Board of Directors

Demetrios (Jim) Papamanolis

Chair | Toronto, ON

Jim Papamanolis is a corporate lawyer with extensive experience in the energy sector. His practice focuses broadly on corporate-commercial matters relating to the development of energy projects, including project finance, construction and mergers and acquisitions. Jim holds a BA (Honours) from the University of Toronto and an LL.B. from Queen’s University. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2007.  Jim values and is committed to the important work of Osteoporosis Canada, having a close family member affected by the disease. 

Celeste Munger

Vice-Chair and Treasurer | Vancouver, BC

Celeste is a CPA, CMA currently working as Controller for MEC Mechanical Inc., a mechanical construction company in Vancouver British Columbia. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of British Columbia. Prior to her business career, Celeste spent 2 years teaching in South Korea and 3 Years teaching in Japan. She has volunteered with her community centre association, with CPABC, and with multiple community theatre groups in the past. 

Brenda Rogers

Director | Ste-Foy, QC

Brenda Rogers is a physiotherapist and ergonomist based in Ste-Foy, Quebec. Currently working as an independent professional at the Center for Osteoporosis and Rheumatology of Quebec, she also leads ergonomic assessments across a variety of organizations. With extensive experience in administering personalized services in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, Brenda has also been actively engaged in teaching courses and supervising community internships at the University of Laval. As a member of the Professional Order of Physiotherapists of Quebec and the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, Brenda has also served on various Boards including the Jeffery Hale – Saint Brigid’s Foundation. She holds a master’s level diploma in Ergonomic Intervention in Occupational Health and Safety from the University of Quebec – Montreal.

Dr. Elaine Kilabuk

Director | Ottawa, ON

Emily Bartens

Director | Hamilton, ON

Emily Bartens is a retired Certified Professional Bookkeeper who worked for a diverse group of businesses in the Hamilton/Burlington area.

Emily has been an active volunteer with Osteoporosis Canada since 2002 and she served the Hamilton Chapter in various leadership roles.  Emily became the first Chair of the National Operations Advisory Council, a position she held for 3 years ending in June 2007.  From this role, Emily became a National Board member in addition to sitting on various committees working her way to National Chair and Past Chair.  Emily is pleased to be back on the National Board.

With a family history of osteoporosis, she strives to do all that she can to support Osteoporosis Canada.

Dr. Claudia Gagnon

Director | Quebec City, QC

Dr. Claudia Gagnon is an adult endocrinologist at CHU de Québec-Université Laval. She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Université Laval and a researcher at CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Centre and at Québec Heart and Lung Institute Research Centre in Québec City. She is a scholar of the Fonds de recherche du Québec-Santé (FRQS). After completing residency training in adult endocrinology at Université de Sherbrooke in 2006, she undertook a 3-year fellowship in metabolic bone diseases and phosphocalcic metabolism in Melbourne, Australia.

A large part of her clinical practice focuses on the treatment of osteoporosis, metabolic bone diseases and disorders of phosphocalcic metabolism. Her main research interests are on the impact of obesity, diabetes, and their treatments (in particular bariatric surgery) on bone health.

She received funding from Diabetes Canada, Diabète Québec, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. She published several articles in peer-reviewed journals, some of which were cited in the most recent bone guidelines of the American Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery. She has been awarded the 2022 Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Young Investigator Award, the 2019 Jean-Davignon Young Investigator Award from the Cardiometabolic, diabetes and obesity FRQ-S network, the 2017 research prize of the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec, and the 2015 New Investigator Award at the International Symposium on the Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis. She has been involved in the Scientific Advisory Council of Osteoporosis Canada since 2018 (2018, 2020 and 2023 CMC planning committee, rapid response team, beyond the break presentations, podcasts). She is also actively involved in various provincial and national committees including Diabète Québec, Diabetes Canada, and INESSS (2023 provincial bone mineral density screening program for osteoporosis). Finally, she is involved in the international guidelines on vitamin D supplementation after bariatric surgery and X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets.

Kim Buote

Director | Toronto, ON

Dr. Laëtitia Michou

Director | Laval, QC

Paula Rietta

Director | Toronto, ON

Paula Rietta is General Counsel at Circular Materials. She provides strategic guidance and oversees the legal affairs of the organization, including corporate, compliance and risk management issues. Prior to Circular Materials, she was Group General Counsel for Cox Automotive Canada Company where she was responsible for the provision of legal services for the company’s multiple business units for both Canada and Brazil.

Prior to joining Cox Canada, Ms. Rietta was Vice-President, Legal for Ford Credit Canada Company and oversaw all legal matters on a national basis.

Ms. Rietta graduated from the University of Toronto with a Master’s and undergraduate degree in Political Science. She also received a Law degree from the University of Windsor.

Vanisha Sukdeo

Director | Toronto, ON

Vanisha Sukdeo works as an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School as well as in the Department of Social Science at York University. Her research is located at the intersection between corporate law and labour & employment law. Vanisha was Called to the Ontario Bar in 2007 after completing her articles with a union-side labour law firm and in-house at a union. Vanisha completed her Doctorate at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Ontario. She received her LL.M. from Osgoode, LL.B. from Queen’s University, and her Bachelor of Arts from York University where she majored in Political Science.

Her first book with Routledge is entitled Regulation and Inequality at Work: Isolation and Inequality Beyond the Regulation of Labour and focuses on how workers’ rights have evolved and can continue to evolve. Vanisha’s second book with Routledge is entitled Corporate Law, Codes of Conduct and Workers’ Rights and was published in June 2019. She examines the ability of soft law to make changes to corporate governance.

Vanisha’s third book with LexisNexis is entitled Business Ethics and Legal Ethics: The Connections and Disconnections between the Two Disciplines and was published in July 2020. This book allows for students and practicing lawyers to examine what “ethics” means in different contexts and uses case studies to work through examples of ethical decision-making. Vanisha’s fourth book Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence: From Legal Custom to Lawful Concern was published in early 2023. Vanisha has also written journal articles and book chapters on a range of topics within both corporate law and labour & employment law.

Ph D. (Osgoode Hall Law School)
LL.M. (Osgoode Hall Law School)
LL.B. (Queen’s University)
B.A. (York University)