EKO welcomes two new members to the Board of Directors

November 13, 2024

Empowered Kids Ontario-Enfants Avenir Ontario (EKO) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Rageen Rajendram and Charmaine Sheahan to its board of directors. Both share a passion for the association’s work advancing equitable, smart developmental healthcare investment and policy, and bring extensive experience related to child development. “We’re excited to welcome these experts to EKO’s Board of Directors,” says Tina Langlois, Chair of EKO. “They join an extraordinary group of leaders that reflect the complexity and diversity of today’s healthcare environment. Having this calibre of leadership on the Board is essential for maximizing the impact of the developmental health sector in the continuum of children’s healthcare.”

Dr. Rageen Rajendram is a developmental pediatrician at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital where he is also co-medical lead of an innovative multidisciplinary clinic focused on addressing restrictive eating concerns in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Rajendram is co-founder and chief medical officer of NeuroAI, Canada’s first AI-driven autism assessment solution that provides timely, accurate and personalized solutions to unlock each child’s full potential. He serves on the steering committee for Our Kids Health and was instrumental in founding its TamilKidsHealth chapter providing culturally relevant pediatric health information to the Tamil community. He is also an enthusiastic hip-hop artist, using music as a platform to bridge social inequalities and make a broader societal impact.

For more than 25 years Charmaine Sheahan has been involved in assessing, diagnosing providing clinical care for kids with disabilities and developmental needs. In her current role at House of Friendship, Ms. Sheahan is the organization’s subject matter expert on justice and EDI-related matters including legislation, best practice, and organizational policies. She is also a professor at Conestoga College’s School of Workforce Development. Ms. Sheahan is committed to the advancement of underrepresented and marginalized children and youth, and serves on the boards of several organizations.

EKO thanks outgoing board directors for their dedicated service to the association, and to kids with disabilities and developmental differences and their families living their best lives.