Santis is a team of doers, drivers and trusted advisors for the most significant policy shifts in health care over the last decade. Our team provides clear insights, an unmatched network of relationships and years of direct experience implementing the health system changes that matter to our clients.

Shay Alford

Position: Senior Consultant, Digital and Marketing
Categories: Communications
Location: Vancouver
surname: Alford

Role at Santis

Shay is a strategic communications expert at Santis Health, where he leads digital and creative services for clients in the health and life sciences sector. With deep experience in multimedia design and production, Shay specializes in creating diverse content for clients, including websites, video production, social media content and graphic design. Shay takes pride in his design acumen and branding expertise, which have played a pivotal role in shaping the visual identities of several national health care organizations and campaigns. By working closely with Santis’ cross-functional teams, Shay implements innovative communication and design strategies, blending creativity with strategic thinking to drive results.

Experience

Before joining Santis, Shay amassed a wealth of experience in digital marketing and communication, holding roles across various organizations in Ontario and British Columbia. His career is marked by a consistent ability to bridge the gap between business objectives and creative execution, driving measurable success through innovative strategies and content.

Most recently, Shay served as the Manager, Creative & Digital Marketing for a start-up tech company, where he was instrumental in shaping the company’s voice and led all digital marketing activities. Prior to this, Shay worked for the Canadian Tire Corporation, where he played a critical role in transforming the company’s digital experience through a new online ad format. By developing and implementing cutting-edge digital marketing strategies, Shay pushed the boundaries of traditional marketing, integrating emerging technologies and creative content to deliver a seamless and compelling customer journey.

Volunteerism and Education

Shay holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media Production with a minor in Marketing from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). He is also certified in Front End Web Development from Lighthouse Labs.

Shay Alford

Senior Consultant, Digital and Marketing

Shay leads all digital services that support the marketing and...

Hana Baig

Position: Communications Coordinator
Categories: Communications
Location: Toronto

ROLE AT SANTIS

Hana is known for her expertise in client relations, strategic planning, and content creation. She plays a key role in crafting proposals and drafting communication materials such as news releases and reports. Hana is deeply committed to supporting advocacy campaigns, where she collaborates with clients to develop impactful strategies and key messages. She also takes the lead on project management, ensuring that timelines are met, resources are efficiently allocated, and all stakeholders are informed and aligned. Hana’s passion for science and her creative energy make her efforts the glue that keeps moving the team forward. She enjoys working on unique opportunities in biotechnology and not-for-profit spaces.

EXPERIENCE

Before joining Santis, Hana worked at an advertising agency specializing in healthcare, where she built strong relationships with pharmaceutical clients across various therapeutic areas. Her experience includes developing campaigns for products in the Rare Diseases, Respiratory, Inflammation, Immunology, and Dermatology spaces. Hana is skilled in navigating regulatory bodies such as PAAB and ASC, to create campaigns that resonate with both patients and healthcare professionals.

VOLUNTEERISM AND EDUCATION

Hana holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology and Environmental Health from the University of Toronto. Her background provides her with a strong foundation in life sciences that informs her work in the healthcare communications field.

Hana Baig

Communications Coordinator

ROLE AT SANTIS Hana is known for her expertise in...

Hayley Butler

Position: Associate Video Producer
Categories: Associates, Communications
Location: Toronto

Role at Santis

Hayley leads Santis Health’s video production team and produces all video content for our clients.

EXPERIENCE

Hayley has produced/directed commercials and video content for companies worldwide. She works with a senior filming team, using state of the art cinema equipment to capture the highest quality results to showcase your story on screen.

Her production resume includes videos for: Volkswagen, Honda, Mitsubishi, Audi, Microsoft, HP, Canadian Tire, BDO, TD Bank, BMO, PartyCity, and the Government of Ontario. She has directed medical ads through Canada and America, including a Pharma campaign that aired on CNN in 2022. Her team’s health care work includes production for Women’s College Hospital, Mount Sinai, Wounded Warriors Canada, Niagara Health and The College of Family Physicians of Canada among others.

EDUCATION

Hayley holds a Bachelor of Arts (with honours) in media production from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University).

Hayley Butler

Associate Video Producer

Role at Santis Hayley leads Santis Health’s video production team...

Hannah Casey

Position: Senior Director, Communications
Categories: Communications
Location: Toronto
surname: Casey

Role at Santis

Hannah is a multi-skilled communicator with a keen ability to evaluate and craft communication strategies that resonate with target audiences. She has played a pivotal role in building the Santis brand from the ground up, creating platforms that empower clients to achieve their communication goals. Drawing on her extensive experience in the health care sector, Hannah oversees Santis’ communications practice, delivering complex messaging effectively through corporate communications, media relations, and crisis communications.

Experience

At Santis, Hannah has led high-impact communication initiatives for a wide range of clients, including hospital networks, national associations, MedTech companies, and over 20 long-term care facilities across the province. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her work focused on leading crisis communications related to outbreaks in long-term care and timely access to COVID-19 testing in key communities.

Prior to joining Santis, Hannah worked at Corus Entertainment where she supported the Global Television publicity team with internal and external communications, event management and media relations. Following her time at Corus, Hannah joined the Movember Foundation, handling their media monitoring and reporting during the height of the campaign.

Volunteerism and Education

Hannah has a Bachelor of Arts degree in media information and technoculture from Western University, a diploma in radio broadcasting from Fanshawe College and a public relations postgraduate certificate from Humber College. She also recently completed her Digital Marketing certificate with BrainStation.

Hannah Casey

Senior Director, Communications

Role at Santis Hannah is a multi-skilled communicator with a...

Nancy Dale

Position: Senior Vice President, Communications
Categories: Communications
Location: Toronto
Nancy Dale:

ROLE AT SANTIS

Nancy is a senior communications leader at Santis, renowned for her expertise in strategy, campaign development, media relations, issues management, and corporate communications. She has a unique ability to see the big picture, forge connections, and inspire teams to push the boundaries of what’s possible. At Santis, Nancy spends much of her time on campaigns to support government relations objectives, helping clients develop their story to spark conversation and change. Of particular interest, Nancy enjoys working on innovative concepts like social prescribing and health technology.

EXPERIENCE

Before joining Santis, Nancy led health practices at two Canadian PR agencies, where she played a pivotal role on many files during the pandemic, including in launching TELUS Health’s virtual care services and spearheading awareness campaigns for mental health, drug shortages, and physician burnout. Her groundbreaking work, including the world’s first drone-delivered human lung transplant, has garnered global media attention and recognition from the Canadian Public Relations Society.

Nancy also spent nearly a decade at the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), where she managed communications during critical negotiations and crises while elevating physicians through branded content and marketing. During this time, she developed a deep passion for uncovering untold medical stories, particularly in end-of-life care. Earlier in her career, Nancy held key roles in the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Environment.

VOLUNTEERISM AND EDUCATION

Nancy is dedicated to volunteer work with Wellspring, where she supports cancer patients with non-clinical care. She holds a Social Science degree from Western University and a Public Relations Certificate from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Nancy Dale

Senior Vice President, Communications

ROLE AT SANTIS Nancy is a senior communications leader at...

Avis Favaro

Position: Senior Advisor
Categories: Associates, Communications
Location: Toronto

ROLE AT SANTIS

Avis Favaro is an acclaimed medical journalist with decades of experience. As a Senior Advisor at Santis Health, Avis leverages her extensive background in uncovering and reporting health stories that matter to Canadians to help bolster our media training program.

EXPERIENCE

Based in Toronto, Favaro was Canada’s longest-serving television Medical Correspondent, having started this beat for CTV News in 1992. She continues to contribute to the news programming as a freelance contributor. She is also a host of The CHIP – a podcast by the Canadian Institute for Health Information

Favaro has been recognized with a multitude of awards for her work, and holds an honorary PhD from McMaster University. She also has an honorary membership to the Federation of Medical Women of Canada. She is a graduate of Western University where she earned a Master’s Degree in Journalism.

Avis Favaro

Senior Advisor

ROLE AT SANTIS Avis Favaro is an acclaimed medical journalist...

Micaela Ferrari

Position: Communications Coordinator
Categories: Communications
Location: Toronto

ROLE AT SANTIS

Micaela is an experienced project manager and professional communicator known for delivering successful client projects across various initiatives. At Santis, she crafts strategic communication materials that anticipate and mitigate potential issues. Her insights have led to strategies that more than doubled client social media engagement and guided the redevelopment of digital products. With a creative flair, Micaela also leverages her graphic design skills to produce clear and engaging visual content. Her ability to analyze market trends and identify gaps has resulted in the development of impactful new offerings. Micaela is dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that drive client success, blending strategic thinking with creative execution.

EXPERIENCE

Prior to joining Santis, Micaela worked as a Communications Officer for Ontario Creates. In her role, Micaela worked on advertising, marketing, brand development, graphic design, social media and procurement. She is accustomed to working in fast-paced environments, coordinating multiple stakeholders, advertisers and designers to deliver ads, social campaign and event designs. Key projects included Ontario’s presence at the Toronto International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and Berlinale; the Trillium Book Awards; and the agency’s new branding.

VOLUNTEERISM AND EDUCATION

Micaela is a graduate of the Toronto Metropolitan University RTA School of Media: Media Production program with a concentration in Film and Television and a minor in Communication and Design. She graduated with honours and earned a Gold Duke of Edinburgh Leadership Award.

Micaela Ferrari

Communications Coordinator

ROLE AT SANTIS Micaela is an experienced project manager and...

Yvan Marston

Position: Corporate Communications Writer
Categories: Associates, Communications
Location: Toronto
surname: Marston

Role at Santis

At Santis, Yvan serves as a writing lead and has worked on multiple projects for member associations and hospitals. Much of his work involves collaborating with senior managers, subject matter experts and marketing teams to help build the essential written elements of their communications projects.

Experience

For over 15 years, Yvan’s work has focused on health care writing projects. As a consultant for the Ontario Hospital Association, he has written and assisted with the development of more than 20 OHA publications including a 400-page guide for perioperative supply chain management that became the seminal resource for Ontario hospitals, as well as a number of guides and toolkits related to health human resources.

As a corporate communications writer, he plans and develops complex messaging projects including annual reports for eHealth Ontario, work that grew from his experience with a Fortune 500 company producing annual reports, web content and speeches. He also serves as a technical writing consultant for a medical device manufacturer where he organizes information and learning, and helps to devise and implement content marketing strategies.

Volunteerism and Education

Yvan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and English Literature from the University of Ottawa and a diploma in journalism from Sheridan College.

Yvan Marston

Corporate Communications Writer

Role at Santis At Santis, Yvan serves as a writing...

Patrick Nelson

Position: Managing Partner
Categories: Communications, Government Relations
Location: Toronto
surname: Nelson

Role at Santis

At Santis, Patrick helps health care organizations adapt to the changing health care environment, influence government policy and improve their engagement with members and stakeholders. Patrick has expertise in strategic communications, government relations, public affairs and board governance.

Experience

Prior to joining Santis, Patrick served as the Executive Director of Public and Corporate Affairs at the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), the voice of the province’s 34,000 physicians. Over almost ten years, he led the OMA through several strategic communications campaigns, a comprehensive governance review, as well as a major rebranding of the organization. Under his tenure, member satisfaction with the OMA doubled to a record high and, over the course of a five-month advocacy campaign, the profession witnessed a remarkable 12 per cent increase in public trust.

Patrick also worked in senior communications roles in the Ontario government, as an aide to Ontario’s Minister of Health and as Director of Communications to the Minister of the Environment and to the Minister of Education.

Volunteerism and Education

Patrick served as Past-Chair of the Board of Directors at ALS Canada, following eight years on the Board of Directors and as Co-Chair of the Client Services Advisory Committee and Chair of the Governance Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors at the Pine River Institute which helps treat adolescents with addiction and mental health challenges. He has also served for six years on the Board of Trustees at the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre, the largest children’s mental health treatment facility in Toronto. During that time, Hincks-Dellcrest presented him with an Award of Appreciation for his work in receiving additional funding from government to support mental health services for kids. Since 2014, Patrick has also served as the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants.

Patrick also coaches rep baseball and basketball in West Toronto.

Patrick Nelson

Managing Partner

Role at Santis At Santis, Patrick helps health care organizations...

Gabriel Oke-Famakinde

Position: Graphic Designer
Categories: Communications
Location: Toronto

ROLE AT SANTIS

Gabriel is responsible for creating visually compelling assets for clients, including presentations, infographics, social media graphics, slide decks, web design elements, and promotional materials. He also collaborates on and helps shape visual communication strategies and deliverables, ensuring brand consistency and alignment with client objectives.

EXPERIENCE

Before joining Santis, Gabriel worked at a design studio and a content agency, working with a number of brands like Ford, Interac, Bamboo, AMGEN, JP Wiser’s, KPMG and many more. His experience spans a wide range of design services that include brand identity systems, website and mobile app user interface design, marketing campaigns, experiential design, and marketing collateral. Gabriel is a skilled designer who has great strengths in articulating design thinking and values the importance of collaboration in achieving impactful results.

VOLUNTEERISM AND EDUCATION

Gabriel has a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Nigeria and has also completed numerous certifications in project management and design, focusing on user experience, visual design, branding and art direction.

Gabriel also volunteers his time to support designefforts at a non-profit organization geared towards empowering young minority girls and women.

Gabriel Oke-Famakinde

Graphic Designer

ROLE AT SANTIS Gabriel is responsible for creating visually compelling...

Lucy Screnci

Position: Senior Consultant, Communications
Categories: Communications
Location: Toronto

ROLE AT SANTIS

Lucy is a public relations, strategic communications, and media relations expert at Santis.
She brings a track record of creating communications and PR strategies for brands across health and wellness, B2B and B2C SaaS, consumer technology, and fintech. With over 10 years of experience as an in-house strategist, she is adept at creating programs that bolster brand awareness and drive business objectives.

EXPERIENCE

Prior to joining Santis, Lucy established and led the in-house PR and communications function at a venture-backed Canadian health software startup with over 140,000 practitioner users across Canada and the U.S. She created an organic thought leadership program, identified and trained new spokespeople, and secured the company’s first MedTech Breakthrough Award. Prior to this her efforts increased the industry visibility of a digital identity verification startup. She successfully secured coverage across media outlets in Canada, the U.S., and the UK, positioning company executives as thought leaders in the fintech space.

Lucy also led global PR strategies across five product lines for a leading consumer software provider. Earlier in her career she launched an online magazine for a program that helps Canadian SaaS entrepreneurs scale their startups. She led brand development, determined editorial strategy, and produced podcast segments featuring interviews with software industry influencers. A former journalist, her work has appeared in publications like VentureBeat and BetaKit.

VOLUNTEERISM AND EDUCATION

Lucy is proudly involved with the Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) Mentorship Program. As a mentor, she facilitates conversations about defining career goals and navigating the workforce. She earned a Bachelor of Journalism from the Toronto Metropolitan University.

 

Lucy Screnci

Senior Consultant, Communications

ROLE AT SANTIS Lucy is a public relations, strategic communications,...

Haylee Thompson

Position: Digital Communications Coordinator
Categories: Communications
Location: Toronto
surname: Thompson

Role at Santis

Haylee is a digital communications coordinator at Santis, helming many of Santis’ internal marketing efforts to help Santis’ brand identity shine through. She also leads digital and marketing projects with a variety of clientele and organizations. Primarily working in web and graphic design, social media strategies and analytics as well video and podcast production for clients and internal development, Haylee brings a creative and innovative approach to content development, thinking outside the box and exploring unique and thought provoking ideas. She thrives bringing a creative voice to client projects, helping make people comfortable in a variety of settings and connecting with professionals across the country. Some of her favorite projects to work on include video and audio production, live event organization and web design and development.

Experience

Prior to joining Santis, Haylee spent time in a variety of roles with major companies across Canada including working as a production manager at StoryBook Theatre, Canada’s largest volunteer driven theatre for young audiences as well as producing on various festivals, live events and podcasts. She also works with Canadian Traffic Network as both an airborne and ground reporter, working with dozens of radio and television companies across Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver to write, produce and record news hits.

Volunteerism and Education

Haylee is a recent graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) with a Bachelor of Arts in media production and minor in digital marketing. She also recently completed a certificate in Web Development from Lighthouse Labs. In her spare time, she teaches theatre classes for inner city youth and continues to report evening and weekend traffic on radio stations around the GTA.

Haylee Thompson

Digital Communications Coordinator

Role at Santis Haylee is a digital communications coordinator at...

Stephanie Yeoh

Position: Consultant
Categories: Communications
Location: Toronto

ROLE AT SANTIS

With a strong background in public relations and communications, Stephanie leads day-to-day client work, manages projects, and provides strategic counsel, media relations management, and tailored communication plans to ensure her clients’ success at Santis. She also shapes communications strategies while creating diverse content that drives her clients’ goals and objectives. An experienced communications professional, Stephanie is skilled at identifying opportunities, leveraging thought leadership, and ensuring communications is closely tied to business objections for clients and the Santis team.

EXPERIENCE

Starting her public relations career in Southeast Asia, Stephanie is a seasoned public relations specialist with a passion for navigating the dynamic landscape of technology in both B2B and B2C realms. With a background in communications, she brings a depth of knowledge and expertise in crafting tailored strategies for clients across Canada. Her forte lies in fostering strong relationships with clients and journalists alike, ensuring impactful coverage and resonance in diverse markets.

Passionate about the ever-evolving nature of the tech industry, she excels in developing content and communications strategies that drive results and foster growth for her clients. Stephanie’s passion for storytelling and narrative building helps her craft compelling messages that resonate across multiple channels and audiences.

VOLUNTEERISM AND EDUCATION

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University and a Master of Communications from the University of Ottawa.

Stephanie Yeoh

Consultant

ROLE AT SANTIS With a strong background in public relations...