Executive Leadership Team

Altaf Stationwala was appointed President and CEO of Mackenzie Health in 2010. Under his leadership, Mackenzie Health received Accreditation with Exemplary Standing consecutively in 2013, 2017 and 2023 – the highest rating a Canadian healthcare provider can achieve – and numerous awards for its commitment to safety and quality patient care. In June 2015, Altaf created the Mackenzie Innovation Institute, which laid the groundwork for establishing Mackenzie Health as the first hospital system in Canada to launch the highest standard of electronic medical record when it was implemented in 2017. Altaf also led the transformation of Mackenzie Health into a two-hospital system with the opening of Canada’s first smart hospital, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, in 2021. Prior to joining Mackenzie Health, Altaf held the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Mount Sinai Hospital, and previous to that he was Site Executive - Brampton Civic Hospital and Vice President, Patient Services at the William Osler Health Centre.

Altaf was presented with the Canadian College of Health Service Executives Canada's Outstanding Young Health Executive of the Year Award in 2007 for his demonstrated leadership in improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the country's health system. He has a diverse educational background with undergraduate degrees in Economics, Geography and Business Administration, as well as a Master’s in Health Administration.  Altaf is adjunct faculty at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, and a surveyor with Accreditation Canada. Altaf previously served as Chair of the Ontario Hospital Association.

Dr. Steven Jackson is currently the Vice President of Medical Planning, Chief of Staff and a general surgeon specializing in surgical oncology. Prior to joining Mackenzie Health in 2013, Dr. Jackson was Chief of Staff at The Scarborough Hospital. He has chaired and co-chaired numerous committees and task forces locally and regionally and is currently the co-chair of the Central Region Ontario Health Hospital Operations Table.

Dr. Jackson’s dedication, expertise and impact spans beyond the clinical world and into the operational realm.

In 2017, he led a major clinical transformational change – the implementation of the Epic end-to-end Electronic Medical Record (EMR). In his role as the executive sponsor, Dr. Jackson ensured the successful implementation of the software which was the first full-suite Epic EMR to be installed in a Canadian hospital at the time. This system made it possible for the care team to spend more time with patients, provide physicians with exactly what they need to make important health care decisions quicker and empower patients with easy access to their health records.

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Dr. Jackson played a crucial role in the planning and implementation of the pandemic response at Mackenzie Health. This includes the opening of Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital as a system solution to alleviate the COVID-19 pressures in the province.

He also led major planning and readiness efforts involved in the opening of Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital which opened as a full-service community hospital in June 2021. Dr. Jackson was instrumental in recruiting close to 300 new physicians to support our two hospitals and community-based locations.

Dr. Jackson graduated from McGill University Medical School where he also completed his surgical residency. Additionally, he completed a two-year Fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the University of Toronto. He also holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and has completed several other recognized medical leadership programs from the Rotman School of Management and the Canadian Medical Association.

Heather Stewart is the Interim Executive Vice President of Clinical Services and Chief Nurse Executive at Mackenzie Health, where she provides strategic and operational leadership for clinical services across Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, and the Reactivation Care Centre. Her portfolio also includes a range of regional and community-based programs such as Chronic Kidney Disease, Stroke, Behavioural Health, and Brain Injury Services. In addition, Heather oversees the organization’s Quality, Patient Safety, Integrated Risk, and Professional Practice portfolios.

With over 19 years of healthcare leadership experience, Heather is recognized for her ability to drive meaningful change and deliver measurable results. Since joining Mackenzie Health, she has played a pivotal role in the development and implementation of several transformative clinical initiatives. These include the development, planning, and operational planning of the Emergency and Critical Care unit at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. Heather also partnered with the Chief of Staff to develop and support the clinical planning for Mackenzie Health’s two acute care sites with integrated, single-sited services. Since opening Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, she has been instrumental in launching a Behavioural Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) unit, designed to support seniors with complex medical needs experiencing delirium or dementia. Additionally, she led the development of a specialized Long Stay Program featuring 12 designated beds at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital to support patients in the process of weaning from various types of ventilation.

Throughout her career, Heather has been committed to building high-performing teams, creating shared visions, and fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence. She is passionate about translating innovation into improved patient outcomes and advancing the value of healthcare delivery.

Heather is a Registered Nurse and holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. She is also a Certified Health Executive (CHE) through the Canadian College of Health Leaders.

David Stolte is the Vice President, Strategy and Program Support Services at Mackenzie Health. Prior to his current role, David was the Vice President of Strategy and Redevelopment at Mackenzie Health and was responsible for the planning and implementation of Mackenzie Health’s second hospital, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, which opened as a full-service community hospital in June 2021.

Before his appointment to the Vice President role in January 2012, David was Mackenzie Health's Chief Strategy Officer after joining the hospital in August 2009. David's responsibilities include the development of Mackenzie Health's strategic plan, the systems to ensure strategy implementation, oversight of program support services and ongoing performance improvement including lean process improvement.

David brings 17 years of experience working in the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. During his time in the provincial government, David held progressively responsible leadership positions and worked collaboratively with hospitals from across the province to resolve planning, program, funding, restructuring and capital redevelopment issues. As well, David held a wide variety of other high priority positions in the ministry including the Director of Executive Support in the Deputy Minister's Office, Capacity Lead for the provincial ER/ALC Strategy, and Project Director for the Ontario Diabetes Strategy. David holds a Master of Business Administration in Health Services Management from McMaster University as well as a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

Stav D'Andrea joined Mackenzie Health in January 2013 as the Chief Human Resources Officer. Stav is responsible for a portfolio of services which includes Human Resources, Learning and Organizational Development, Occupational Health and Safety, Central Staffing Services, Volunteer and Community Resources and Child Care Services. A key responsibility is the 'people' Human Resources strategy alignment with Mackenzie Health's organizational strategic plan.

Stav brings more than 25 years of experience working in the health care sector in progressive Human Resources leadership positions in both acute and complex care and rehabilitation hospitals. She has led a variety of strategic initiatives including Talent Development and Leadership programs, as well as Human Resources transition and transformation programs for hospital redevelopment. Stav is a graduate of University of Toronto in the Arts and Leadership, is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and a graduate of Seneca College's Business Administration Program. As an active member of the community, Stav participates in the York Region Community Partnership Council and has served over seven years as a Volunteer, Chair and Parent Council member for the Vaughan Catholic School Board. She was awarded the Vaughan Citizen Volunteer Service Award and the National Life of Canada Award.

Allison Trenholm is the Vice President, Public Affairs, Stakeholder Relations and Chief Communications Officer accountable for strategic internal and external communications across Mackenzie Health including brand, crisis and issues management; government, stakeholder and media relations; social media and integrated marketing.

Allison brings passion and experience in strategic communications, government relations and stakeholder engagement while fostering a proactive, team-focused service delivery on both strategic and operational initiatives.

Allison first joined Mackenzie Health in early 2018 as Director, Communications, Marketing and Stewardship before taking on her current role in November 2019. Prior to joining Mackenzie Health, Allison was responsible for developing and managing internal and external communications programs for the Electrical Safety Authority. Allison also worked at Trillium Health Partners Foundation where she held increasingly progressive leadership positions and led the communications efforts supporting the merger of Trillium Health Centre Foundation and Credit Valley Hospital Foundation. Allison holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree from Western University’s Faculty of Information and Media Studies, a Certificate in Writing also from Western University and is certified in change management.

Purvi Desai joined Mackenzie Health in July 2022 as the Vice President Digital Health and Chief Information Officer. She provides strategic leadership and oversight for the digital health portfolio, including clinical informatics, information technology and digital project management across all Mackenzie Health sites. Her focus is leveraging digital transformation to support and enable the organization to deliver on its mission of patient and family centered care. This includes driving digital innovation and technology best practices and working to ensure that the organization’s current and future assets, resources, applications and infrastructure continue to enable excellence in patient care and support effective corporate planning.

Purvi brings 18 years of progressive leadership experience within health care. She joins us most recently from Unity Health Toronto, where she held the role of Executive Director, Digital Transformation. During her career, Purvi has held multiple senior level roles and she has provided leadership and support for a full range of programs and services related to health information management and technology, including digital strategy development, clinical informatics, application support and development, IT project management, helpdesk services, cybersecurity and privacy and data centre and infrastructure management. Purvi has a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master of Business Administration from McMaster University.

Greg has had an extensive career in the health care sector spanning between private sector advisory roles and progressive leadership roles in Ontario Hospitals. He is a collaborative leader with an extensive background in finance, strategy and analytics. Greg has led significant improvements in health care organizations, in particular, working capital improvement, value-based procurement, and steering hospital information system implementations.

Before joining Mackenzie Health, Greg was the Vice President, Partnerships and CFO at Women's College Hospital, during which he was responsible for Finance, Facilities, Diagnostic Imaging and Laboratory services. Prior to that, Greg led comprehensive, multi-year financial transformation initiatives at Southlake Regional Health Centre.

Greg is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and a Masters degree in Economics from Western University. He is currently the Board Chair of the Canadian Medical Equipment Protection Plan, an organization that facilitates repair and maintenance of clinical equipment.