THE J HEALTHCARE INITIATIVE
CEO/Founder - Atika Juristia
I founded this organization in response to Canada's overdose crisis. As a first-generation immigrant who experienced poverty and food insecurity in my teens, I gained firsthand insight into how nonprofits should operate. Lining up at food banks taught me that those in poverty should lead these organizations, not just executives or outsiders wanting to 'save' us, or taking advantage of us for their personal goals. As a proud overdose responder and harm reduction practitioner, I draw on my lived and learned experiences with childhood adversity and healthcare barriers to inform my leadership. The J Healthcare Initiative recognizes, affirms and supports the inherent autonomy and capabilities of people who use drugs within the healthcare system
Treasurer - Mikyla Kay, CPA, MBA
Mikyla is our treasurer, specialized in tax compliance and advisory services in Financial Institutions. She is also a senior manager at KPMG Canada. Mikyla's motivation to join the J Healthcare Initiative is to give back to the community.
WHO KEEP OUR LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABLE
Russell Taylor
I am a member of Méta D'Âme. I’ve been trained by PROFAN. I do have quite a bit of experience and even ‘book learning’ on the subject of psychoactive substances and their use. This is what I do…try to push things forward…I always on the job!
BlooSugar
Bloo is one of our peer board members, a compassionate and resilient individual who brings a wealth of lived experience to the J Healthcare Initiative.
Jamieson
Jamieson is a proud harm reductionist from the U.S. He is working in frontline setting to prevent toxic-drug poisoning in his communities. In his spare time, Jamieson likes to play with his dog and connect with fellow harm-reductionists in Canada and the U.S
Ophelia B
Ophelia is our peer educator. She is passionate on mentoring the next generation of professionals to tackle the overdose crisis through person-centred, evidence-based approach.
Mikyla Kay, CPA
Ophelia is our peer educator. She is passionate on mentoring the next generation of professionals to tackle the overdose crisis through person-centred, evidence-based approach.
HUMAN RESOURCES AND ADMINISTRATION
Our dedicated team that handles a broad range of workforce-focused duties - from volunteer talent acquisition to retention, policy, leadership development and people operations.
OUR PROJECT MANAGERS
Janmi Perera
Janmi is a professional with over 5 years of expertise in health-tech NPD. She has proven leadership in managing concurrent projects and successfully identifying lucrative healthcare business opportunities.
Proinnsias is our project manager with experience handling multi-disciplinary teams and coordinating multi-department project timelines using waterfall and agile management methodologies.
MEDICAL AND RESEARCH ETHICS ADVISORS
A medical and research ethics advisory board provides guidance on ethical issues that arise in medicine and scientific research. The ethics board provides recommendations on improving the ethics of proposed initiatives and helps uphold ethical research standards. Having an ethics advisory board is crucial for protecting human subjects and maintaining ethical integrity at the J Healthcare Initiative.
STAY IN THE KNOW
Join our email list and stay updated on our projects and developments