Naushaba Degani (She/Her)

Co-Lead Excellence through Quality Improvement Project, CMHA Ontario Division

Naushaba Degani joined CMHA Ontario in November, 2019 as the Director of Quality Improvement; in Sept, 2022, she became the Chief Quality and System Performance Officer. She has worked in health system performance and evaluation for more than 25 years and has a PhD and an MHSc from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto as well as a BScH from Queen’s University (Cha Gheill!).  She comes to us from Health Quality Ontario (now part of Ontario Health) where she worked as the Manager, Performance Measurement supporting public reporting, quality standards and measurement for quality improvement.  In addition to strong skills in data and measurement, Naushaba has a background in harm reduction, evaluation and equity assessment.

Ash Koster (They/Them)

Program Manager, Excellence through Quality Improvement Project, CMHA Ontario Division

Ash joined the E-QIP team in December 2017 as Program Coordinator where they provided administrative and operational support to the team as well as social media engagement and knowledge exchange activities. In June 2019, Ash transitioned roles to Program Manager where they provide project management, operations and program planning support to the program co-Leads directors and team. As Program Manager, Ash is primarily responsible for work plan development, risk management, resource management, financial management and reporting activities. Ash also oversees special projects including conferences, in person events as well as the development of both Foundations to QI (IDEAS) e-learning courses (English and French.)

Ash has a keen interest in Quality improvement (QI) and is excited to see the increased use of data and measurement to inform QI activities and improve outcomes for individuals accessing community mental health services as well as their families, caregivers and service providers.  

Ash graduated from the University of Guelph with an honours degree in psychology and holds a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) as well as a certificate in human resources management from George Brown College. Ash lives in Mimico with their partner Hana and dog, Kevin. In their free time they enjoy cooking, quality time with friends and family and spending time outdoors.

Madeleine Luvisa (They/Them)

Interim Program Coordinator, Excellence through Quality Improvement Project, Addictions and Mental Health Ontario (AMHO)

Madeleine Luvisa (they/them) has several years of personal and professional experience supporting system change initiatives within local, provincial, and national mental health systems. Madeleine completed a Bachelor of Social Work and worked as a community engagement specialist for a national not-for-profit mental health system consultancy group, before joining our team as Interim Program Coordinator.

Madeleine is a fierce advocate for equitable access to high quality mental healthcare for all. Madeleine is passionate about service user engagement, advancing equity in mental health spaces, and disrupting the status quo. Madeleine draws inspiration from the famous Maya Angelou quote: ‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.’

In their free time, Madeleine enjoys exploring beautiful walking trails, trying new foods, and listening to music!

Naveen R. Maqbool (She/Her)

Program Coordinator, Excellence through Quality Improvement Project, Addictions and Mental Health Ontario (AMHO)- Currently on Paternity Leave

Naveen recently joined the E-QIP team in August 2021 as a Program Coordinator where she provides operational, programmatic, and administrative support aimed at building QI capacity and culture within community mental health and addiction agencies in Ontario. In addition to supporting day to day activities, Naveen is also part of the evaluation work geared at ensuring that the E-QIP Project is delivering a high standard of services relevant to the sector and in line with the priorities laid out in the Roadmap to Wellness.

She has previously worked in the development sector abroad, gaining extensive field experience as a public health researcher focusing on developing, implementing, and evaluating impact through innovative, scalable, and sustainable interventions that support a strong QI culture. Her most recent projects abroad focused on the integration of mental health services with routine service delivery, and expansion of mental health service delivery through community-based care and health-related quality of life via a task-shifting model.

Naveen thrives in diverse, multi-disciplinary teams, cultivating relationships with stakeholders and collaborating with partner organizations. A proactive problem-solver, and critical thinker, she enjoys automating systems to create efficiencies in the workflow. Naveen has a graduate degree from the Master of Science program in Family and Child Psychology at the University of Chester, UK. She is currently engrossed in everything QI and aspires to become a domain expert one day.

Laura Daly-Trottier (She/Her)

QI and Data Coach

Laura Daly-Trottier, delivers Quality Improvement Coaching through the Excellence through Quality Improvement Project (E-QIP).  Since October 2016 Laura has delivered coaching to member organizations in the Mental Health and Addictions sector throughout the province of Ontario to increase the capacity for Quality Improvement.  Laura knows firsthand the importance of using a structured approach to Quality Improvement as well as recognizing that each initiative is unique with its own set of values and purpose.

Prior to working with E-QIP, Laura Daly-Trottier worked as a Quality Coordinator at CMHA Nipissing where her focus was to ensure that service standards were met as well as overseeing the development and maintenance of the agencies quality assurance and improvement systems, including the continual monitoring of the agency’s client data management system.  Laura was responsible for coordinating and implementing staff orientation and training events and was a contributing member of the Governing Health and Safety Committee.

Laura served on the NE LHIN Implementation Team in 2016 for the Ontario Perception of Care Tool acting as the Agency Lead at CMHA Nipissing.

Laura thoroughly enjoys providing coaching supports through the offerings of E-QIP and is passionate about improving care in a meaningful way for service recipients, friends, families and service providers.

Abel Gebreyesus (He/Him)

QI and Data Coach

Abel Gebreyesus is a Data Coach for the Excellence through Quality Improvement Project (E-QIP) since the project’s first phase in October 2016. He worked with many mental health and community based organizations in coaching and facilitating their data needs related with the project. Additionally, he is also Data Management Coordinator (DMC) at TAIBU Community Health Centre since 2009; and was also involved from 2009 – 2011 at LAMP Community Health Centre; and from 2011-2013 in Flemingdon Health Centre – both in a DMC position.

Other than in CHC sector, Abel was also involved in Family Health Team (FHT) sector; and worked for four Peel Region FHTs as Quality Improvement Decision Support Specialist (QIDSS) in 2013-2016.

Abel also involved at different capacities, such as Project Manager for Nightingale on Demand Transition Project and Coordinator for Business Intelligence Reporting Tool coordinator in those organizations mentioned above. He also worked briefly for Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) as a Business Analyst. For many years, Abel contributed in different teams involving data, quality improvement, reporting and business Intelligence (BI) areas.
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Abel holds a Masters of Health Informatics (MHI) from Dalhousie University; and he is Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (CLSSGB) professional.

Lori Derry (She/Her)

QI and Data Coach

Lori Derry is a Data coach for the Excellence through Quality Improvement Project (E-QIP). She joined the E-QIP team in October 2020 and brings over 20 years experience in the Community Mental Health and Addiction sector. Her previous roles have included Data Analyst, Decision Support Specialist and Manager of Program Administration.  An avid learner, she is both Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and OMDP (Ontario Management Development Program) Leadership and Business Management Skills certified.

As a Data Coach for E-QIP, Lori is passionate in supporting the Community Mental Health and Addiction sector organizations use data to improve their programs and services for their clients.

Lucy Forman (She/Her)

QI and Data Coach

Lucy is a Quality Improvement and Data Coach for the Excellence through Quality Improvement Project (E-QIP). After spending a year as a seconded team member while continuing to work for CMHA Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services as Program Manager for Case Management, she joined the E-QIP team full-time in 2022. Lucy’s 20+ years experience, front line and leadership combined, in the Community Mental Health and Addiction (MHA) Sector gives her valuable insight in coaching MHA providers in their own quality improvement work. She has degrees in Social Work and Psychology as well as certificates in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Addictions, and Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. Lucy is enthusiastic about quality and eager to share her inventory of QI & Data jokes with anyone who will listen.

Linda Saunders (She/Her)

QI and Data Coach

Linda Saunders delivers quality improvement and data coaching through the Excellence through Quality Improvement Project (E-QIP).  Since its inception in 2016 Linda has supported many mental health and addiction organizations in Ontario with their quality improvement projects and plans to improve the quality of services offered to clients and families.

Prior to working with E-QIP, Linda worked as the Director of Corporate Services for Canadian Mental Health Association, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge Branch, and she also worked in a similar role at a children’s mental health centre in Windsor.  For more than thirty years, Linda has gained experience in both the public and private sectors.  She was responsible for the administrative, corporate, privacy, accreditation, and quality improvement systems of the Canadian Mental Health Association.  She worked closely with all programs within CMAH HKPR to integrate key principles that ensure the delivery of safe, effective, and client-centred care and services to the community while maintaining a culture of continuous quality improvement.  She is also an active member in her community.

Linda thoroughly enjoys her work providing quality improvement and data coaching to mental health and addiction organizations in the province as they work towards strengthening the sector in quality improvement and improved health outcomes to clients and families.

Hasan Rizvi (He/Him)

QI and Data Coach

Hasan is a Quality Improvement and Data Coach for the Excellence through Quality Improvement Project (E-QIP), a role he began in August 2024. In this position, he enhances quality improvement initiatives through data-driven strategies.

Previously, he served as a Data and Performance Management Coordinator at Primary Health Care Corporation in Doha, Qatar, contributing significantly to the Quality and Patient Safety Directorate. His extensive background in healthcare data management includes working on high-impact projects with organizations like IQVIA and engaging with clients such as USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar.

With over 12 years of experience, he has specialized in developing monitoring and evaluation frameworks, designing data collection tools, and performing statistical analysis to drive healthcare improvement. His career is marked by a commitment to using data excellence to advance quality improvement in healthcare settings.

Seema Dave (She/Her)

QI and Data Coach

Seema recently joined the EQIP team as a Quality Improvement and Data Coach. Seema brings over eight years of experience in monitoring, evaluation, and quality improvement within the non-profit sector across Canada and India. Her expertise spans across various fields, including rural development, community health, and mental health & addictions. Seema has a strong background in developing program logic models, evaluations frameworks, measurement, data collection, and implementing quality improvement process.  Seema holds a Master of Social Work and an MPhil, along with certifications in Lean Six Sigma and continuous quality improvement.