Dr. Richard G. Guscott, MD, MA, FRCP (C) Chairman and Chief Medical Officer

In addition to his responsibilities with Medaca, Dr. Guscott maintains an active practice in Hamilton, Ontario. Opened in 1995, his clinic specializes in the treatment of psychiatric disorders in adults and children.

Dr. Guscott was formerly Director of the Mood Disorders program at the Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital (affiliated with McMaster University) and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (affiliated with the University of Toronto). He taught in the Department of Psychiatry at McMaster University and the University of Toronto and has won awards for teaching (Excellence in Clinical Teaching, McMaster Psychiatric Residents Association) and research (Canadian Association of Professors of Psychiatry Prize for Research, 1987). Dr. Guscott is published in the American, British, and Canadian Journals of Psychiatry. He is a senior consultant to the Crown Ward program of the Hamilton-Wentworth Children’s Aid Society.

In 1995, the Honourable John Manley, then Minister of Industry and Trade, appointed Dr. Guscott to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, where he served for three years. From 2001-2009, Dr. Guscott served on the Governing Council to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. During this time, he was a member of the College’s Discipline, Fitness to Practice, Patient Relations, Registration, Quality Assurance and Methadone Committees.

From 2004 to 2009 he was Scientific Advisor regarding the mental health of children to the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health. With Mr. Anderson, he was co-chair of the UK Canada Task Force on Children’s Mental Health from 2006-2009. Together, they organized a roundtable on children’s mental health, convening senior representatives from medicine, academia and the private and public sectors to explore potential solutions to the current system of health care for children in Canada. The roundtable was used to inform Senator Michael Kirby’s 2006 Senate Committee report on mental health in Canada entitled Out of the Shadows At Last.

From 2008-2009, Dr. Guscott was President of the Hamilton Academy of Medicine. He is also a member of the Toronto and Hamilton Medical Legal Societies.

Christopher G. Anderson, MA President and Chief Operating Officer

Prior to forming Medaca, Chris was with Royal Bank of Canada. At RBC (1985 to 2003), he held a wide range of senior management and executive positions responsible for organizational development as well as corporate and marketing communications.

From 2004 to 2009, he was senior advisor to the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health. Together with Dr. Guscott, he was co- chairman of the Canada/UK Task Force on the Mental Health of Children from 2006- 2009. The task force comprised mental health care professionals from England and Canada who met regularly to discuss potential improvements to the mental health care system in Canada as it relates to children. Together, they organized a roundtable on children’s mental health, convening senior representatives from medicine, academia and the private and public sectors to explore potential solutions to the current system of mental health care for children in Canada. The roundtable was used to inform Senator Michael Kirby’s 2006 Senate Committee report on mental health in Canada entitled Out of the Shadows At Last.

Mr. Anderson has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ryerson University and a Master’s degree in International Management from McGill University. For the McGill program, he studied leadership and management at business schools in England, Canada, Japan, India and France.

He has served on a number of corporate and non-profit Boards, including the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Chicago, from 2001 to 2003 and the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, Toronto, from 2005 to 2007.

Aida Sefic BA, BSW, MA National Director, Clinical and Physician Services

Aida joined Medaca after seven years in public education working as a counselor and therapist with children, youth, and their families. Her experience in planning and implementing a variety of interventions, as well as her expertise in making differential use of various treatment modalities and counseling practices makes her an invaluable member of our team.

Aida has also been a successful leader in program development in the education sector with direct experience in organizational assessment and capacity-building plans to achieve improved performance benchmarks in funding and audience development. Moreover, her ability to easily develop a rapport with cross-functional staff, teams, senior managers, superintendents, board members, trustees, community representatives, and consultants, gives her a rare spectrum for understanding our client's needs and wants.

The goal of the Collaborative Mental Health Program is to become the nation's leader in mental health disability management and in this regard, Aida strives to serve our clients in the most holistic ways – giving disciplined attention to achieving our client’s immediate long-term goals and objectives, managing the day to day operations of Medaca’s medical and situational programs, training & coaching, collaborating, and working closely with all stakeholders. She is recognized for combining program excellence, integrity, and innovation with best practices. Aida holds a Bachelor of Psychology along with a Bachelor of Social Work from McMaster University as well as a Masters Degree in Psychology.

Cyndi M. Stymeist Coordinator to Chief Medical Officer

Cynthia has been working in the medical field as an Office Administrator for over 26 years. She has a diploma in Medical Secretarial and Dental Assisting. She has worked for Dr. Richard Guscott and Dr. Lorraine Taylor in their Mood Disorders Clinic in Hamilton for the past eleven years.

She has been working with Medaca since 2005, working with both case managers and Medaca's associate physicians.

She is a member of the Lions Club Foundation of Canada, the Humane Society, and The Royal Canadian Cadet Corps, where she offers many of her spare hours to volunteering.