Chair

Maureen Bird-Graper (Chair), is a retired Administrator from the Toronto District School Board. In addition to degrees obtained at Western University, she has specialist certification in Guidance and Physical Education. In 1993, Maureen and her family were involved in a motor vehicle accident. As a result, Maureen's husband and younger son struggle with the effects of traumatic brain injuries. Maureen also volunteers with the ABI Network.

Board of Directors

Rika Vander Laan, RN, MScN (Vice Chair), has been an independent health care consultant since 2002. Previously, she was the Executive Director of the Toronto Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Network for seven years. In that role, Rika was first introduced to the field of brain injury, its challenges, its rewards and the opportunities to impact the lives of those living with an ABI. Rika worked with many CHIRS staff during her tenure at the Network and brings a wealth of knowledge in the field of ABI.

Stephen Randall, B.Comm., CGA (Treasurer), is an experienced senior financial executive specializing in financial and IT management. Stephen has been involved in both the private and public sector; private equity funded and publicly traded companies. He is a strategically oriented individual and is presently the CFO of Titan Medical Inc. a development stage company involved in the development of a Robotic Surgical Platform.

Stephen Birman (Corporate Secretary), graduated from the University of Toronto law school in 2007. Stephen is an Associate Lawyer at Thomson, Rogers where his law practice is focused in Plaintiff personal injury and class action work. Stephen has successfully litigated claims on behalf of accident victims and enjoys representing plaintiffs in various capacities. Stephen is honoured to be a member of the CHIRS board.

Robert H. Brent is a lawyer working in the Legal Services Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. Bob received his law degree from the University of Western Ontario, and also holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in journalism from Northwestern University. Before pursuing a legal career, Bob was a reporter with The Toronto Star, covering municipal politics.

R. Samantha Chapman, B.A (Hon), LL.B., is a proactive corporate and commercial lawyer and civil litigator with Morrison Brown Sosnovitch LLP. Samantha’s practice has included incorporating and organizing both for-profit and not-for-profit corporations and charities. She provides strategic advice and representation to shareholders, directors and officers on various legal matters affecting the management and operations of both for-profit and not-for-profit corporations. Samantha has been involved in a vast array of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, sale transactions and various types of contractual arrangements.

Dr. Nora Cullen is a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Chief of Staff at West Park Healthcare Centre. She works clinically with adults who have sustained a brain injury, assisting them with re-integration into the community. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and her research interests involve long-term outcome measurement following brain injury and the interventions that impact on those outcomes. She is a co-author of the Evidence Based Review of Acquired Brain Injury and the ABI Knowledge Uptake Strategy.

Karen Sasaki, MSW, RSW, is a Social Worker at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and adjunct lecturer with the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. For more than 20 years, she has worked in the field of neuro rehabilitation with adult survivors of brain injury, their families, and community service providers. Karen received her Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto and is actively involved in the International Network of Social Workers in Brain Injury (INSWABI).

Pat Weismiller, B. Ed., M.A., has been on the Board of Directors since 2000. As a school teacher, guidance counsellor and parent of a son who lives with the effects of a brain injury, Pat brings a unique perspective to the Board. Her personal and professional experience helps to bring focus to clinical and planning decisions.