visit Audit Program. Since 2022 he has been leading the creation of a new program – PES or Provincial Emergency Services at Ontario Health Central.

Jean Seely – Ottawa
An internationally recognized authority in setting the standard for excellence in breast imaging, Dr. Jean Seely has changed clinical practice guidelines for mammography. She understood from her hands-on role as an academic radiologist that we were missing cancers in younger women resulting in hundreds of preventable cancer deaths every year.

She has dedicated her career to building her case through clinical research resulting in landmark studies that have led to a better understanding of how starting screening patients at age 40 impacts breast cancer morbidity and mortality.

Dr. Seely is a full Professor of Medicine in the Department of Radiology at the University of Ottawa. She is Head of the Breast Imaging Section at the Ottawa Hospital and is the Regional Breast Imaging Lead for the Ontario Breast Screening Program in the Champlain region. She is the president of the Canadian Society of Breast Imaging (CSBI).

Martin Antony – Toronto
An internationally recognized expert on evidence-based treatment of anxiety-related disorders, Dr. Martin Antony has contributed over 300 academic publications, including more than 30 widely recommended books for individual and clinical use around the world. He has earned accolades from major psychological associations and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Currently, Dr. Antony is director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Lab and professor in the Department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Brian Dunne – London
President and CEO of PHSS Support Services, Brian Dunne is an innovator in the field of disabilities. Over 30 years ago, he became the catalyst CEO for PHSS, a courageous move that enabled people living with significant developmental, medical, and/or complex needs to live and participate in the community. He successfully created a design whereby adults with significant disabilities can flourish living in homes in the community – a person-centred care approach now receiving international recognition as one of the most comprehensive and effective designs for community-based care and support.

Jeremy Freeman – Toronto
A renowned surgical oncologist, Jeremy Freeman has contributed a tremendous amount to the field of otolaryngology. He has dedicated his career to the service of many and has helped make the University of Toronto one of the most internationally respected Centres of Excellence in head and neck oncology. In addition to introducing novel techniques, he has personally treated thousands of patients with difficult head, neck, and thyroid cancers in Ontario and many more around the world. Dr. Freeman has educated several generations of head and neck surgeons who have gone on to lead great international academic units.

Vivek Goel, CM – Waterloo
Vivek Goel is a world-renowned public health researcher and expert in health-services evaluation. He champions the use of research evidence in health policymaking. He was a founding scientist of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and founding president of Public Health Ontario, providing scientific and technical advice to protect and promote health. As a community leader, Dr. Goel has shaped the public health workforce, influencing education over many decades. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences and currently serves as the president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo.