Dr. Retson is from Kenora, Ontario. She completed medical school at the University of Western Ontario and pursued her family medicine residency in Thunder Bay. She then furthered her expertise by obtaining an international Master’s of Health Leadership at McGill University.

Dr. Retson’s experience with advocacy and strategies started at the hospital and community level, advocating for funding and new models of care when her hospital experienced an inpatient care crisis and a shortage of family physicians. Using certain strategies and working closely with hospital leadership, MOH and the community, the partnership was successful in acquiring physician services funding to design a new hospitalist program and internal medicine program for the area, stabilizing inpatient care, providing internal medicine support for ICU patients and consultative support for new family physicians in ER and inpatient care. Learners also now rotate through these two programs and have great experiences.

Dr. Retson's other works include physician delegation to the city council on recruitment and retention, which resulted in the formation of a community health care coalition that advocated for a new inter-provincial health services agreement with Manitoba/Ontario for patients, a new physician recruiter position and work to develop and eventually become the first OHT in the northwest and only OHT with indigenous partners at the table. This work was recognized by an award of excellence from the CFPC and a Northwestern Ontario Visionary Award.

Dr. Retson has been involved with advocacy work in health system transformation at the level of the local OHT as a Chair of the primary care working group and now Co-Chair of the OHT clinical advisory and in the role as Medical Director for Kenora Chiefs Advisory (board of 8 First Nations Chiefs). Through this capacity, the committee has secured a few million dollars for primary care physicians and nursing for our indigenous communities and is presently negotiating with MOH/OMA for a new collaborative and integrated rural generalist physician compensation and governance model on and off reserve. It will integrate acute care services such as inpatient and ER and address inequities in access for our surrounding First Nations communities.