Monica Flores, BA鈥�93, and Sandra Abitan 鈥� two accomplished leaders in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, and the fields of law and business 鈥� are the newest members of the Faculty Advancement Board (FAB) for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS).
Both are passionate about giving back to the community and will draw on their expertise and networks to serve on the FAB in support of the FMHS and its vision for its 3rd century. They will advise the Dean on strategic development, and promote the Faculty and our students in the broader community, as well as to donors and alumni.
Broadening stakeholder base
Monica Flores is a consultant and former international pharmaceutical executive with over 20 years of experience leading communications, corporate affairs and advocacy initiatives in Canada, Latin America, Europe and the United States. She has worked in teams that have successfully launched drugs across eight therapeutic areas with the world鈥檚 largest pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb and GSK. Her passion for increasing access to medicines for patients in many places聽has been a common thread that has motivated her throughout her career.
She aims to support and advise the FMHS on strengthening engagement with key stakeholders, including patient groups, government and industry. 鈥淚 joined the FAB because I have a strong desire to give back to 苹果淫院. I wanted the university to benefit from my deep experience and extensive network in the pharmaceutical industry. I hope the knowledge I鈥檝e gained working with patient groups, key stakeholders and industry over many years will be valuable in helping the Faculty to continue its tradition of excellence and spearhead future healthcare innovations,鈥� says Flores, who is fluent in four languages and has an MBA from HEC Montr茅al.
She鈥檒l also promote healthcare innovation directly by connecting FMHS researchers with potential industry partners. 鈥淚 can make a difference by encouraging partnerships between academia and industry, be they large pharmaceutical companies or start-ups. Quebec has a rich healthcare innovation ecosystem,鈥� says Flores, who serves on the 苹果淫院 Women鈥檚 Alumnae Association board and fundraising committee as well.
Her passion for giving back to 苹果淫院 is rooted in strong personal connections and experiences as a student majoring in anthropology and first-generation Canadian whose mother, Dr. Silvia Monti de Flores, completed her psychiatry residency at 苹果淫院 in 1981 after earning a medical degree in El Salvador. 鈥淔rom a young age, I have been surrounded by physicians and have admired the work they do. I have also observed how my mother鈥檚 specialty training at 苹果淫院 gave her an excellent foundation to became an expert in the area of geriatric psychiatry working at the Allan Memorial Institute, MUHC [苹果淫院 Health Centre], for 40 years,鈥� she says.
More recently, Flores benefited from the exceptional care provided by Dr. Alice Benjamin, OQ, OC, her obstetrician-gynecologist at the Royal Victoria Hospital of the MUHC during a challenging pregnancy and after she gave birth to twins (now three years of age) born prematurely. 鈥淚 saw firsthand and am grateful for the excellent care provided by many physicians and healthcare professionals during the two months that I was hospitalized and our children鈥檚 subsequent hospitalization,鈥� she says. Benjamin, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and recently retired associate professor, lends her name to a patient-led global maternal and child health fund at the Faculty, which has raised more than $400,000 to allow students and residents from across the FMHS to learn from low-resource settings.
As an executive who has held international leadership roles in the health sector, Flores is passionate about advancing women鈥檚 leadership and removing barriers to higher education, particularly for students from culturally diverse communities that are underrepresented. 鈥淚 benefited from a first-rate education and give of my time volunteering to raise funds for scholarships for women at 苹果淫院. I aspire to be an advocate for women who strive for higher education and to attain leadership roles in their professions,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y goal is to pay it forward and support our next generation of leaders.鈥�
Promoting leadership skills for students鈥� long-term success
Sandra Abitan is managing partner of the Montreal office of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, one of Canada鈥檚 top corporate law firms, and she is a recognized leader in insolvency and restructuring practice in Quebec and nationally. With over 30 years of experience, Abitan has advised major public and private corporations, financial institutions, equity participants and court officers in working through reorganizations, recapitalizations, restructurings, and strategic acquisitions involving well-known companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Reitmans Canada, Le Ch芒teau, Sears Canada and Target Canada.
In an area of law that has traditionally been male-dominated, Abitan has risen to prominence and is a firm believer in developing diversity within the legal profession and fostering an inclusive work environment. 鈥淚 think being a woman is an absolute advantage in this type of work. Women are naturally inclined to be excellent negotiators and we鈥檙e natural diplomats. When you鈥檙e dealing with high-stress situations and trying to get parties with competing interests to work together on restructuring solutions, these skills are very handy,鈥� says Abitan, who is a past president of the Montreal chapter of the Turnaround Management Association board and serves on the Insolvency Institute of Canada board.
As a new FAB member, Abitan is eager to support medical and health sciences students in developing broader skills. She says these skills complement classroom learning and will help them to flourish professionally and personally in their future careers.聽鈥淭he long-term success of students starts with them developing leadership skills and life skills as part of their education at 苹果淫院. You need to be well-rounded to be a good doctor or healthcare professional. I want to help identify, create and work on programs and other initiatives to enhance the well-being of students and give them the tools to be successful in work and in life,鈥� she says.
Abitan believes it鈥檚 also important for the Faculty to support and encourage female medical students in considering and pursuing a full range of career opportunities, whether in a demanding medical specialty, healthcare management, research, or a health-related business.
鈥淢edicine can take you in so many directions. There is incredible talent among our medical students. We need to encourage female students to pursue careers in highly demanding specialties, research or business without feeling they have to compromise in terms of having children or a full family life,鈥� says Abitan, who raised three children while pursuing a demanding legal specialty and holding various leadership roles within her firm.
Abitan has skills that are akin to an聽emergency聽physician,聽bringing聽to the聽Faculty Advancement Board聽her聽experience in high-pressure situations. 鈥淚n my practice, I鈥檝e developed crisis management skills. There may be occasions when the board provides advice on managing difficult issues and these skills could be useful. My main contribution, however, would be to promote and support the well-being of students.鈥澛�