Advisory Council

The mandate of the NSHEN Advisory Council is to oversee and direct the activities of the Network. This includes reviewing requests for ethics support and, as needed, setting priorities for NSHEN.

The Advisory Council consists of 12 voting members, including the Chair, representing each of the Collaborating Partners (the 9 District Health Authorities and the IWK Health Centre; the Department of Health, and Dalhousie University).

Advisory Council Chair

LIZ MILLETT, MN, RN

Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority

Liz Millett is Vice President Patient Care for the Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority (GASHA). She was appointed to this position in 2001. Prior to that, she was the Facility Manager at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital. Liz has also held nursing leadership and staff nurse positions, primarily in the area of maternal newborn nursing. She is a member of the GASHA Ethics Committee and the St. Martha’s Regional Hospital Ethics Committee (ex officio).

Liz completed her master of nursing degree from Dalhousie University in 2003. She holds a BS in nursing from St. Francis Xavier University, a diploma in nursing from St. Martha’s Hospital School of Nursing and a diploma in health services management from the Canadian Hospital Association.

PATRICIA MURRAY, BA, MSc, MHSA, R. Psych, CHE

Department of Health

Patricia Murray is Acting Executive Director with the Mental Health, Children's Services and Addiction Treatment Branch of the Nova Scotia Department of Health and the current lead for the  Ethics Reference Group of the department. Prior to joining DOH 6 years ago, she actively contributed to the development of the ethics consultation process at the IWK.  As one of the core group members, she assisted with drafting the service delivery model, forms, etc, and then was selected as a consultant in the service. She has also completed courses on ethics at a post graduate level. She has been a member of the DOH Ethics Reference Group since shortly after its' inception.

Patricia holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Allison University (1980), A Master of Science in Applied Clinical Psychology from Memorial University of Newfoundland (1988) and  a Master of Health Services Administration from Dalhousie University (2008). She is a Registered Psychologist and a Certified Health Executive.

ANGELA ARRA-ROBAR, RN, MSN-MA

IWK Health Centre

Angela Arra-Robar is a Clinical Nurse Specialist with children with chronic illnesses at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.  Angela is a graduate of the University of Western Sydney (Australia) and Canyon College (USA) where she completed her Masters of Science in Nursing in 2006 and her Masters of Arts in 2009.

Angela has held a variety of nursing positions in both Canada and the United States.  Most of her clinical experience has been in the specialty of medical-surgical nursing in both adult and pediatric settings.  She has worked as a staff nurse, clinical instructor and nurse educator prior to her current role as a CNS.

Angela was the nursing representative for the IWK Ethics Committee before becoming the Chair in 2009. 

LINDA DIELTGENS

Cape Breton Health Authority

Linda Dieltgens has been a Care Coordinator with Continuing Care in Sydney Nova Scotia since 1995.  For 10 years she served on the provincial SEAscape Team (Continuing Care’s database) educating and supporting Continuing Care staff in the use of the RAI-HC assessment tool and in the software utilized by Continuing Care.  She has presented at National RAI Conferences and at the National Home Care Conference on behalf of Continuing Care. 

Linda is a graduate of St. Rita’s School of Nursing and holds a B.ScN. from St. Francis Xavier University.  Linda had worked in the private sector as a Family Practice Nurse and has also been a Public Health Nurse and worked on the Nova Scotia Heart Health Survey. She is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Nova Scotia College of Registered Nurses. Linda joined the Ethics Committee of the Cape Breton District Health Authority in September 2010 and is looking forward to the challenges of this committee.  Linda is also a member of the Cape Breton Chorale and enjoys spreading the joy of choral music.

STEPHANIE HARVEY, BScN RN GNC(c)

Annapolis Valley Health

Stephanie Harvey is Nurse Manager of the Surgical Unit at Valley Regional Hospital.  Stephanie began her nursing career in 1983 and has worked in many clinical areas as a staff nurse.  She has held a leadership role in Annapolis Valley Health since 1993. 

Stephanie is a founding member of the Annapolis Valley Health Ethics Advisory Committee and has served on this committee since 2005.   In her present position and as a member of the Ethics Committee, it is her responsibility is to ensure resources and support are available for patients, families, physicians, staff, and volunteers within Annapolis Valley Health.  Efforts support integration and capacity building for ethical reflection throughout Annapolis Valley Health. 

ANGELA CLIFTON, RN, BN, MEd, MA (candidate)

South Shore Health

Angela has an extensive career in health care, and in teaching nursing to all levels of students, and allied health care providers. She is a Parish Nurse, having had a practice providing health promotion and wellness programming to members of a faith community in the past. She has been a nurse manager in acute and long term care and is presently employed as Manager, Professional Practice for South Shore District Health Authority. Angela also continues to teach Parish Nursing through the University of Winnipeg, Graduate Program, Faculty of Theology and the undergraduate program, Concordia University College of Alberta in Edmonton, both courses via distance education methods.

Angela has a keen interest in ethics and health care, in particular organizational ethics and Christian ethics. All work is an ethical endeavor, as daily choices in actions are value based. Health care providers are entrusted with the care of other human beings at the most vulnerable times of their lives. This is a sacred trust that requires decisions based on sound ethical principles.

JIM LAVERIE

South West Health

Jim is employed as a LPN on a medical/surgical unit at South West Health. He also serves on the Board of the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Nova Scotia.

CHRISTY SIMPSON, PhD

Dalhousie University

Christy Simpson is the Head of the Department of Bioethics at Dalhousie University. She is the coordinator for the ethics-based collaborations between the Department, Capital Health and the IWK Health Centre, as well as the newly formed Nova Scotia Health Ethics Network. Her primary responsibilities include ethics education and capacity-building, policy development and review, and support for clinical and organizational ethics consultations.

Christy completed her doctorate in philosophy, specializing in bioethics, at the Department of Philosophy at Dalhousie University in 2001. During her doctoral studies, Christy also undertook two clinical practicums at local health care facilities, which stimulated her interest in the role of hope in health care. Her research in this area continued during a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta (2000-2002) and is still strong today, in conjunction with health care ethics. Christy’s research interests also include rural bioethics and organizational ethics.

MARY MCNALLY, MSc, DDS, MA

Capital District Health Authority

Mary McNally is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University where she has been a faculty member for the past 16 years. During the first nine years, she balanced part-time teaching with a full-time general practice in rural Nova Scotia. She joined the faculty full-time in 2001. Mary completed her Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1992 and a Master of Arts in Philosophy in 2003. Her clinical and academic interests include caring for elders, oral health promotion, and health care ethics focusing on social justice and access to care for vulnerable populations. For the past 5 years, she has chaired the ethics committee for the Nova Scotia Capital District Health Authority where her main areas of contribution were in applied organizational and institutional ethics.

CHANTEL BISHOP

Colchester East Hants Health Authority

Chantel has Bachelor Science in Nursing from St. Francis Xavier University (1997) and has maintained Canadian Nurses Association Certification in Gerontology since 2002.  An employee of Colchester East Hants Health Authority since graduation, Chantel has held a variety of positions specializing in the care of seniors.

Currently, Chantel is a Geriatric Consult Nurse with the Seniors' Clinic.  The Seniors' Clinic is a community based initiative aimed at promoting wellness and independence for seniors.  Chantel is a member of our Clinical/Organizational Ethics Committee and is Chair of the CEHHA Ethics Triage subcommittee.

ANNE SIMMONDS, RN, PhD

Pictou County Health Authority

Anne Simmonds lives in Pictou county and has over 25 years of experience as a maternal-child nurse, educator, and researcher. Anne holds a doctorate in Nursing and Bioethics from the University of Toronto and currently works as a perinatal nurse consultant with the Reproductive Care Program of Nova Scotia.

Anne has special interests in health care ethics and interprofessional practice and education in maternity care. Anne is the nurse representative on the national SOGC (Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada) ethics committee and is very pleased to be a member of the PCHA clinical and research ethics committees.

NANCY WILLIAMSON, BA, MA

Cumberland Health Authority

Nancy Williamson works in the Quality Management Department at the Cumberland Health Authority. She is the co-chair of the CHA Health Ethics Committee and the Cumberland Health Authority representative on the Scotia Health Ethics Network.

Nancy has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Mount Allison University and a Masters of Adult Education from Mount Saint Vincent University. In addition, has completed the Canadian Hospital Quality Management Program and the PHEN Ethics Distance Education Course.

In her position in Quality Management, Nancy works to integrate ethics throughout the organization using as one of the tools the Canadian Accreditation Standards.