Board of Directors

Debra Lefebvre is the Founder and Executive Director of Buy-a-Net Malaria Prevention Group (BAN).  The organization aims to bring relief from and protection against leading killer diseases (especially malaria) of women and children in Africa.  The mission of Buy-a-Net is to raise public awareness and the funds for the procurement of long-lasting, insecticide treated bed nets and medicines to prevent and treat malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea in Uganda, the Group’s first target country.  Through the process of community health education and empowerment, disease prevention efforts are sustained.

Under Debra’s leadership, BAN was established as Canada’s first citizen-driven initiative aimed at saving lives from malaria.  Endorsed by the Canadian Nurses Association, BAN has raised the profile and visibility of malaria amongst Canadians, including all levels of government and the public and private sectors.  BAN has fostered the recognition of World Malaria Day coast-to-coast in Canada, and has raised over one million dollars for disease prevention and control in Uganda.  Through the establishment of Buy-a-Net, Inc., (Uganda), Debra has also overseen BAN’s work with the Ugandan Government, the Malaria and Childhood Illness Secretariat, and the Ugandan Nurses and Midwives Association.  She has built relationships and partnerships with various Ugandan community groups.

Prior to creating BAN, Debra was the President of Lefebvre and Associates (L&A).  At L&A, she was successful in strengthening the health and infrastructure of First Nations communities, and in building government and first nations partnerships with the establishment of the Four Arrows Regional Health Authority.

Debra has been featured on CBC’s The House and in various Canadian publications.  Debra has been hosted on Parliament Hill by The Hon. Peter Milliken, Speaker of the House of Commons, as well as Senators Mobina Jaffer and Hugh Segal.  She has been called to speak on many occasions including sharing her views on Cultural Competence at the National Convention of the Canadian Nursing Students Association, The Rights of Women and Children to Health Equity at the event led by HRH Princess Astrid, World Health Organization Roll Back Malaria, and The Urgency Behind Advocacy and Disease Prevention for Women and Children Living in Poverty at the Canadian Union of Public Employees National Convention.

Debra’s career as a Registered Nurse rose rapidly in responsibility and scope.  In less than two years of graduation from the Health Sciences Centre School of Nursing, she was promoted to nursing administration in a hospital setting.  However, it was during a short stay in one of Canada’s northern reserve communities where Debra recognized the disparity in health care between urban and northern communities.  In response, she established L&A and became a champion to improve the health situation for First Nations.

Debra is the mother of four children ages 10 to 16.  Debra volunteers her time at BAN.  She is also involved in various community initiatives and organizations including the Ontario Minor Hockey Association.  Debra participated in the first international Gulu Walk in Kampala, Uganda, raising funds for impoverished and displaced children who fled the war in Northern Uganda.

She has been a volunteer with the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada, United Way, Heart and Stroke Foundation, and the Salvation Army.

Debra has also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours) and Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Manitoba.

Margot is an experienced nurse educator and administrator who has worked in Canada for over 30 years as well as 2 years in Guyana, South America and I month in the Philippines as a CESO representative . She has been to Uganda 3 times to work with BAN and each time has come back to Canada with heartfelt personal and professional learning.

Glenn is a communications and public relations consultant with more than 30 years of experience. His background includes a solid track record in government relations, health regulation, media relations and stakeholder relations. As a recent addition to our Board, Glenn will bring his expertise to bear in helping Buy-a-Net with marketing and communication related issues. He believes that Africa is a part of the world that needs help on a number of fronts and that everyone can have a role in making a difference through gifts of their time, expertise or money. Working with Buy-a-Net is a way he has chosen to make a difference in Africa.

Richard Clark is the President of Richard Clark Financial Services,Inc. He has a diploma from Red River College in Hotel and Restaurant Administration, completed in 1971. He has been active in the Financial Industry since 1974. He has earned the professional designations of Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant. Richard also has a background in public service acting as a board member and Chair of the board for Society of Manitoban with Disabilities(SMD). He has also been a board member with The College of Registered Nurses Foundation.

I am a Professor in the Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba. Before embarking on an academic career, I started out as a pediatric nurse. I had the privilege to work many years in a variety of settings in Children’s Hospital. The time spent at Children’s was both a humbling and fulfilling experience. Moreover, my time at Children’s Hospital resulted in me asking many questions about children’s health and illness experiences that could only be answered through research. I therefore decided to return to school, first to complete a Master of Nursing degree (1993) and then a Doctor of Philosophy: Interdisciplinary (Sociology, Psychology, and Nursing) (2001).

After completing my PhD I held my first academic position as an assistant professor in child health and illness at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba. I was promoted to a full professor in 2009. At the university I am both a teacher and researcher. In addition to my teaching responsibilities I am committed to preparing the next generation of scholars. My commitment to preparing the next generation of health researchers is demonstrated through my involvement in the supervising and mentorship of over 30 graduate students across nursing, applied health sciences and other disciplines. In 2006 I received the Graduate Nurses Association Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Manitoba.

As a researcher, I have a steadfast commitment to improving the quality of life and quality of health in children and youth. My program of research is directed at understanding children’s and youth’s perspectives and experiences of health and illness in; a) cancer and other chronic illnesses; b) disabilities and complex health needs; and c) health promotion as well as advancing the ethics of child health research. Research on children (including youth) is challenging and demands both scientific rigor and humanistic sensitivity. A natural inclination is to protect children (especially those who are ill) but in protection, one may neglect to ask the questions that will empower children to understand and explain their illness and health experience and their needs to caregivers. My research provides children of all ages the opportunity to explain how they perceive their illness and health experiences and what illness and health means to them in the context of their own life situations. The information emerging from my work challenges existing notions of how children experience illness and health, and has contributed to the scientific and practice communities by improving the care experiences of families and children within the health care system.

The importance of my overall research program has been recognized through my receiving numerous research awards. These awards include a Manitoba Health Research Council Establishment Award (2003-2006), a Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) Research Scientist Award (accepted) in 2004, and Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Award (declined in lieu of the CCS award). I was named the 2004 recipient of the joint National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) and CIHR Dorothy J. Lamont Scientist Award, which is the top career award in the psychosocial category from NCIC. In 2005 I was awarded an Rh award for outstanding contributions to scholarship and research in the interdisciplinary category from the Winnipeg Rh Institute Foundation Inc which is a significant career distinction. In 2008, I received the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Nurse to Know Centennial Achievement Award, an award given to only 14 exceptional nurses across Canada in recognition of their contributions to the health care system and health of Canadians.

In 2010 I was awarded a Manitoba Research Chair by the Manitoba Health Research Council. This prestigious award supports international recognized mid-career researchers who work as independent investigators in health research. Receiving this award will enable me to further build my research program in child and youth health and illness.

To date, I have received over $1 million dollars in research funding, have published over 60 articles and have delivered over 80 presentations to local, national and international audiences. I have accrued a national and international reputation in my field of specialization and I am frequently sought out as a speaker, grant reviewer and journal reviewer. I am also sought out by national and international colleagues for advice/or to work with them on research. My expertise on the role of the family and pediatric psychosocial oncology has been acknowledged by the Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Nurses (APHON) who recently invited me to write the chapter, “Family-Centered Psychosocial Care” in the 4^th edition of Nursing Care of Children and Adolescents with Cancer and Blood Disorders. Nursing Care of Children and Adolescents with Cancer and Blood Disorders is the primary text that pediatric oncology nurses in North America use to guide their clinical practice. I am the first Canadian ever invited to be an author for the text. Locally my expertise is recognized by numerous agencies/facilities including Children’s Hospital where in my research scientist position, I help to facilitate and promote research at Children’s.

In addition to fostering local, national and international research collaboration, I have formed research teams that support interdisciplinary expertise. I have been able to forge successful collaborations with researchers in faculties that nursing professors infrequently approach for their expertise, such as computer science. The strong multi-disciplinary research teams that I have been responsible for forming include teams focused on: youth decision-making in health; families of children with complex care needs; the development of a computer video-game to symptom assessment and management; and understanding notion of risk in child health research. I am especially proud of forming a new team composed of research alliances between new and more established investigators, as well as individuals from both the academic and non-academic communities and collaborators from various levels of government, including First Nations governance to study the childhood disability trajectory in First Nations families.

One of my long-term goals is to contribute to research in the area of international child and youth health and illness. I was invited to Uganda in 2008 to talk about my research and build research collaborations. Once I am able to secure research funding, I plan to return to Uganda to pursue research that will help to improve the lives of Ugandan children, youth, and their families. Finally, I am hoping that I will also be able to make a contribution to international child and youth health by serving on the Buyanet’s advisory board.

For further information about my research and other interests please go to: http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/nursing/aboutus/academic-staff/woodgate.html