CAHN's Executive Team
CAHN is run by an amazing team of dedicated volunteers with the support of Administrative Consultants. Volunteering for CAHN is a fun and rewarding way to make new connections and hone leadership skills in the field of hepatology nursing.
Lisa Douglas
President, Board Member
2023-2025
Lisa Douglas is a nurse practitioner at Alberta Health Services, working as part of the Calgary Liver Unit located at the Foothills Medical Centre/University of Calgary Medical Clinics.
She obtained her Masters of Nursing and Nurse Practitioner (Adult Stream) from the University of Calgary in 2009, and has worked with the Liver Unit since 2013. Her main clinical focus is the management of patients with advanced liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma.
She participates regularly in activities that foster the ongoing education of and mentorship for hepatology nurses, including presenting at meetings and conferences, as well as sitting on formal planning committees for events/conferences. She had been an active CAHN member for several years prior to joining the Board of Directors in 2021.
Outside of work, Lisa has a longstanding history of volunteering with local organizations including the Calgary Stampede. In late 2022, she was awarded the Canadian Fair Champion award from the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions.
Elizabeth (Liz) Lee
Past President, CAHNference Chair
2023-2024
Liz Lee is a nurse practitioner at the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network. She has worked for over 12 years in various clinical settings in the community and within the University Health Network, spanning the continuum of chronic liver disease from diagnosis to transplantation.
She obtained a Master of Nursing- Nurse Practitioner (Adult Emphasis) from the University of Toronto. She has a Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Certification in Gastroenterology and has completed an NP Fellowship to support her clinical training in hepatology through the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).
Her main clinical focus is on the management of patients with advanced liver disease and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). She works on developing quality improvement initiatives and research projects aimed at optimizing clinical management in these patient populations. She maintains a separate practice in managing patients in general hepatology. She is an AASLD Special Interest Group (SIG) Steering Committee member for ALD and is a founding member of the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver (CASL SIG) on ALD.
She has a keen interest in clinical education and fostering the growth of hepatology nurses. She is a Hub Member for ECHO Ontario Liver, a provincially funded initiative supporting a virtual learning community for primary care providers (PCPs) to support their management of patients with liver disease. She also serves as an Adjunct Lecturer for the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto.
On a personal note, she is an outdoors enthusiast, with her most recent trips (prior to pandemic) through the Yukon River, Patagonia and West Coast Trail. She aspires to paddle the Nahanni River in Northwest Territories in the future.
Liza Abraham
Treasurer, Board Member, CLM Chair
2023-2025
Liza Abraham has been practicing as a liver RN for the last 17 years. She currently works for the PathCanada Hepatitis C program which is a fully virtual model of care integrated with the TrueNorth Medical Centre OAT program. She values the importance of patient centered care, and she enjoys working with her team to ensure her patients are receiving the best care possible. In her free time, Liza loves exploring the world through travel with her daughter and friends.
Marysia (Mish) Waraksa
Secretary, Board Member
2023-2025
Marysia (Mish) Waraksa is a Nurse Practitioner, having obtained their Bachelour of Science in Nursing from Ryerson University and a Masters of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) from the University of Toronto. Mish also holds a Critical Care Nursing certificate from George Brown College. Mish provides comprehensive primary care using a harm reduction philosophy for people who use drugs, and oversees the provision of clinical care as Clinical Lead for the Parkdale Queen West Safer Opioid Supply Program in Toronto, Ontario. Additionally, they serve as a consultant for the National Safer Supply Community of Practice, providing guidance to clinicians new to Safer Supply care. Their past nursing experience includes primary care for LGBTQ+ populations, newcomers and refugees, and nursing across the reproductive health spectrum including high risk antenatal, post-partum and abortion care. Mish is passionate about reducing barriers to healthcare access and improving hepatitis C screening, diagnosis, and treatment for people who use drugs.
Lindsay Myles
Board Member, Partnership Chair
2022-2024
Lindsay Myles has been a primary care nurse practitioner since 2014, and after working full time in primary care developed a subspeciality in hepatology. She helped to establish the Simcoe Liver Centre in Barrie along with a community group of gastroenterologists. They manage patients with all types of liver diseases from across the Simcoe Muskoka region. Additionally, she works with HepCure to clinically support mobile outreach teams across Ontario to treat patients with hepatitis C. Beyond managing the interesting viral hepatitis conundrums, she is interested in optimizing outpatient management of patients with end stage liver disease, and strengthening the link between primary care and hepatology in the care of patients with NAFLD.
Stephanie Eiloart
Board Member
2022-2024
Stephanie Eiloart has worked in many different areas of nursing, including endoscopy, clinical research, and hepatology. For the past 20 years, I have been dedicated to treating patients with Hepatitis C and in the past three years I have worked with HepCure a non-for-profit organization, working with the homeless population and people with addictions. I cover mainly the Toronto area but also support our mobile units and clinics in other parts of Ontario. I enjoy being out on the street finding and helping this population achieve the best possible treatment outcomes despite the countless obstacles in their lives.
Sarah De Coutere
Board Member
2022-2024
Sarah obtained her diploma in nursing in Halifax, Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Calgary, and her Master of Nursing from Dalhousie University in Halifax. She is a hepatology nurse practitioner working in Halifax with people with end stage liver disease, hepatitis B and C, fatty liver disease and autoimmune liver diseases. She has been on local and national committees for promotion of hepatology practice and shares her knowledge freely and often with anyone who wants to know! She is passionate about encouraging nurses to share their stories with each other locally, nationally, and internationally, to appreciate each other’s successes and challenges, with the goal of ultimately influencing practice for overall improved health experiences for all. In her spare time, she is a proud mother of two engineering university students, a prolific knitter, telemark skier, hiker, camper and a sea kayak instructor and guide.
Leo Yamamoto
Board Member
2023-2025
Leo Yamamoto is a registered nurse who obtained his Bachelor of Nursing from York University in Toronto. His experience in hepatology began in 2018 where he worked alongside a team of infectious disease specialists in treating viral hepatitis and HIV among vulnerable and marginalized population in the inner city of Vancouver. Leo now works as a hepatology research nurse/coordinator where his area of research involves NAFLD, NASH, HBV, PBC, PSC, and EoE. He has been a CAHN member since 2018 and recently joined the executive team in 2021.
On a personal note, Leo has been involved in street dance since 2008 and is a member of the Vancity Lockers in Vancouver. He also practices Muay Thai and enjoys spending time with his wife and fluffy dog, Lenny – a white sable rough collie.
Lori Lee Walston
Finance Chair
2023-2025
Lori Lee has over 34 years of nursing experience from neonatal nursery to geriatric rehabilitation, medicine to surgery. The last 20 years were in the field of Hepatology where she worked both clinical and research with Hepatitis C patients. She started working with interferon alfa and participated in all the clinical trials that eventually brought the current treatments to market. She retired from nursing at the end of 2019 and now resides in Saskatchewan enjoying good country life. Lori Lee has been a member of CAHN since its inception. She has held the position of Treasurer since 2014.
Wendy Schaufert
Standards and Competencies Chair
2023-2025
I have worked in Calgary for the majority of my nursing career in many different specialties. Since 2014 I have been involved with Hepatology as a nurse clinician for the Nurse Led High Risk NAFLD Clinic.
I just completed a 2-year term on the CAHN BOD and was a member of the Standards and Competencies committee. For the next 2 years I will continue as the chair of this same committee. I have been a CAHN member since 2015 and have had some great experiences.
On a personal note, I have been married for 30 years and have 2 kids. Both my son and my daughter have graduated with their degree in Business. My husband and I live on an acreage outside Calgary where are 3 dogs run wild.
Lindsey Lenters
Education Chair
2023-2025
Lindsey is the Hep C Nurse at Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, part of the Toronto Community Hep C Program. She is relatively new to the world of hepatology nursing, having worked previously as an emergency department nurse and as a public health program coordinator. She is looking forward to expanding her network & deepening her knowledge of hepatology nursing!
Elizabeth Martin
Membership and Awards Chair
2022-2023
Elizabeth Martin has been a Nurse since 2007 and has worked in a variety of settings in Canada throughout Nova Scotia, Alberta, British Columbia, and Northwest Territories. She obtained her Master of Nursing- Nurse practitioner Stream through Dalhousie University and started her GI career in Yellowknife in 2013.
Since 2016 she has been in Southern Ontario working in Community GI/Hepatology clinics (primarily Hepatology). She supports Hepatologists and Gastroenterologist treating all liver diseases with a focus on cirrhosis, decompensated liver disease, NASH/NAFLD and viral hepatitis. She has recently become the Director of Outreach for a non-for-profit organization with a focus on identifying and treating priority populations at risk for hepatitis C infection.
Danae Sale
Administrative Consultant
Danae has been supporting CAHN’s executive team since 2016.
Participating on CAHN’s executive team is a fun and fulfilling way to help deliver education to hepatology nurses across Canada while becoming a leader in the field. Contact Danae at [email protected] to learn about open opportunities.
Emma Jensen
Administrative Consultant
Emma has over 3 years of various marketing and administrative experience and is excited to be supporting CAHN’s executive team. Emma has recently obtained her diploma in marketing management; she hopes to further expand her experience and knowledge within her administrative consultant role. In her free time, Emma enjoys many outdoor activities like backpacking, hiking, and kayaking.