Ethics - Contact Us
Where do I go if I have an ethics question or dilemma?
Patients, families, staff and physicians can contact their local ethicist below or their local ethics committee chairperson.
Saskatoon and Provincial
Dr. Melody Isinger, Director of Ethics
Dr. Melody Isinger
306-655-5518
Dr. Melody Isinger received her Doctor of Health Care Ethics (DHCE) from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA. In addition to meeting academic requirements for the DHCE, Dr. Isinger did clinical internships and residencies at St. Francis Hospital and The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: Shadyside Hospital, both which entailed conducting ethics consults and membership on the hospitals’ Ethics Committees. Additionally Dr. Isinger served as the Ethicist in Residence at a long-term care facility.
2003-04 Melody did a Clinical Ethics Residency at the Royal Alexandria Hospital in Edmonton. As the Clinical Ethics Resident Dr. Isinger attended medical and clinical rounds, conducted ethics consults, was a member of the hospital’s Ethics Committee and served on the Policy Review Sub-committee.
2004-2015 Dr. Isinger served as the Ethicist at the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). Melody represented the CMA at the Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition (QELCCC) of Canada, she was a member of The Way Forward: An Integrated Palliative Approach to Care’s Advisory Committee, represented the CMA on the Canadian General Standards Board’s Committee on National Standards for Research Ethics Boards Reviewing Clinical Trials and from 2005-09 represented the CMA as member of the Board of Governors of the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board (PAAB).
Dr. Isinger served as Bioethicist on Bruyère’s Research Ethics Board. Melody provided ethics services to Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital, Kemptville Hospital and Almonte Hospital. In 2011 Melody became a member of the Champlain Community Care Access Center’s Board of Directors. In 2017 Melody was appointed to the Board of Directors of Bruyere Continuing Care. Melody served on the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Task Group developing guideline for the prevention of transmission of blood borne pathogens from infected health care workers. For six years she was a member of The Ottawa Hospital’s Committee on Ethics and was a Community Representative on the University of Ottawa’s Animal Care Committee from 2007-2011.
In 2019, Dr. Isinger began her tenure as the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s Director, Ethics – Academics and Learning. Dr. Isinger provides clinical, organizational, and public health ethics consults in the Saskatoon area and for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Dr. Isinger is the Co-chair of the Saskatoon Joint Ethics Committee (SHA/SCA), the Provincial Ethics Committee and the Humboldt Ethics Committee. Melody supports ethics consultation services throughout the province.
1996-1998 Dr. Isinger was a sessional lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan, Department of Philosophy. Melody taught Introduction to Philosophy (110) and Philosophy of Sexuality (224).
Dr. Mary Heilman, Ethicist for St. Paul’s Hospital and the Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan
Dr. Heilman received her PhD in Public Policy through the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan in 2016. Her research interests include the role of conscience in healthcare and the impact of moral distress on healthcare professionals. Since joining St. Paul’s Hospital in 2017, Dr. Heilman has worked collaboratively with the SHA’s Ethics Team to develop programming to support teams across the SHA and Catholic healthcare.
Regina & Integrated Rural Health
Gary Goldsand, Ethicist for Regina and most of Integrated Rural Health, in the south of the province
B.A. in western religion, University of Toronto, 1987. MA. in philosophy of religion, University of Calgary, 1995. PhD(c) (abd) in Religion and Bioethics, University of Toronto.
Gary provides ethics consultation services and supports ethics committees in Yorkton, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Rosetown, and Regina.
Prior to assuming the role of hospital ethicist in Edmonton in 2001, Gary’s academic work focused on comparative religion and culture, along with training in health ethics at the University of Toronto from 1995-2000. He maintains an ongoing interest in health care decision making, comprehensive end-of-of life care, and exploring how ethics services can best support patients, families, colleagues, administrators, and the public in navigating the complexities of health care. Gary is assistant clinical professor at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, in the John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre.
Prince Albert and Integrated Northern Health
Dr. Alireza Bagheri, Ethicist, Prince Albert and Integrated Northern Health
Dr. Alireza Bagheri
306-941-7794
MD, PhD, is a physician-bioethicist and is an Elected Fellow of the Hastings Center, USA.
Ali has served as the clinical ethicist in the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Sunny Brook Hospital (2018-2019), Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Center (2019-2021). He was a senior clinical ethics fellow at Toronto East General Hospital (2011-12), clinical ethics fellow in the Joint Center for Bioethics, University of Toronto, Canada (2007-08). Dr. Bagheri served as a member of the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee (2010-2018), and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Bioethics (2008-2014). In addition to dozens articles in academic journals and book chapters, his book publications include Abortion (2021); Indigenous Health Ethics (2021); Islamic Bioethics (2017); Global Bioethics (2015); Medical Futility (2013). In 2018, Dr. Bagheri received Bioethics Leadership Award in recognition of his bioethics scholarship at the international level.
If you are not sure which ethicist above can help, you can make a request for consultation by contacting Health 811 at 1-877-800-0002 and an operator will ask you questions about the ethical dilemma to connect you to a local ethicist who can assist you. You can also email the Ethics team.