Board of Directors

Rob is the Manager of Operations of Western Canada and a Director of the Graham Boeckh Foundation. He is also the Chief Investment Officer for Boeckh Investments. Rob is currently on the Board of Foundry and the Victoria Youth Clinic. Previously, he co-wrote the Boeckh Investment Letter, and worked in Resources Management for Parks Canada and the Capital Regional District of Vancouver Island.

Rob lives in Victoria with his wife and three children.

Ray Dana Boeckh was appointed as an honourary director in recognition of her many years of devotion and work in Foundation. Ray played an instrumental role in the creation of the Foundation and its vision, as well as in the establishment and development of key initiatives such as Integrated Youth Services and the international collaboration among mental health research funders. Ray also served as co-chair of the foundation’s board of directors for several years.

Dr. Goldbloom was born in Montreal and raised in Québec and Nova Scotia. He completed an honours degree, majoring in Government, at Harvard University and then attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar where he obtained a M.A. in Physiological Sciences. He trained in medicine and psychiatry at McGill University and is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Goldbloom’s activities have been recognized and awarded by his peers and students. He has authored numerous scientific articles and book chapters and has provided talks and lectures to student, professional and public audiences. He is the editor of two textbooks in psychiatry and co-author with Dr. Pier Bryden of the best-selling book How Can I Help? A Week in My Life as a Psychiatrist. He maintains an active clinical and teaching role at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health where he serves as Senior Medical Advisor. He served as Vice-Chair and then Chair of the Board of the Mental Health Commission of Canada from 2007 to 2015. In addition to his professional activities, Dr. Goldbloom is past Chair of the Board of Governors of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Mr. Hendlisz is currently a healthcare consultant. He worked in health care for over 30 years and was Director General of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute for 17 years. Under his leadership, the hospital was transformed into a university institute. In parallel, the Douglas Research Centre became a flagship centre of excellence in mental health research in the country.

Jacques has lectured at McGill University and was formerly a board member of the FRQS (Fonds de recherche du Québec—Santé). He is a former chair of Research Canada.

Cynthia Joyce serves as the Executive Director of the MQ Foundation based in New York. The Foundation is a new entity, created in 2018 to generate US support for the mental health research mission and strategies developed by the international charity MQ. Having served as the founding chief executive of the London headquarters, Cynthia is particularly well‐positioned to help grow momentum for mental health science in other nations. In prior years, Cynthia has served as Executive Director of the SMA Foundation (NY) and Executive Director of the American Academy of Neurology Foundation (MN); she has also held positions in industry (Ciba‐Geigy and Cephalon). She holds a BA from the University of Chicago and an MS from the University of Minnesota. In addition to being a member of the Board of Directors of the Graham Boeckh Foundation, Cynthia is also a member of the Board for Frayme, a Canadian knowledge‐exchange project focused on adolescent mental healthcare.

Chairholder of the Wilder Penfield Chair in Neuroscience
Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital
Chair of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University
Interim Director of the Department of Medical Genetics at McGill University Health Center (MUHC)
Director of the Core Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory at McGill University Health Center (MUHC)

Over the last 25 years, Dr. Guy Rouleau and his team have focused on identifying the genes causing several neurological and psychiatric diseases, including autism, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hereditary neuropathies, epilepsy and schizophrenia, as well as providing a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that lead to these disease symptoms. Among Dr. Rouleau’s main achievements are his contribution to the identification of dozens of disease-causing genes and his discovery of new mutational mechanisms.

Dr. Rouleau has published nearly 700 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been quoted more than 45 000 times. He has supervised nearly a hundred students at the Masters, PhD and Post-doctoral levels in addition to receiving numerous awards for his contribution to science and society.

As President of MP Advisory Group (MAPG) Michel Perron brings over 37 years of senior level experience with the federal government and not for profit sector. He is recognized for his relationship management skills, political acuity and ability to negotiate value added consensus among the most diverse groups. Michel is an experienced leader who is often called upon to work with teams and translate strategic and operational challenges into practical solutions. MPAG is a bilingual, boutique strategic management advisory firm offering services for government, not-for-profit and the charitable sector. Founded in 2020, MPAG has quickly gained the confidence and approval of its clients in areas requiring informed analysis and insight to provide sound, evidence-based advice to achieve desired outcomes.

Michel retired from the Public Service in December 2019 as Executive Vice President (EVP) of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. As EVP, Michel was responsible for CIHR operations in addition to government, stakeholder and Board relations.

From 1999-2014, Michel served as Chief Executive Officer for the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and was responsible for advancing solutions to address alcohol and other drug-related harm. During his 15-year tenure, Michel spearheaded many initiatives that were a first of their kind in Canada and internationally.  Recently, Michel was recognized for his role in leading the ground-breaking Beyond 2008 initiative which saw over 900 Non-Governmental Organizations from 145 countries, produce the first, comprehensive global NGO consensus on drug policy for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs.

Michel is fluently bilingual in English and French, is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg and Harvard Business School.  He resides in Ottawa, Ontario.

Alexa Bagnell is the Chief of Psychiatry at IWK Health and Professor & Head, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Dalhousie University.  She completed medical training at Dalhousie University and post graduate training at Harvard University, returning home to start her career at IWK in 2003.  She is co-founder of the treatment of anxiety group (TAG) program at IWK Health in 2005, and in 2013, established the first obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) clinic in Eastern Canada at the IWK to provide evidence-based treatment and consultation services for Halifax and Maritime youth with OCD.

Her leadership focus is on child and youth mental health system continuous improvement initiatives to improve access, inclusivity, and quality of care for children and youth with mental health and addictions issues in the Maritimes. Alexa is a strong advocate for mental health education and resources and frequently presents in schools, community and in the media to increase knowledge about mental health and to promote help seeking in young people.

Jeanette Edwards is semi-retired and is currently a part time surveyor with Accreditation Canada. Up until February 2021, Jeanette was the Provincial Lead, System Integration and Quality Management, and Interim Provincial Lead, Indigenous Health, for Shared Health in Manitoba.

Previously, Jeanette was the Regional Director of Primary Health Care and Chronic Disease with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, including primary care clinics/services, midwifery/antenatal home care and support services to seniors. Jeanette also focused on inter-sectoral partnership development; mechanisms for engaging and involving citizens; and embracing equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Jeanette also worked with Manitoba Health in the capacity of Special Advisor to the Deputy Minister on Primary Care. In this role, Jeanette led the development and implementation of the Physician Integrated Network Initiative in Manitoba.

Jeanette holds a master’s degree of Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy from the University of Manitoba. She is a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders, holds Advanced Credentials in Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota, and a Certificate of Gerontology from the University of Manitoba. In 2021, Jeanette received the Canadian College of Health Leaders 2021 Mentorship Award sponsored by Roche Canada.

She is currently on the Board of Healthcare Excellence Canada (formerly CPSI and CFHI), the Board of the Rehabilitation Centre for Children and the Manitoba Association of Seniors Communities.

Jeanette has surveyed nationally and internationally with Accreditation Canada for many years in diverse areas such as large health systems, primary care clinics/centers, a range of community health services and aboriginal health organizations and long-term care. Jeanette has also served on the Board of Accreditation Canada.

Tony is Chair of the Graham Boeckh Foundation, a private family foundation that was established in honour of his son. Through this Foundation, the Boeckh family funds initiatives in the area of mental health and other related disciplines.

Mr. Boeckh is a Board member of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation N.Y. (awarding NARSAD grants) and a former member of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. He is a founding trustee of the Fraser Institute in Vancouver British Columbia (an economic “think tank” dedicated to free market principles), former Chair and Vice Chair of Brain Canada (Neuroscience Canada) and former Director of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Tony is also President of Boeckh Investments Inc., a family office. He has been a speaker at various economic, financial and investment seminars and conferences in international centers in North America, Asia and Europe.

From 1968 to 2002, Tony was Chairman, Chief Executive and Editor-in-chief of Montreal-based BCA Research (previously known as BCA Publications), publisher of ─among others─ the highly regarded Bank Credit Analyst, a monthly big-picture analysis of the U.S. and global economies and financial markets. He spent four years in the research department of The Bank of Canada in the early 1960s working in the areas of monetary and economic analysis. Tony taught Economics and Finance at McGill University in Montreal from 1968 to 1973. He was publisher and co-editor with Rob Boeckh of the Boeckh Investment Letter from 2009-2013, a commentary focusing on current investment prospects.

Tony authored The Great Reflation, published by John Wiley & Sons in 2010, which was ranked #1 in three categories on Amazon. He co-authored The Stock Market and Inflation, published by Dow Jones-Irwin in 1982. Tony earned a PhD in Finance and Economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a BCom from the University of Toronto.

Ian is the President and a Director of the Graham Boeckh Foundation (GBF), a private family foundation that is dedicated to transforming mental health services. He was appointed President of GBF in June 2015 and had previously held the position of Executive Chair. During Ian’s tenure in senior management positions with the Foundation, he has overseen the development of the strategic plan and has been involved in a number of large-scale projects in Integrated Youth Services, indicators for Canada’s mental health care systems and some major collaboratives in the mental health sector in Canada and internationally.

Ian is also a former Director of the Fondation Jeunes en Tête of Québec, whose mission is to promote mental health and raise awareness through its Partners for Life program, educating secondary school students on how to recognize the signs of mental health problems and how to seek help.

Ian’s career has spanned a number of fields including mental health, natural resource management and policy, economic and financial forecasting, as well as investment management. His professional background is primarily in the area of economics and finance. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario and Masters of Economics from the University of British Columbia.

Outside of work, Ian has a passion for outdoor activities including hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and canoe tripping. Ian and his wife, Karen, live in Montreal and are the parents of three young adults.