In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the role of Ronald McDonald House Charities. Kate Horton, Chief Executive Officer at Ronald McDonald House Charities and Karima Karmali, President and Chair of the Board of Directors at Ronald McDonald House Charities discuss the role Ronald McDonald House Charities plays within the Canadian healthcare system to ensure that every child, youth, and family can feel supported both during and after treatment. Speakers: Kate Horton As President & CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada, Kate Horton leads the national foundation of support for RMHC, championing and enabling an essential mission that provides families with sick and injured children with the support and resources they need to focus on what matters most – caring for their sick child. RMHC is the only national organization enabling access to Canada’s paediatric healthcare system through the 35 program locations across the country. Since inception in 1981, RMHC across Canada has proudly supported more than 468,000 families during their child’s medical treatment journey. Kate is a seasoned senior executive with over 20 years’ experience in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors. She is a passionate advocate for building strong communities and a better future by investing in children, youth and families. Over her career she has worked provincially and nationally to deliver meaningful social impact. Having been recognized for achieving excellence in fundraising and nonprofit leadership, Kate is known as a strategic and collaborative people-first leader who inspires high-performance and an inclusive culture. Karima Karmali Karima Karmali is a seasoned health care leader with over 35 years of expertise in clinical operations, inter-professional practice, patient experience, and health equity. Recently retired from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), she held the pioneering role of Director of the Centre for Innovation & Excellence in Child- and Family-Centred Care. In this capacity, Karima provided strategic and operational leadership, driving the design and delivery of patient and family-centric paediatric healthcare and advancing clinical practice, education and research in this critical field. Karima has spearheaded numerous large-scale, multi-million dollar initiatives, fostering transformational change in healthcare. Her work has been published extensively, and she is a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences. Additionally, she has contributed her expertise to global task forces, including collaborations with the World Health Organization. Prior to her tenure at SickKids, Karima held significant leadership positions at the University Health Network in Toronto and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. A dedicated advocate for volunteerism, Karima devotes her time to various causes locally, nationally, and internationally. She is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors for Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada, where she has served on the Board for seven years. Passionate about international development, Karima serves as the Senior Advisor to the Aga Khan Leaders International Forum on global poverty issues, currently supporting poverty alleviation initiatives in 22 countries across Africa, Central and South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. She also recently completed a four-year term as the Vice-President of the Aga Khan Council for Canada. Karima holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from McGill University and an MBA from Queen's University.
