Our Project Leadership Team
Connect with Kira:
Kira has over a decade of experience in healthcare leadership, with a strong focus on improving care for pediatric patients and their families. She has held key roles, including Project Manager for the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) at SickKids in Toronto, where she led important initiatives in perinatal palliative care and clinical guideline development. Most recently, she was the Clinical Manager at Emily’s House, where she supported the delivery of pediatric palliative care.
Kira holds a BScN in Nursing from the University of Toronto and an MBA in Health Industry Management from the Schulich School of Business. She is also certified as a Critical Care Nurse and holds a Lean Yellow Belt, highlighting her commitment to improving healthcare quality and efficiency.
Outside of work, Kira enjoys spending time with her husband and two children in Toronto. Finding balance through reading and baking.
Looking forward, Kira aims to drive change in Canada’s approach to caring and supporting children with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Her leadership extends to pan-Canadian initiatives, reflecting her dedication to advancing care and support for children with life-limiting illnesses.
Kira believes deeply in human-centered care, advocating for holistic support for individuals throughout their healthcare journeys
Connect with Dave:
Dave is the Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University and the Division Head of Pediatric Palliative Medicine; the founder of the Quality of Life & Advanced Care program at McMaster Children’s Hospital; and the Medical Director of Keaton’s House – Paul Paletta Children’s Hospice (in development). Dave serves as the co-chair of the Canadian Network of Palliative Care for Children, and was named the 2024 winner of the Pediatric Chairs of Canada Emerging Leader award.
Having initiated the pediatric palliative care program at McMaster Children’s Hospital, Dave has witnessed the incremental benefits of robust palliative care support, not only to patients and families, but to the healthcare system, the communities served, as well as our society. He recognizes however, that these supports are still not available to the growing number of children and families-in-need across Canada. Dave joined the alliance to help raise awareness of the growing need for pediatric palliative care; to empower the delivery of equitable, interdisciplinary, high-quality palliative care to infants, children, youth, and their families across Canada; to demonstrate the benefits of palliative care at the level of the patient, family, community, healthcare system, and our society; and to support the development of new and evolving resources that will be necessary to meet and keep pace with the need.
Connect with Megan:
Megan has over 25 years of healthcare leadership experience, mostly within child and family services. She joined Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice as the Executive Director in 2014 and has been a valued member of the CHEO Management team since 2003, currently serving as the Director for Palliative Care. Before that, she was the Emergency, Critical Care, Inpatient Medicine, Surgery and Oncology Director.
Born and raised in Ottawa, Megan completed a Bachelor of Nursing at the Toronto Metropolitan University, a Master’s of Nursing Degree at the University of Toronto, and a Health Leadership Certificate from Ottawa University
She is passionate about ensuring equity and accessibility for all families facing life-limiting illness and access to grief services for children and their families. Currently, Megan Chairs the National Pediatric Hospice Leadership Committee.
When she’s not at work, Megan treasures spending time with her family and friends, escaping into a good book and riding her bike.
Megan is excited for a future where all children and families have access to excellent pediatric palliative care no matter where they live in Canada. Megan has seen first-hand what a difference it can make to a family when they have a loving team of care providers surrounding them when dealing with losing a child. Megan enjoys sharing her knowledge and expertise with others to grow programs and services to improve outcomes for children and families.
To connect with a member of the Project Executive Committee, please reach out to hello@pediatricpalliativecare.ca.
Our Partners with Lived Experience (PWLEs) offer crucial feedback from the perspective of families with lived experience in pediatric palliative care, having a child with a serious illness and navigating bereavement.
This group is composed of parents, siblings and other relatives joining from coast to coast to coast, with roughly 35 attending community members. Their experiences live in many different childhood illnesses, journeys both short and long, and on a broad spectrum from perinatal care all the way to transitions into adulthood.
We always welcome the addition of new voices; if you are interested in participating and sharing your perspective, we invite you to reach out to hello@pediatricpalliativecare.ca for more information
