Dr. Lori Gray

Dr. Gray is a clinical, forensic, and rehabilitation psychologist whose focus has been best practices and progressive approaches in early intervention and comprehensive care through her work with multiple emergency services and peer support programs. She is currently based out of private practice in Barrie, Ontario and works with first responders and emergency services across Ontario. Her background includes diverse experience as the psychologist for one of the largest paramedic services in Canada, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Detroit Receiving Hospital, Ministry of the Attorney General, Correctional Service of Canada, and postsecondary teaching.

Dr. Gray has received the Future Pioneers of Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association, Early Career Achievement Award from the Canadian Psychological Association Traumatic Stress Section, Odyssey Early Career Achievement Award and GLAD Award for Teaching and Mentorship from the University of Windsor, among other awards from agencies including the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Canadian Psychological Association, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Dr. Simon Hatcher

Dr. Hatcher is a psychiatrist and researcher at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He trained in psychiatry in the UK before working in New Zealand for twenty years and moved to Canada in 2012. He has been the principal investigator on several large randomized controlled trials of treatments for suicidal people. Clinically, he runs a First Responder Clinic at The Ottawa Hospital and has received research funding to investigate the preferences of First Responders for mental health care and to test different ways of screening for mental disorders in first responders.

Dr. Hatcher is a member of the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT).

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Alexandra Heber

Dr. Heber is the first Chief Psychiatrist of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa. She was the VAC lead author on the CAF- VAC Joint Suicide Prevention Strategy. She has over 30 years’ experience working in Mental Health. Dr. Heber served in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and was deployed to Afghanistan as Psychiatrist in Charge of the CAF Mental Health Services for Task Force Afghanistan. Her military experience included a decade as Clinical Leader of Military Mental Health in Ottawa, then the establishment of the Section of Clinical Programs for CAF Headquarters, where she oversaw 30 CAF mental health clinics across Canada.

She has presented and published nationally and internationally on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and suicide prevention in military, veteran, and first-responder populations. Her research interests include: suicide prevention, the military-civilian transition experience, and the role of peer support in military and paramilitary organizations. She has authored 2 online courses on PTSD and trauma-informed care, one for Canadian physicians and one for the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Authorities, and she has authored a number of reports for the Justice Department, Government of Canada, on cases involving torture and PTSD.

Dr. Heber works on developing strong collaborative relationships among government, academics, research institutes, clinicians, military and public safety organizations, families and those with lived experience. She has received the Veterans Affairs Canada Leadership Award, the Canadian Armed Forces Chief of Defence Staff Commendation, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the General Service Medal, South-West Asia.

Dr. Stephanie Barone McKenny

Dr. McKenny is a police psychologist with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and provides consultation to several elite units including SWAT, Air Support Division, Criminal Gang Homicide Division, and undercover agents. She has worked with law enforcement personnel at the international, national, state, county, local, and university levels. Dr. McKenny is also a nationally certified sports psychologist and clinical trauma professional who applies peak performance skills in designing and implementing officer wellness programs, including the Mother of All Suicide Prevention Campaigns (which led to 25 months of 0 suicides at LAPD), the Resilience Task Force, the Substance Abuse Task Force, the Smart Detective, the annual Heart of LAPD Walk, and the pending Tactical Relief Checks.

As the spouse of a Navy Captain and the sister of a Lt. Colonel, Dr. McKenny understands at a very personal level the demands and sacrifices that police members make every day, and also the demands and daily sacrifice of their spouses, children, and extended family.

Serving Police Member

This panel member is a currently active police sergeant who has served as a police officer in Ontario for over 30 years. His career includes over 25 years of front-line uniform policing assignments as well as six years of administrative and corporate experience.

While often described by others as a “high performer” and “go-to guy”, this member also describes himself as “someone who has suffered in silence for over 15 years while enduring the profession’s unrelenting exposure to critical incidents and traumas”. He is committed to leveraging his lived experience to create a legacy of preventing police suicides by improving police culture, eliminating stigma, and promoting mental wellness and resilience.

His fellow panel members are thankful for the courage and insight this member brought to our deliberations. His name is withheld here solely out of respect for his and his family’s privacy.

Angela Slobodian

Ms. Slobodian is the Acting Director of Wellness at the Ottawa Police Service (OPS). As a registered nurse she has worked in hospitals and in public health. In 1994 she moved from her native Nova Scotia to Belleville, Ontario to begin work as an Occupational Health Nurse at a global telecommunications company, and this began her interest and passion in occupational health. She completed her diploma in Occupational Health Nursing and received her certification in 2002. She left the private sector company in 2009 as Director of North American Health Operations, moving to the Ottawa Police Service as Manager of Health, Safety and Lifestyles. As a nurse she has always had a commitment to health promotion and illness prevention.

The opportunity came to lead the development of a Wellness program at Ottawa Police, and Ms. Slobodian was pleased to take the lead. She currently has responsibility for the Health and Safety team and for the Peer Support and Resiliency program and OPS.

Clive Weighill, C.O.M..

Chief Weighill (retired) is a veteran of policing in Saskatchewan. He served as the Chief of Police for the Saskatoon Police Service from 2006 to 2017 following his 31 years of service with the Regina Police Service, leaving that service at the rank of Deputy Chief. In September 2018, Mr. Weighill became the Chief Coroner for the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.

During his policing career Mr. Weighill worked in Patrol, Communications, Crime Prevention, Commercial Crime, Property Crime, Drugs, Vice, Planning and Research and Senior Administration. He also served as the President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) from 2014 to 2016. He is the recipient of the Police Exemplary Service Medal and Bar, the Saskatchewan Protective Services Medal, the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Lieutenant Governor’s Gold Medal for Excellence in Public Administration in Saskatchewan, and he is a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.

Norman E. Taylor - Panel Moderator and Lead Writer

Mr. Taylor has served Canada’s policing community for over 25 years in his combined roles as an independent policy advisor, educator, researcher and author. Since 2014, he has organized and executed three national conferences on policing and mental health issues in partnership with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) and the Mental Health Commission of Canada.  In his capacity as co-founder and Program Director of the CACP Executive Global Studies Program, he has led global research studies on policing interfaces with the mental health system, and on some of the unique patterns and behaviours that shape the internal culture of policing. Mr. Taylor also provides strategic advisory and educational services to many police services, communities, and at all government levels across Canada and in the USA.

Mr. Taylor is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal on nomination by the CACP, the Premier of Saskatchewan’s Award for Excellence in Public Service: Innovation, and in 2018 he was proud to be named an Honourary Commissioned Officer in the Ontario Provincial Police.