Herbie Fund Webcast With Gord Martineau And Kamla Sharma

Watch Gord Martineau and his guest, Kamla Sharma, Director of the SickKids International Patient Program, in this webcast recorded Monday June 2 at 7:00PM ET. 

Gord and Kamla talk about their experiences with The Herbie Fund in Botswana and Trinidad and bring viewers a preview of the week’s stories, leading up to Herbie Day on Friday, June 6.

The webcast is available below, and ustream.tv . 

Click here to visit our channel on ustream .

About Our Guest

Kamla Sharma, M.S.W.

Director of International Affairs and International Patient Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

Kamla has a multidisciplinary educational background in sociology, law and social work.   After graduating from her Bachelors of Arts Degree, with a major in Sociology, she spent two years in India studying Law in the New Delhi Faculty of Law.   Kamla proceeded to complete her Masters of Social Work Degree from the University of Toronto in Social Work and Social Policy from the University of Toronto in 1994.  With her Master’s in Social Work, Kamla has dedicated her career to organizations that are leaders in health and social change. 

As Director of International Affairs and the International Patient Program, Kamla passionately aims to fulfill SickKids vision: Healthier Children. A better world.   Since 1998, Kamla has led the development of the International Patient Program (IPP), a unique Canadian Program that supports the specialized needs of international patients and facilitates their life altering treatment at SickKids.  To accomplish this, she develops strategic alliances with physicians, executives, community groups and consulates. Her Program team consists of six staff that review, approve and allocate humanitarian funds to assist children and facilitate and coordinate their care at Sick Kids. 

Kamla oversees the allocation of Herbie Funds, a charitable fund that assists children from around the world to lifesaving treatment and care not available in their home countries. More than 600 children from approximately 88 countries have received specialized medical and surgical.  The success of the fund reflects the generosity of Canadians and the dedication of diverse community partners, such as Operation Herbie.   

As Director of International Affairs, she aims to collaborate with national and global partners to improve the health of children worldwide through the advancement of child education, clinical and research initiatives.  Kamla’s regional focus includes Africa, Pan Caribbean and Asia.  Kamla is directly involved with advancing Sick Kids philanthropic impact through innovative initiatives and partnerships in the areas of technology, education, and research, by developing key international partnerships, with Private, Public, civic and Non-Governmental Organizations.  She works collaboratively with SickKids Foundation through initiatives such as HealthKids International, to support the broader vision of training physicians from developing countries. 

Prior to her position at the Hospital for Sick Children, Kamla held a management position in the Allocations Division at the United Way of Greater Toronto.  She was responsible for allocating a funding portfolio to support children, women and diverse communities at risk. 

Kamla is actively involved with local community and cultural organizations and is a member of the Indo-Canada Chambers of Commerce.  She has received awards by the Ministry of Culture and Citizenship, as well as by South Asian Organizations for her outstanding commitment to voluntarism and her contributions to the promotion of women, youth and children.