CPA Appoints Incoming Board Chair, Dr. Alison Freeland
It’s official. The CPA will welcome its new Board chair, Dr. Alison Freeland, at the Annual General Meeting this fall.
Dr. Freeland is Vice President of Education, Academic Affairs and Patient Experience at Trillium Health Partners, and Associate Dean, Mississauga Campus, at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. She brings a valuable skillset to the CPA with her experience in hospital, community, and educational settings, as well as health care and academic administration.
Through her involvement with various boards and leadership of provincial organizations, Dr. Freeland has an appreciation of regional policy issues, mental health care systems and the role of psychiatry within them. The main focus of her clinical work is the care of people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders.
“It is crucial that the Board chair has the necessary skills and experience that align with the CPA’s mandate and principles to ensure the ongoing success of our national association. Dr. Freeland’s experience as an individual, as a clinician, and as a leader align with these key attributes of Board Chair, and the CPA is delighted that Alison has accepted this key role,” said Dr. Grainne Neilson, CPA president.
An excellent communicator, known for transparency and the clarity of her decisions, Dr. Freeland has a talent for being able to translate complex communications into a digestible format.
Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are crucial components of Dr. Freeland’s development as a leader. She is committed to building her own knowledge and awareness, learning from others with both lived experience and expertise, and ensuring that an EDI approach is firmly embedded into her work. Dr. Freeland views this as an essential area of focus for the CPA so that it can adequately meet and represent the needs and interests of all its members, and, even more crucially, the patients and families they serve.
“The Board must model purposeful, authentic, and inclusive leadership that unapologetically addresses racism and inequity, and must commit to achieving a membership that reflects the broadest possible range of qualifications, skills, experiences and perspectives,” said Dr. Freeland.
Dr. Freeland will be the second woman to chair the CPA Board since the position was created in 1972. The Board confirmed her appointment following a call for candidates to CPA members as well as an intensive assessment and interview process that included support throughout from an independent EDI process advisor.
