Ann Munro Heesters

Dr. Ann Heesters is the Director of Bioethics and the Director of Academic Affairs and Research Innovation (AARI) at the University Health Network. Ann is also a member of the University of Toronto’s Joint Centre for Bioethics. Ann has practiced in the field for more than 17 years and established the ethics services at Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation (now part of New Brunswick’s Horizon Health Network) and The Ottawa Hospital.

Ann Heesters came to Toronto in 2009 to become Director of Ethics and Spiritual Care at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Ann has an abiding interest professionalizing the work of health care ethicists and was a founding member of PHEEP (Practicing Healthcare Ethicists Exploring Professionalization) and an early director of CAPHE-ACCESS (the Canadian Association of Practicing Healthcare Ethicists).

Ann is a former Research Ethics Board chair and a current REB member. Some of her current interests include exploring ethics processes for the evaluation of research and quality improvement initiatives. She is now sitting on her institution’s relationship management committee and is helping that group to establish standards for managing conflict of interest cases.