Our Executive Leadership Team

Since 2017, Dr. Andy Smith has been the President and CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, leading over 12,000 staff, physicians, researchers and learners and an annual budget of more than $1.4 billion. Prior to his current role, Dr. Smith served as Sunnybrook’s Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Executive.

With a long-established career as a surgeon and a recognized leader in the management of colorectal cancer, Dr. Smith is intensely passionate about improving healthcare. He has been involved for many years in quality improvement initiatives in Ontario and is deeply interested in healthcare leadership, innovation, and the evolution of the healthcare system in Canada. Dr. Smith serves as the Immediate Past Chair for the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN) and is on the Board of Directors for ORNGE, Public Health Ontario (PHO), HealthCareCAN, and Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP).

Dr. Smith completed medical school, including a Master of Science, and General Surgery residency at the University of Toronto. He also completed a Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Smith is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and has served as the Bernard & Ryna Langer Chair, Division of General Surgery at the University of Toronto.

Sunnybrook is recognized as one of Canada’s largest academic health sciences centres and is home to the first trauma centre in Canada. Each year, Sunnybrook conducts more than $100 million in research, provides educational opportunities for 4,000 students and cares for over 1.2 million patients. The organization provides a broad range of tertiary regional programs and services including specialties in cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, high-risk obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions, trauma and critical care, rehabilitation, and community care. In addition, Sunnybrook is Canada’s largest facility caring for the country’s war veterans.

Dr. Cass is a dynamic and effective leader with more than 20 years of hospital executive experience, and a demonstrated commitment to quality and patient safety and large-scale change initiatives.

Before joining Sunnybrook’s leadership team, he served as Vice President, Medical at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, where he helped support the organization’s integration with St. Michael’s Hospital and Providence health care to become what is now Unity Health Toronto. Dr. Cass has also been Deputy Chief Coroner for Ontario and Chair of the Patient Safety Review Committee, and he was the former Chief of Emergency Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital.

His clinical work has focused on a variety of fields. Dr. Cass was an emergency physician at St. Michael's Hospital for 16 years, and practiced Addiction Medicine while at St. Joseph's Health Centre. He has also provided medical care to Toronto’s homeless population through his past work with the Inner City Family Health Team.

Dr. Cass completed medical school and a Bachelor of Science at the University of Toronto. He also completed the Royal College Residency Program in Emergency Medicine. He is an Associate Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. His research works have been widely published, including in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and the New England Journal of Medicine.

Ru Taggar is a highly successful clinical and health systems executive driven to provide leadership across regulated health professions to ensure patients receive outstanding person-centered care.

She has spent the bulk of her career helping to advance Sunnybrook’s vision to invent the future of health care. Before joining Sunnybrook’s leadership team, she held various senior roles at the hospital including Director, Quality and Patient Safety and Director, Medical Affairs and Business Development. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre since 2011.

Prior to joining Sunnybrook, Ru worked as a consultant for the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the College of Nurses of Ontario, and was Manager of the Emergency Department at Markham Stouffville Hospital. She also spent ten years as a clinical nurse at North York General Hospital.

Ru has a proven track record leading front-line workers while collaborating across disciplines and with internal and external partners to address health system challenges, whether health human resources or reducing patient wait times for care such as hip and knee joint replacement surgeries.

She completed a Master of Science in Nursing from D’Youville University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). Ru also holds an Advanced Health Leaders Program certificate from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto and an Adjunct Clinical appointment at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto.

Kristen is a highly accomplished executive leader with a distinguished track record in human resources and strategic leadership support spanning both the private and public sectors, and a passion for championing excellence, equity, and innovation.

Prior to joining Sunnybrook’s leadership team, she was Chief Human Resources Officer, People Services at Women’s College Hospital, where she provided strategic direction and ensured HR practices were aligned with the organization’s dedication to women’s health care, research, and equity in employment and patient care. Kristen has also served in human resources management roles at Toronto East General Hospital (now Michael Garron Hospital) and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Throughout her career, Kristen’s comprehensive expertise in human resources, workforce optimization, and leadership development has been instrumental in driving the success of the organizations she has been associated with. She is committed to cultivating health care environments that prioritize patient care, staff development, and organizational sustainability. Kristen’s leadership approach, characterized by emotional intelligence and forward-thinking, has earned her widespread respect within the health care industry.

Kristen holds a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a concentration in Leadership and Education, from Athabasca University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Communications. She also holds a post-graduate diploma in Human Resources Management. Kristen is accredited by the Canadian Human Resources Association as a ,Canadian Human Resources Executive.