We’d like to share an update regarding our Canadian affiliate.
After more than 12 years of dedicated service, Mary Vyas, President and Board Chair, along with Board Members Sandy VanOstrand and Richard Ayuen, have stepped down from their roles with PSC Partners Canada. We are deeply grateful for the leadership, commitment, and care each of them has brought to the PSC community and for their support as we move to the next chapter for PSC Partners Canada.
Mary Vyas co-founded PSC Partners Canada with Eve Jedrzejewska and Rachel Gomel and helped shape the organization into one that advances innovative models for patient-partnered medical research. Her dedication is deeply personal, inspired by her family’s experience after her teenager was diagnosed with PSC. Over the years, Mary has worked to grow the Canadian PSC community, elevate awareness, and ensure patients and caregivers have a strong voice.
Mary has also played a meaningful role in advancing PSC research. She helped support efforts that led to PSC Partners receiving a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) grant, which has strengthened education, research, and support for Canadians living with PSC. One of her most ambitious initiatives was the idea behind the WIND-PSC project, a PSC Partners and PSC Partners Canada sponsored study, inspired by the community’s call to identify new treatment options and address the unmet medical needs of PSC patients.
We are also grateful to Sandy VanOstrand and Richard Ayuen for their contributions to PSC Partners Canada.
Following her son’s PSC diagnosis, Sandy channeled her energy into fundraising efforts to support PSC Partners Canada. Her event planning and fundraising expertise has helped generate critical support for research and grant initiatives, including her key role in raising funds for the Pediatric PSC-IBD: Optimizing Colitis Monitoring Strategies to Enhance Liver Disease Outcomes study. We deeply appreciate Sandy’s willingness to guide and support community members who have hosted their own fundraisers for PSC Partners Canada.
Richard Ayuen joined the PSC Partners Canada Board in 2022 as the father of a PSC patient and a living liver donor to his son. Motivated by his family’s experience, Richard has been dedicated to supporting others living with PSC by helping strengthen education around the disease and fostering a supportive community for patients and their families. We are grateful for the business insight and thoughtful perspective he brought to PSC Partners Canada, as well as the meaningful impact he has made in the lives of many within the PSC community.
Matt Hodgson, Board Member, Eve Jedrzejewska, Co-Founder and Treasurer, and Rachel Gomel, Secretary and Co-Founder, will continue to lead the organization and work in conjunction with PSC Partners to ensure all programs and operations are maintained. The PSC Partners Canadian Board remains dedicated to the PSC community and looks forward to continued impact driven by this deeply personal mission. In the months ahead, we also look forward to engaging new leaders and supporters who are interested in helping carry this work forward.
To Mary, Sandy, and Richard, thank you for the foundation you have built and the lasting impact you have made in the PSC community.
With deep gratitude,
Ricky Safer, the PSC Partners Board of Directors, and the entire team at PSC Partners
