Erika Brimacombe

Secretary

BC

Erika Brimacombe is a practicing lawyer in British Columbia. Erika received her law degree from the University of Victoria in 2016. Before attending law school, Erika obtained her B.A. from the University of British Columbia.

Erika has worked for several years in the areas of health law and privacy law. Previously an associate at Harper Grey LLP, Erika now works as legal counsel at the University of British Columbia.

Erika was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis in 2011. She joined the Board out of an appreciation for the CSA and its efforts to improve patient and physician access to resources and raise awareness and education about Spondyloarthropathies.

Anthony Florendo

Director

Ontario

Anthony has been suffering from spondylitis (Ankylosing Spondylitis) since his early 20’s while still living in his country of birth, the Philippines. His AS went undiagnosed until, in his mid 50’s a vigilant rheumatologist in Canada finally gave him a diagnosis. Anthony has since been involved in the formation and growth of his local AS support group.

Anthony has been forced to early retirement due to the debilitating effects of AS.  In his professional life Anthony held senior roles in the pharmaceutical industry, including marketing leadership roles and patient advocacy, formation of key opinion leader groups, and communication and PR to targeted associations and government agencies.

Although physically disabled, Anthony’s drive to advance the welfare of sufferers of spondylitis in Canada continues unabated.

Moataz Daoud

Vice-Chair

Ontario

Moataz Daoud is a Global Medical Director designing and running immunology clinical trials. He is a pharmacist by training but decided to change gears and pursue a career in pharmaceutical research after a biologic allowed him to bring his AS under control. Moataz also has a strong interest in education providing training for pharmacy students from the University of Toronto and pharmacy interns from across Canada.

Dr. Élie Karam

Chair

Québec

Don Bindon

Director

BC

Don is a retired RCMP Officer who was diagnosed with AS in 1989. He joined the Ankylosing Spondylitis Association of British Columbia as its President prior to his retirement from policing in 2005. ASABC became the BC Chapter of the CSA when the national organization was formed in 2007. Don’s wife Aimee also works on AS related outreach and events in BC.

Don sees himself as a combined advocate for people who suffer from AS and an educator who helps to put the disease into perspective for new patients.

“You may have AS for life, but it isn’t a life sentence.”

Kim Ewasechko

Treasurer

Alberta

Kim has, from a diverse global commercial energy career of approximately two decades, built a multi-billion-dollar track record of originating and closing corporate acquisitions and divestitures, energy asset deals and bespoke energy commodity as well as environmental market transactions. Building upon this substantive commercial experience attained from senior Front Office commercial roles, Kim has continued to garner experience pertaining to corporate governance, financial control and risk management in roles such as Managing Director Finance and as Senior Manager Risk. Concurrently, over the past decade Kim has leveraged this experience and deployed it in the Not-for-Profit sector as a Board Member at the Canadian Liver Foundation from 2010 to 2020 – with the last few years as a Finance Committee Member, and as a Board Member of Field Hockey Canada – with the last few years as Treasurer. Kim holds a Masters of Economics degree from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta.

Caitlin Keating

Director

Ontario

Caitlin Keating is a Senior Program Advisor with the Government of Ontario. For the past six years, she has worked in program design and delivery, supporting Ontario’s entrepreneurs, small businesses and social enterprises. She was also a member of the Government of Ontario’s project team, for the Accessibility Innovation Showcase, which profiled innovative accessibility technologies and assistive devices. Prior to her career as a professional public servant, Caitlin worked in the not-for-profit sector supporting at-risk communities. For the past 8 years, Caitlin has been volunteering in the child welfare sector and assists with the supervision of child access visits. Caitlin is passionate about improving access to healthcare and timely diagnosis, particularly for young adults and athletes who suffer from spondyloarthritis. She also believes in the value of volunteering and improving health and community outcomes. Caitlin holds a Bachelor of Social Work with Honours from Ryerson University.