Saskatchewan Health Authority Shares Senior Physician Leader Appointments
In May, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) shared details about upcoming changes to the SHA’s senior physician leadership structure. These changes aim to strengthen the voice of physician leadership in operational decision-making, clarify leadership roles across the system, and support improved engagement with physicians in all areas of care. We are proud to share these appointments which mark a significant step in our commitment to strengthening physician leadership and building a high-performing, patient-centered health care system across Saskatchewan.
The new structure introduces Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) positions for all Integrated Service Areas, along with Provincial Physician Affairs and Quality and Digital Health. These DCMOs replace the former Physician Executive and DCMO roles and will work in co-leadership with operational Vice Presidents in the respective service areas. This model is built on shared accountability and integrated leadership.
Dr. Mark Fenton, Interim Chief Medical Officer
Effective July 17th, 2025, Dr. Fenton will serve as Interim Chief Medical Officer. In this capacity, he will play a key role in providing medical leadership and advancing high-quality, patient-centered care across the province. With a focus on physician leadership, he will oversee the SHA’s physician leadership structure, co-lead with the Chief Operating Officer to enhance physician engagement and operational performance, and collaborate with the Vice President of Quality, Safety and Information to drive quality improvement and digital health initiatives.
Biography:
Dr. Mark Fenton is proud to have been born, raised and educated in Saskatchewan and has served the people of Saskatchewan since completing his medical degree in 2002. He has practiced in the areas of lung transplantation, sleep medicine and respirology. Most recently he served as the SHA Physician Executive for Integrated Saskatoon Health.
Dr. Fenton has served in several academic and clinical leadership roles including Program Director, Adult Respirology Training Program and more recently Division Head, Respirology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. In 2020 he was appointed Pandemic Chief of Staff for Saskatoon Area continued in that role until April of 2022. He established and remains Medical Director of the Saskatchewan Lung Transplant Program which remains a major focus of his clinical activities. He has also served as Medical Director of Sleep Disorders Centre in Saskatoon and contributes to clinical activities in that area as well.
Dr. Fenton is passionate about system transformation and improving the health of the residents of Saskatchewan.
Deputy Chief Medical Officers
Dr. Jenny Basran, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Quality and Digital Health
Effective August 4th, 2025, Dr. Jenny Basran will serve as DCMO for Quality and Digital Health. She will co-lead with the Vice President of Quality, Safety and Information to advance system-wide quality improvement, safety, and digital innovation. This includes clinical oversight for virtual care, remote monitoring, safety metrics, and the integration of quality governance across SHA. The DCMO of Quality and Digital Health has direct accountability for physician leadership within the portfolio, bringing a dedicated leadership to integrate physician input into operational decision-making.
Biography:
Dr. Jenny Basran is a Royal College certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine physician and has practiced for over 15 years in both acute care and community care. She has been involved in initiatives for older adults at the local, national and international level and has served several roles on the executive of the Canadian Geriatric Society and as a consultant to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health and eHealth Saskatchewan.
Dr. Basran is an associate professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research interests include incorporating geriatric principles into care across the continuum, computer modeling of the health care system and the use of technology to help older adults age successfully.
As a physician leader, she is proud to have been instrumental in the following initiatives: the development of the Connected Care Strategy, led the development of Alternate Level of Care data collection and utilization; and was a key driver for the introduction of interprofessional care teams. Dr. Basran is committed to evidence-based, data driven health system decision making.
Dr. Alan Beggs, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Integrated Regina Health
Effective August 4th, 2025, Dr. Alan Beggs will serve as DCMO for Integrated Regina Health with a focus on operations. In this role, he will co-lead with the Vice President of Integrated Regina Health to oversee acute care, surgical and tertiary services, continuing care, primary health care, and mental health and addictions services in Regina. The DCMO of Integrated Regina Health has direct accountability for physician leadership within the portfolio, bringing a dedicated leadership to integrate physician input into operational decision-making. Dr. Beggs will also play a key role in leading the implementation of the recommendations from the External Review of Regina Hospital Physician Culture.
Biography:
Dr. Alan Beggs completed medical school at the University of Saskatchewan and honed his specialization with a fellowship in orthopedic spine surgery at the University of Western Ontario. He returned to Regina to practice orthopedic surgery and serve patients from across the province.
Since then, Dr. Beggs has held several physician leadership roles within the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), including Division Lead for Orthopedic Surgery and Area Chief of Staff for Regina. Dr. Beggs has served on the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan for many years, including as President of Council for 2023 to 2024, reflecting his leadership and commitment to provincial medical governance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Beggs served as a Medical Director for a COVID field hospital where he collaborated, led, and operationalized a 180-bed field hospital to support patients with COVID-19 requiring varying levels of care.
Dr. Rashaad Hansia, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Integrated Regina Health
Effective July 17th, 2025, Dr. Rashaad Hansia will serve as DCMO for Integrated Regina Health with a focus on providing co-leadership of provincial primary care with the Vice President of Integrated Regina Health. In this capacity, he will lead SHA’s efforts to fulfill the goal of ensuring all Saskatchewan residents have access to a primary care provider by 2028, along with expanding the Urgent Care Centre model of care to Saskatoon, North Battleford, Prince Albert, and Moose Jaw.
Biography:
Dr. Rashaad Hansia has over 25 years of experience as a Family Medicine physician in Canada (specifically Saskatchewan) and South Africa. In addition to individual patient care, his interest in patient-centred health system improvement from very early in his career led him to complete Masters Degrees in both Public Health and Business Administration.
From 2014 to 2019, Dr. Hansia served as the Medical Director at the Meadow Primary Health Care Centre Innovation Site in Regina. He spent five years as the physician partner in a dyad leadership role with the SHA’s Executive Director of Primary Health Care in the Regina. More recently, he has served as the Physician Executive for Integrated Urban Health between 2019 and 2023 and Integrated Regina Health since 2023 during which time he has provided valuable leadership to the implementation of the Regina Urgent Care Centre and the Regina Breast Health Centre. He is a Canadian Certified Physician Executive with a special interest in and a passion for developing safe, high quality and high value health services and is a self-confessed lifetime learner.
Dr. Johann Roodt, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Integrated Rural Health
Effective July 17th, 2025, Dr. Johann Roodt will serve as DCMO for Integrated Rural Health, co-leading with the Vice President of Integrated Rural Health the delivery of health care services across Saskatchewan’s rural communities. His portfolio includes acute care, primary health care, mental health and addictions, and continuing care. The DCMO of Integrated Rural Health has direct accountability for physician leadership within the portfolio, bringing a dedicated leadership to integrate physician input into operational decision-making. He will also serve as provincial co-lead for the Continuing Care service line.
Biography:
Dr. Johann Roodt is a dedicated family physician and physician leader who has proudly served the people of Saskatchewan since 2006. A graduate of the University of Pretoria School of Medicine in South Africa, Dr. Roodt began his Canadian medical journey through the Saskatchewan Medical Association’s Rural Relief Program. In 2007, he established his practice in Yorkton, where he continues to work in the Emergency Department and inpatient units at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre.
Dr. Roodt has held several leadership positions since 2006, including Chief of Primary Health Care, Regional Medical Association President, Site Lead for Yorkton Regional Health Centre, and Area Division Lead for Family Medicine in Yorkton. Most recently, he served as the SHA’s Physician Executive for Integrated Rural Health, where his passion for rural care shone brightly. In addition to his clinical and leadership roles, he is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Roodt is committed to advancing rural healthcare, clinical excellence, physician leadership and innovation, including his role with the virtual physician program for rural and remote emergency rooms. He brings a collaborative, fair, and values-driven leadership style, with a focus on accountability, professionalism, and building strong, empowered teams.
Dr. Dorothy Thomas, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Provincial Physician Affairs
Effective August 4, 2025, Dr. Dorothy Thomas will serve as DCMO for Provincial Physician Affairs and will provide physician leadership for credentialing, privileging, bylaws, contracts, professional standards, and disciplinary processes across SHA. In this role she will co-lead this work with the SHA Executive Director of Practitioner Staff Affairs and the Vice President of Clinical and Support Services. This portfolio includes oversight of Laboratory Medicine, Diagnostic Imaging, Pharmacy, and Virtual Physician Services.
Biography:
Dr. Dorothy Thomas completed medical school at Dalhousie University, her internal medicine residency at the University of Saskatchewan and her nephrology fellowship at Queen’s University. She returned to Regina to practice nephrology and serve the residents of southern Saskatchewan. She currently lives within the traditional Treaty 4 territory of the First Nations and Métis people.
She began her physician leadership career with the Saskatchewan Health Authority in 2020 as the Pandemic Physician Leader for Regina. In this role, she navigated our initial response to the uncharted public health emergency together with the diverse team of nursing and operational leaders.
As Area Chief of Staff for Regina in 2021 her main goal was to deliver patient-focused, compassionate care in a culturally safe environment. She promoted the work of the local physician leadership in developing quality care and continuous improvement initiatives. She values collaborating with provincial stakeholders to improve patient outcomes across the province.
Dr. Jordan Wingate, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Integrated Northern Health
Effective July 17th, 2025, Dr. Jordan Wingate will serve as DCMO for Integrated Northern Health. He will work in co-leadership with the Vice President of Integrated Northern Health to provide oversight of acute care, primary health care, continuing care, and mental health and addictions in northern Saskatchewan. The DCMO of Integrated Northern Health has direct accountability for physician leadership within the portfolio, bringing a dedicated leadership to integrate physician input into operational decision-making. Additionally, the DCMO of Integrated Northern Health will provide provincial co-leadership of the Mental Health and Addictions service line.
Biography:
Dr. Jordan Wingate is a rural Family Medicine physician who grew up in Regina and was educated and trained in Saskatchewan’s medical system. After earning his medical degree in 1996 through the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and a residency was spent in rural communities, Dr. Wingate then established a longstanding medical practice in Melfort in 1998 and has provided care in family medicine, obstetrics, emergency and hospital care. He promotes the sustainability of medical care in rural and northern Saskatchewan, where he has practiced medicine himself for over two decades advocating on behalf of patients, residents and physicians.
From 2012 to 2017, Dr. Wingate served in physician leadership before the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s amalgamation in the former Kelsey Trail Health Region. Dr. Wingate assumed the role of Northeast Area Chief of Staff in 2017, a position where he was instrumental in stabilizing physician leadership and workforce within the region. Committed to the mentorship of the next generation of physicians, he expanded the USask’s College of Medicine and the Department of Family Medicine Residency Training Program to include Nipawin and advanced the redevelopment of Prince Albert’s program. Dr. Wingate led as Pandemic Area Chief of Staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Wingate served as SHA Deputy Chief Medical Officer from 2023 to 2025.
Dr. Wingate’s service to his community extends outside the health care realm. He volunteers with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), plays in a band and has organized charity concerts, successfully raising thousands of dollars for charitable organizations close to his heart.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Integrated Saskatoon Health
While Dr. Fenton serves as Interim Chief Medical Officer, options are being considered for temporarily backfilling the DCMO, Integrated Saskatoon Health role.
