Our Team

Management Team

Lesley Gouldie

Lesley Gouldie

B.Com., B.Acc., CPA, CA
President & CEO
Veso Tijanic

Veso Tijanic

B.Sc., M.Sc.

Chief Operating Officer

Joseph Fisher

Joseph A. Fisher

MD, FRCP(C)

Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer

Drew Miller

Drew Miller

B.ASc., P.Eng.

Chief Technology Officer

Tessa Mintz

Tessa Mintz

M.HSc., M.Sc.

Chief Marketing Officer

Robert Sullivan

Robert J. Sullivan

B.Sc.
VP of Sales
Derek Watts

Derek Watt

P.Eng., M.ASc.

VP of Field Operations

Olivia Sobczyk

Olivia Sobczyk

B.MSc., M.Sc., Ph.D.
Director of Research
Mark Slonchka

Mark Slonchka

B.E.E., P.Eng., PMP

Director of Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs

team-300x300-trevor-shamas

Trevor Shamas

CPA, MBA
Controller
Steve Beslic

Steven Beslic

B.A., CHRL
Director, Human Resources
Patrick Macdonell

Patrick MacDonell

CPA, CA, MBA
Vice President, Finance

Advisory Board

David Mikulis

David Mikulis

MD, FRCR
Advisor
Seemant Chaturvedi

Seemant Chaturvedi

MD, FAHA, FAAN
Advisor
Colin Derdeyen

Colin Derdeyn

MD
Advisor
Steve Iscoe

Steve Iscoe

Ph.D.
Advisor

Board of Directors

Lesley Gouldie

Lesley Gouldie

B.Com., B.Acc., CPA, CA
Director
Ludwik Fedorko

Ludwik Fedorko

MD, Ph.D., FRCP(C)

Director, Co-Founder

Joseph Fisher

Joseph A. Fisher

MD, FRCP(C)

Director, Co-Founder

Arthur Slutsky

Arthur Slutsky

CM, MASc, FCAHS, FRSC, MD
Director
Brad Ashley

Brad Ashley

B.A., MBA, JD

Director, Chairman

Thornhill Medical equipment manufacturing facility

Lesley Gouldie

A seasoned professional with senior leadership experience across Fortune 500 to start-up companies, Lesley Gouldie brings an impressive record of financial and strategic excellence in technology, biotechnology and education to lead Thornhill Medical as President and CEO. Under her leadership, the company has expanded its global leadership in producing ground-breaking oxygen-related medical technologies, experiencing unparalleled 1500%+ three-year growth and earning a top 40 ranking among Canada’s Top Growing Companies in 2021. To pilot Thornhill Medical smoothly through this unprecedented growth and the COVID-19 pandemic, Lesley draws on her proven strategic expertise, multidisciplined experience cultivating innovative manufacturing and supply chain alliances and scaling fast-growth teams, and an entrepreneurial mindset which she fosters across the organization.

Veso Tijanic

With 25 years of experience in product development, including 15 medical technology-based products, Mr. Tijanic brings his deep sector-specific engineering knowledge to his role at Thornhill Medical, ensuring excellence, innovation, and rigour.

Joseph A. Fisher

Dr. Fisher grew up in downtown Toronto, studied Medicine at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1973. He was in General Practice and practiced Emergency Medicine before returning to complete specialty training in both Internal Medicine and Anesthesiology, which he practiced until the end of 2021. Dr. Fisher is a full Professor at the University of Toronto, and the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. He has supervised more than 30 graduate students (MSc, PhD), published 220 papers on topics including cardio-pulmonary physiology, anesthesiology, pharmacology, neurovascular physiology and MR imaging (h-index of 55 as of July 2022). Dr. Fisher and Dr. Ludwik Fedorko co-founded Thornhill Medical as a spin-off from the University Health Network in 2004. Dr. Fisher is an inventor of the more than 40 patents which cover the science behind Thornhill Medical’s products: MOVES® SLC™, MADM™ and ClearMate™. As Chief Scientific Officer, he oversees continuous Research and Development, including the investigational tool RespirAct® RA-MR™ and RIVAL, a potential accessory for MADM™; plus exploring a new approach to non-invasive measures of cardiac output.

Drew Miller

With over 30 years of product development experience in electronics and software design, Mr. Miller brings his depth of knowledge of medical device creation to Thornhill’s product development team.

Tessa Mintz

Tessa Mintz has spent her career in organizations that share a common thread, bringing new innovations to life. Tessa has worked in all areas of these organizations, including strategy, business development, marketing, technology and client services. Prior to joining Thornhill Medical, Tessa was the principal in her own consultancy, working with a variety of technology start-ups to address the fundamental questions of defining a unique value proposition and the target market with the most immediate potential. Tessa is pleased to bring this range of experiences to her role at Thornhill Medical as it continues its exciting growth trajectory.

Robert J. Sullivan

Robert J Sullivan joined Thornhill Medical as the Vice-President of Sales in 2020. Robert’s career prior to joining Thornhill Robert included numerous senior leadership roles commercializing medical devices in world markets. He has led global leadership functions in Fortune 500 firms Medtronic and Abbott Labs and in start-up/emerging firms Somanetics and Profound Medical. His developed expertise is in commercializing novel medical devices in global markets, world-wide business development and sales team leadership.

Derek Watt

Derek has been on the Thornhill Medical team since 2007, working in test engineering, product development, customer training, quality management and regulatory affairs. As Director of Commercial Products, Derek supports Thornhill’s commercial partners and customers, while developing new and exciting business opportunities and bringing innovative ideas from the field to the Thornhill Medical team.

Olivia Sobczyk

Dr. Olivia Sobczyk strives for excellence in the field of neuroscience and respiratory physiology and works each and every day to merge science and technology for the betterment of mankind. Dr. Sobczyk has over 11 year’s experience at Thornhill Medical creating and developing new medical technologies and clinical management solutions, from benchtop to bedside, with a focus on neurovascular disease. She obtained her PhD from the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto and University Health Network, specializing in neuroimaging and neurophysiology. Olivia’s understanding of the value of commercialization of research as a tool for change, brings a whole new depth and reach to her work and makes her an invaluable member of the Thornhill Medical team.

Mark Slonchka

With over 22 years of experience in the medical device, IVD and non-medical industries, Mark has a strong background in quality, regulatory, product development, service, and production. Mark’s experience includes responsibility for companies’ quality, regulatory affairs, and product development teams where he has implemented a full medical quality system from scratch, brought multiple products to market and achieved world-wide product approvals.

Trevor Shamas

Trevor’s background is an interesting fusion of manufacturing finance, complemented with procurement, IT, and project management, acquired over a 20 year stretch in mining/processing and another 5 years in the automotive sector. He is a CPA and an MBA who’s keen on system development and process definition. Trevor reminds us that he is “not just a numbers guy”, but someone who values people as the most important part of any equation.

Steven Beslic

Steven Beslic is a results-oriented HR Leader with a proven track record of successfully developing and implementing innovative people strategies at a national and global level. His diverse experience spans 20 years across multiple industries and work environments including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, healthcare services, OTC/consumer products, and manufacturing. Steven’s passion for people, and curious nature, drive his mission to promote continuous employee growth and a winning workplace culture at Thornhill Medical.

Patrick MacDonell

Patrick MacDonell is a CPA, CA, and MBA with extensive cross-functional finance and accounting experience in the retail and CPG segments, as well as more recent involvement in the medical technology sector. His breadth of expertise includes finance, external reporting, strategic planning and analysis, corporate development, and system implementation. He excels as a versatile and perceptive business partner, collaborator, and problem-solver, known for his exceptional analytical skills and his ability to develop thoughtful, effective solutions. Additionally, he has a proven track record of process improvement and enhanced reporting. Patrick welcomes the opportunity to employ his knowledge and experience in helping Thornhill Medical achieve its strategic growth objectives.

David Mikulis

Dr. Mikulis is Professor and Co-Director of Medical Imaging Research in the Department of Medical Imaging at the University of Toronto and the University Health Network. He is also Director of the Radiology Residency Research Program and Director of the Functional Imaging Research Lab. Dr. Mikulis is one of the founding members of the American Society of Functional Neuroradiology (ASFNR), and currently serves on the ASFNR Executive Committee.

Seemant Chaturvedi

Dr. Chaturvedi is Professor of Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine and Director of the Wayne State/Detroit Medical Center Comprehensive Stroke Program. He has co-edited the books Transient Ischemic Attacks (2004) and Carotid Artery Stenosis: Current and Emerging Treatments (2005). He was chairman of the Carotid Endarterectomy Guidelines Committee of the American Academy of Neurology, the guidelines having been published in 2005. He is currently on the steering committee of several stroke prevention studies.

Colin Derdeyn

Dr. Derdeyn is Professor of Radiology, Neurology and Neurological Surgery at Washington University and Director of the Washington University/Barnes Jewish Hospital Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center. He is a Principal Investigator for the Stenting and Aggressive Medical Management for the Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS) trial, an ongoing randomized trial of angioplasty and stenting for intracranial atherosclerotic disease. He directs the Washington University Specialized Program for Translational Research in Acute Stroke (SPOTRIAS) Center. Dr. Derdeyn also chairs the Data and Safety Monitoring Boards for two ongoing NIH-funded acute stroke clinical trials (MR Rescue and ICTus 2/3).

Steve Iscoe

Dr. Iscoe, a collaborator of Dr. Fisher since 1994, was a founding shareholder and president of one of the companies that became Thornhill Medical. A retired Professor of Physiology at Queen’s University, his research focused primarily on control of the diaphragm, particularly how respiratory loads induce cardiorespiratory failure. An associated aspect was the development of a novel blood test for detecting skeletal muscle injury. His background as a respiratory physiologist contributed to the development of the company’s breathing circuits that maintain carbon dioxide levels independent of ventilation, and to their research and clinical applications.

Ludwik Fedorko

A published researcher with expertise in cardiovascular anesthesia, heart and lung transplantation and cardiovascular intensive care, Dr. Fedorko is an invaluable senior member of the scientific team at Thornhill Medical, contributing his specialised knowledge and expertise.

Arthur Slutsky

Dr. Slutsky’s background in engineering, and the depth and breadth of clinical research experience in critical care, lung function and mechanical ventilation, along with entrepreneurial and health tech commercialization experience make him an invaluable resource to Thornhill Medical. Dr. Slutsky has published >675 original papers, reviews and editorials, as well as 70 books/chapters, and many randomized controlled trials which have changed clinical guidelines and practice. Dr. Slutsky chaired the U.S. FDA Advisory Panel for Anesthesia and Respiratory devices for 8 years and held the position of Vice President, Research, at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, from 2000-2018. Dr. Slutsky has had many honours and awards including Lifetime Achievement Award from the ATS (2012), Engineering Alumni Medal (UofT, 2014), Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year award from the CIHR (2014), elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2017) and received the Order of Canada (2018). Dr. Slutsky is currently Professor of Medicine, Surgery and Biomedical Engineering (University of Toronto).

 

Brad Ashley

Mr. Ashley is currently the Managing Partner and Founder of PRIVEQ Capital Funds responsible for sourcing and negotiating new private equity investments and nurturing these investments. Mr. Ashley has previously held roles with Ernst & Young, and J.P. Morgan, among others. He serves as an advisor to Trellis Capital – a Canadian venture capital fund as well as to Dash40 – a Canadian seed capital fund, along with Directorships with Integracare Inc. and Accipiter Radar Technologies Inc. Mr. Ashley is a long-standing member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Corporate Growth – Toronto Chapter having served since 1995. He also enjoyed a long-standing relationship with C.V.C.A. (Canada’s Venture Capital and Private Equity Association), including Chairman (2003-2005), President (2002 -2003) and was a member of the Board of Directors for 14 years.