Meet the Board of Directors
The Perth Family Health Team Board of Directors are a dedicated group of people passionate about our community’s health and committed to shaping the future of healthcare services. Made up of professionals in healthcare, administration, finance, governance, community advocacy, or law, the Perth FHT Board strives to make a meaningful difference in healthcare and community services through governance and staff support.
​Derek Zeisman - Board Chair
Derek Zeisman is a proud Perth resident. He works as a senior legal analyst with Global Affairs Canada, specializing in oceans and environmental law. He has worked abroad as a Canadian Trade Commissioner. Derek holds Bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and History from Carleton University, Master’s degrees in Public Administration and Industrial Relations from Queen’s University, and Common and Civil Law degrees from McGill University.
Derek is delighted to contribute to the essential work of the Perth Family Health Team, in support of its mandate to expand and improve local access to comprehensive, coordinated and patient-centred primary care here in our community.
Besides his work with the PFHT, Derek is a member of the Friends of the Perth and District Union Library, Vice-President of the Friends of Murphys Point Provincial Park, and a member of the Lions Club of Perth. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, hiking, gardening, reading, and taking in a show at the Studio Theatre. Derek is also a quarterly blood donor with Canadian Blood Services in Perth, and encourages everyone to join him – your donation could save a life!
Dr. Peter Cunniffe - Board Vice Chair
Dr. Cunniffe is a family physician who arrived in Perth in 2011 after a decade of practice in a small mining town in Northwestern Ontario. He has a busy family practice, cares for admitted patients at the Perth site of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital (PSFDH) and only recently stopped working as an Emergency physician at PSFDH where he is currently the chief of the Family Medicine Department.
Having been involved the development of a Family Health Team in 2006 in Marathon, Ontario, he is excited to apply his knowledge and experience in the building of the Perth Family Health Team.
Away from work, Dr. Cunniffe can often be found in local hockey arenas or on local soccer pitches, trying to keep up with younger and fitter players.
Lorri Mackay - Quality Committee Chair
Lorri MacKay has lived in Lanark Highlands since 2000. Until 2023, she worked as a lawyer with the federal Department of Justice, where she practiced primarily in the areas of constitutional and administrative law. Her previous experience includes work in health information privacy with the Canada Health Infoway. She was also a communications consultant to various federal government departments for several years.
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Lorri has a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of Saskatchewan, a Master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and a Law degree from Queen’s University. She has served on the boards of a local community centre and an Ottawa-based cancer advocacy organization. She has volunteered with several organizations over the years and is currently a volunteer with the Lanark County Therapeutic Ride Program.
Dr. Shelly Xu - Resources Committee Chair
Dr. Shelly Xu is a Perth family physician who helped develop the successful Perth Family Health Team application in the spring of 2023. She played an integral role in writing the proposal to strengthen primary care services in the Perth and surrounding area.
She is now happy to serve on the PFHT Board of Directors to follow through with her original vision and provide guidance and support where necessary. She also practices medicine and serves as the Medical Director at Lanark Lodge nursing home, and provides inpatient care at the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital.
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Dr. Xu is a mother of two and an active member in the Perth community. When she isn’t practicing medicine, she can be found curling at the Perth Curling Club, singing with the Women of the Tay choir, and running in local races like the Perth Kilt Run.
Linda Chaplin
Linda has had a lengthy career in acute and long-term healthcare settings.
She earned a Registered Nurse (RegN) designation from Kingston General Hospital, has an undergraduate Bachelor Science Nursing (BScN) degree from the University of Ottawa and a Master’s Business Administration (MBA) degree from Queen’s University.
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Her career has taken her to major urban hospitals in Toronto, smaller urban settings in Muskoka and Perth, Long Term Care responsibilities locally and in Ottawa, and a more recent exposure in Nunavut.​
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​For the past two decades she has been involved in several Long-Term Care redevelopment projects as CEO followed by an independent consultancy in Operational Planning and Facility Readiness.​
Linda enjoys family life and lakeside living, an imperfect golf game and looks forward to board involvement with the Perth Family Health Team and the good work they do.
Gardner Church
Gardner Church is a retired Ontario public servant who served in a variety of senior management positions, including as Deputy Minister.
He has expertise in urban governance, dispute resolution, mediation and public policy processes.
Since retiring “back home” to Otty Lake, Gardner has spent a decade on the local Hospital Board, including a period as its chair.
Dr. Stephanie Popiel
Dr. Stephanie Popiel is a family physician who has been caring for patients in the Perth community since 2001. A graduate of the University of Toronto’s medical program, she completed her residency through McMaster University’s Northwestern Ontario Family Medicine Program and later earned her Fellowship with the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Her current scope of practice includes an office-based family practice, as well as hospital roles – she continues to assist in the operating room and care for inpatients as a hospitalist at the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital. In the past, she also worked in the Emergency Department.
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Over the years, she has held several leadership positions at the hospital, including Chair of the Utilization Committee and member of the Medical Advisory Committee. Dr. Popiel is proud to be part of the Family Health Team and is deeply grateful for the privilege of caring for patients across generations – now seeing babies born to those who were babies when they first joined her practice.
​When she and her family moved to the area 25 years ago, they felt warmly welcomed by the community. That sense of belonging continues to shape her commitment to local care. Dr. Popiel is passionate about improving access to health care for all members of the community and ensuring that care is inclusive and comprehensive. Outside of medicine, she enjoys slow paddles around local lakes in her kayak, hiking gentle trails, and spending time with her family. She also finds joy in cooking, camping, classical music, and getting lost in a good book.