Board of Directors

Dr. Raj Sherman was appointed as Chair of the Health Quality Council of Alberta Board of Directors in June 2024.

Raj graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta in 1990 and specialized in family and emergency medicine. For 32 years, he has practiced as an emergency and trauma physician in Edmonton. He has been a clinical lecturer and Assistant Clinical Professor in the department of Emergency Medicine at University of Alberta medical school.

He has represented the Alberta Medical Association as President of the Section of Emergency Medicine, member of the Health Issues Council and the Government Affairs Committee. Recently, he served as a member of the Board of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) and on the CPSA finance & audit and governance committees.

Raj has served his community as a STARS flight physician, member of the University of Alberta Senate, director for the Society for Helping Lives in Poverty (H.E.L.P.), member of his local community league, and as community soccer and basketball coach. He also managed a family-run infill rental and housing construction business.

Raj was elected to the Alberta Legislature as MLA for Edmonton-Meadowlark from March 2008 until May 2015. He served as Parliamentary Assistant to two Ministers of Health & Wellness in the Progressive Conservative government, was an Independent MLA of the Alberta Legislature for one year and finished his political career as leader of the official and second opposition party.

He has received a gold pin for his service with STARS and a bronze medal from the Alberta Northwest Lifesaving Society. In 2011, he was on Alberta Venture magazines list of 50 most influential Albertans. In 2022, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for his service and contributions to Albertans.

Raj is a proud father of two children – one a filmmaker and the other a family physician. In his free time, he enjoys travelling, hiking, biking, tennis, golf and the company of his family and friends. He remains committed to improving access to quality healthcare for Albertans.

Dr. Emmanuel Gye was appointed to the Health Quality Council Board of Directors in June 2024. He brings over 25 years of leadership experience in healthcare systems across three continents, including Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Since 2010, he has lived and worked in Alberta, actively contributing to various healthcare organizations. His board and committee memberships include the Primary Care Alliance of Alberta, the Coalition for Primary Health Care of Alberta, and the Section of Family Medicine of the Alberta Medical Association.

Ema is a family and lifestyle medicine physician and a Clinical Associate Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. Ema co-founded the Jinkai Initiative, dedicated to resettling internally displaced persons and fostering economic growth in Nigerian communities. His exceptional community service has been recognized with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee award.

Dr. Hawranik has held a variety of clinical and senior leadership roles within health care and in higher education. She worked in community health, in tertiary care hospitals, and as a policy analyst. She held positions as Associate Dean in the Faculty of Nursing and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Manitoba. She moved to Alberta to assume the role as inaugural Dean for the newly created Faculty of Graduate Studies at Athabasca University. Most recently, she held the interim positions of Associate Vice President Research for more than two years, followed by the role of interim Dean for the Faculty of Health Disciplines at Athabasca University. She is currently Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca University.

Dr. Hawranik has a wide range of board membership experience. She has been a board member and president of national and provincial boards of directors which included long term care facilities, community non-profit organizations, and post-secondary national and western Canadian boards. Her program of research examines the effectiveness of community services for informal caregivers who care for an older adult with cognitive impairment. A component of this research has examined the adequacy of vision care services for older adults living in long term care facilities for fall prevention.

Dr. Hawranik has received numerous awards for her community work and research, including the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award and the Canadian Nurses Association Centennial Award.

Clifford D. Johnson, Q.C., ICD.D, was appointed to the Health Quality Council of Alberta Board in April 2021. Mr. Johnson is a seasoned lawyer, board director and senior executive. He holds Bachelor of Commerce and Juris Doctor (law) degrees from the University of Calgary. He retired from law practice on Dec. 31, 2020. He was a past member of the Law Societies of Alberta and England and Wales. He was awarded the Queen’s Counsel designation on Jan. 1, 2002, and achieved the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors on Feb. 26, 2008. He has authored more than 70 research papers and articles many of which he presented at professional seminars. Two were published in the Alberta Law Review and have been referenced in court decisions.

Mr. Johnson worked at a major oil company in business management and legal positions before moving to private practice. He spent 20 years at a major national law firm holding leadership positions including Practise Group Leader, National Management Committee member and Managing Partner, Calgary office. He moved to business for six years before returning to private practice in 2012. He has extensive board and management experience with for-profit and non-profit organizations. Positions held have included Director, Chairman, CEO, President, Executive Vice-President and Vice-President.

Clifford A. LeMoal was appointed to the Health Quality Council of Alberta Board of Directors in June 2024. Cliff is a practising Advanced Care Paramedic of 40 years and a recipient of the Federal Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Award. He holds a Master of Arts in Learning and Technology from Royal Roads University.

Cliff has extensive knowledge and experience in health regulatory matters, gained in part, by serving as Chairperson of the College of Paramedics Continuing Competence Committee. In addition, Cliff served on the committee responsible for establishing the national regulatory licensing examination for paramedics across Canada.

Cliff has worked in various healthcare settings, allowing the opportunity to engage and work with multiple healthcare practitioners while gaining an understanding of issues specific to those practice settings.

Cliff is an accomplished public speaker and publisher of technical manuals and medical textbooks. Cliff is also an adult educator of 20 years, specializing in prehospital care and emergency care. Cliff is skilled in mentorship, leading teams, and project management.

Rick Lundy was appointed to the Health Quality Council of Alberta Board of Directors in June 2024. Rick has served on 21 different boards and has been president of eight of them. Most recently, Rick was the president of the board for Mothers Against Drunk Driving Calgary (MADD) where he served for three years.

He is the founder of Minds Over Matter Mental Health Society and Open Arms Patient Advocacy Society. Open Arms was formulated in 2007 due to an adverse medical event that almost cost his wife her life. The Open Arms organization investigates adverse medical events, offers support to patients and their families, assists patients when navigating through the medical system and works with Government and Alberta Health Services to facilitate systemic changes in healthcare. The Minds Over Matter Mental Health Society was formulated in 2015 and works with seniors, children/youth, cultural groups, and businesses/organizations to ensure the best possible mental health through prevention, education, and community.

Rick has been employed in the sports/recreation industry in the capacity of general manager/executive director for the last 30 years. He also consults for non-profit organizations on various topics including governance, board policies, board bylaws, and mentorship programs for leadership.

Rick educates nurses on compassionate care and the importance of this relating to a positive experience for the patient.

Rick has been married to his wife Rose for over 29 years and has twin boys studying in their fourth year of software engineering at the University of Calgary.

Rick has received awards for his community work, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee award, and in 2023 was a nominee for Calgarian of the year.

Dr. Carlyn Volume-Smith was appointed to the Health Quality Council Board of Directors in April 2021. She is a licensed clinical pharmacist with a B.Sc. in Pharmacy, a M.Sc. in Health Promotion, and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Alberta. Her doctoral thesis was a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the impact of drug policy changes on healthcare providers and patients.

Dr. Volume-Smith has spent more than two decades in the pharmaceutical policy and the health benefit sectors. She has managed complex scientific advisory processes that support Government of Alberta sponsored drug programs. Additionally, while working with a private health benefit provider, she managed departments charged with the adjudication of more than $2 billion annually of extended health, travel, dental, and drug claims for health benefit plans. During her tenure within Alberta Health, she established and maintained strategic relationships with other provincial and federal government departments. This included specialty drug programs, Alberta Health Services-Pharmacy Services, and research/academic communities to develop, advance and communicate evidence-informed and outcome-based drug program policies.

Dr. Volume-Smith also had the opportunity to collaborate and consult with healthcare and allied healthcare providers, vendor associations, professional associations and colleges, as well as the general public, to refine the government sponsored drug and supplementary health benefit programs. Additionally, she served on several pan-Canadian committees including the Provincial Advisory Group for the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review, the Provincial/Territorial Working Group on Rare Diseases and the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Working Group on Pharmaceuticals.

Currently, Dr. Volume-Smith is a member of the executive team at the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan, a not-for-profit organization that provides health and disability benefits to more than 60,000 employees of Alberta’s public education sector and their families.

Angus Watt was appointed to the Health Quality Council of Alberta Board of Directors in June 2024.

Angus is a Senior Wealth Advisor, National Bank Financial, and Founding Partner of the Angus Watt Advisory Group. He holds a degree in Political Science from York University.

A dedicated and passionate community builder, Angus has founded, led or co-led dozens of major community initiatives, including the most recent Cross Cancer Institute fundraising campaign that raised over $30 million for this Edmonton facility.

In addition, Angus was past Treasurer for the Lieutenant Governor’s Circle of Mental Health, past board member of University of Alberta Senate, and past Co-Chair of the University of Alberta Senate Student Mental Health Endowment. He also served as Chair to The Support Network and The Support Network Foundation.

In 2023, Angus was inducted as a member into the Alberta Order of Excellence and inducted as a laureate into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame. He is a past recipient of the “Paul Harris Fellow,” awarded by the Rotary Club of Canada. In 2012, Angus received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and in 2023 he received the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal.