Headshot of Danielle Claus

Danielle Claus

Executive Director

Danielle Claus joined SEAMO in 2011 after serving as interim Director of Integrated Cancer Screening at Cancer Care Ontario. She has over 20 years of experience in the health care sector and has worked at the Ministry of Health (MOH), as well as several other agencies, including Public Health Ontario and the Mississauga-Halton District Health Council. As a hospital consultant with the MOHLTC, Claus worked with hospitals in Southeastern Ontario, taking them through the early stages of restructuring. Claus holds a Masters of Public Administration from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Toronto.

Patrick Legresley

Patrick Legresley

Chief Financial Officer

Patrick (Pat) Legresley is the interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization (SEAMO) and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO) of Queen’s Health Sciences. He brings over 18 years of experience in financial leadership and strategic operations, having previously served as Executive Director of Finance at the Smith School of Business.

Pat's extensive background in finance and administration will be instrumental in guiding SEAMO and Queen’s Health Sciences through this transitional period. His expertise and strategic vision are expected to contribute significantly to the organization's financial stability and growth.

Headshot of Dr. Diane Lougheed

Dr. Diane Lougheed

Medical Director

In 1993, Dr. Lougheed joined the Queen's University Faculty of Health Sciences in the Department of Medicine, Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, where she became the Director and Medical Advisor for the Asthma Program and Adult Cystic Fibrosis Clinic. She served as Chair in the Division of Respirology and Sleep Medicine from April 2017 to November 2021. Dr. Lougheed is a respected researcher and clinician scholar, with more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and over $24 million in research funding throughout her career. She also founded the Asthma Research Unit within the KHSC Clinical Research Centre.  

Dr. Lougheed is also a highly-respected leader both in Canada and internationally. She has participated in more than 50 provincial and national boards and committees. Notably, she is a past Chair of the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS), a past Chair of the of the CTS’ Asthma Clinical Assembly, responsible for developing the society’s national asthma management guidelines, and current Chair of the CTS’ Pan-Canadian Respiratory Standards Initiative for Electronic Health Records (PRESTINE) Steering Committee. She is also a past Co-Chair of the American College of Chest Physicians’ Scientific Program and a past CTS Representative to the European Respiratory Society.

Dr. Lougheed obtained a BSc in Human Kinetics from the University of Guelph, and an MD from McMaster University where she also completed her core internal medicine residency. She completed additional clinical and research training as a post-graduate scholar at the University of Western Australia, before completing her Respirology Residency and MSc in Community Health and Epidemiology at Queen’s.
 

Dr. Stephen Vanner

Dr. Stephen Vanner

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Stephen Vanner is the interim CEO of the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization (SEAMO). He has extensive experience in medical research and education, having served as Director of Clinical Research at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Director of Queen’s Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit. Dr. Vanner earned his BSc, MD, and MSc from Queen’s University, where he also completed his internal medicine residency. He furthered his training with a postdoctoral fellowship at the Vollum Institute.

An accomplished researcher, Dr. Vanner has published over 190 journal articles and secured more than $20 million in research funding. He has been recognized with numerous honours and awards for his contributions to science. In 2021, he served as Interim Vice-Dean (Clinical) for the School of Medicine and as SEAMO’s Medical Director.