The HQ: Recent Episodes
CHA Learning
Welcome to The HQ, CHA Learning’s/HealthCareCAN’s podcast series where we explore and discuss the topics relevant to healthcare today. The HQ focuses on the people that make up and lead our complex, adaptive system of healthcare. The HQ is your trusted headquarters as, together, we engage with thought-leaders to learn and understand what matters most to those that lead our health workforce.
Welcome back to The HQ podcast, where we continue our insightful series on Planetary Health. In our last episode, Dr. Husein Moloo introduced the concept of planetary health, providing valuable insights on how we can shift from eco-anxiety to eco-action. His discussion laid the foundation for understanding the broader impact of environmental sustainability within the healthcare sector.
Today, we dive deeper into this crucial topic by focusing on organizational change. Specifically, we explore how entire healthcare organizations can implement meaningful eco-actions and lead the way in environmental stewardship and sustainability. We are honoured to be joined by the three Co-Chairs of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s Green Task Force: Michael Lithgow, Dr. Susan Deering, and Genny Ng. These leaders share their extensive experiences and insights, demonstrating how Sunnybrook is driving sustainability initiatives and setting an example for others in the healthcare industry.
Tune in to gain valuable insights on leading organizational change for planetary health and learn how you can contribute to making a positive impact on both human health and the environment.
Key Discussions:
Introducing the Green Task Force: Our guests share their backgrounds and the spark that ignited their journeys into planetary health. They discuss the formation and evolution of Sunnybrook’s Green Task Force.
Overcoming Challenges: The panel discusses the obstacles they’ve faced in promoting sustainability within the healthcare setting and the strategies they used to overcome them.
Engaging the Organization: The secrets behind successfully engaging staff and building momentum for eco-action across the organization are revealed.
Quality Improvement and Sustainability: The background in quality improvement supports the Task Force’s goals, with collaborative efforts driving their success.
The Role of Design in Planetary Health: The importance of design in sustainable healthcare infrastructure and adapting existing structures to new environmental values is explored.
Impact on Patient Care: The direct impact of sustainability initiatives on patient care and why planetary health matters to patients and families is discussed.
Achieving and Scaling Success: The panel shares their proudest achievements and the key elements that have contributed to their success, providing actionable insights for other organizations.
Sustaining and Growing Initiatives: The resources required to sustain and grow their initiatives are discussed, emphasizing the role of leadership and strategic planning.
Future Directions: The episode concludes with a look at what’s next for the Green Task Force at Sunnybrook and final words of wisdom for others inspired to take eco-action.
About Our Guests:
Michael Lithgow: Manager of Energy & Climate Action in the Plant Operations and Maintenance Department at Sunnybrook. A Professional Engineer with over 30 years in energy efficiency and green buildings, Michael is dedicated to advancing sustainability initiatives at Sunnybrook.
Dr. Susan Deering: Division Lead for Long-Term Care in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Sunnybrook. Passionate about reducing healthcare’s environmental impact, Susan is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health with a focus on climate change and human health.
Genny Ng: Manager of Quality & Patient Safety at Sunnybrook. With a background in respiratory therapy and quality improvement, Genny is a driving force behind Sunnybrook’s sustainability efforts, including the introduction of beehives to the hospital.
Helpful Links:
Michael Lithgow | LinkedIn: Click Here
Susan Deering | LinkedIn: Click Here
Genny NG | LinkedIn: Click Here
Sunnybrook Health Science Centre | Website: Click Here
Sunnybrook Green Task Force | Website: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear.
Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don’t forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
Did you know that healthcare is one of the largest contributors to pollution, waste, emissions, and overall environmental harm? As such, The HQ podcast is starting a series to examine and discuss this in more detail.
In this first episode, we explore the concept of planetary health, an area of growing importance around the world and within the healthcare sector. Joining us to unpack this complex and existential topic is Dr. Husein Moloo, a distinguished colorectal surgeon and visionary leader in the field of environmental sustainability within healthcare. Dr. Moloo, who serves as the inaugural Director for Planetary Health for the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, brings to the conversation a wealth of knowledge and a passionate commitment to integrating quality improvement, patient safety, and environmental stewardship.
Together, we explore why healthcare's environmental impact is critical, how to encourage sustainable practices, and what it takes to move from eco-anxiety to eco-action. This episode delivers not only thought-provoking insights on planetary health but also practical strategies to engage healthcare professionals and leaders in making a tangible difference for our planet's health.
Tune in to gain valuable insights into the crucial connection between healthcare and planetary health, and learn how you can contribute to making a positive impact on both human health and the environment.
Key Discussions:
Understanding Planetary Health: Dr. Moloo provides a comprehensive explanation of what planetary health entails and why it is distinct from but related to climate change.
Healthcare's Environmental Impact: The conversation explores why the healthcare sector must focus on its environmental footprint. Dr. Moloo discusses the significant impact healthcare practices have on planetary health and the moral imperative for health professionals to address this issue.
Triple Bottom Line in Healthcare: Dr. Moloo explains the "Triple Bottom Line" concept and its application in healthcare. He discusses the importance of balancing environmental, social, and economic considerations to achieve sustainable health outcomes.
From Eco-Anxiety to Eco-Action: Addressing the prevalent issue of eco-anxiety, Dr. Moloo emphasizes the importance of empowering individuals and organizations to take meaningful actions towards sustainability.
Engaging Leadership and Workforce: Practical insights are provided on how to engage healthcare leadership and the workforce in driving environmental initiatives and fostering a culture of sustainability.
About Dr. Husein Moloo:
Dr. Husein Moloo is a colorectal surgeon with a deep commitment to quality improvement and patient safety. His interest in planetary health emerged from this intersection, leading to his current role as the inaugural Director for Planetary Health at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa. He also advises the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada on planetary health and co-chairs the AFMC’s national planetary health committee. Dr. Moloo's leadership in this field is instrumental in advancing the conversation and actions needed to address the urgent environmental challenges facing the healthcare sector.
Helpful Links:
Dr. Husein Moloo | LinkedIn: Click Here
Planetary Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa | Website: Click Here
Planetary Health Report Card | Website: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear.
Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don’t forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
Burnout is a widespread system issue that significantly impacts healthcare professionals today. The consequences are far-reaching, contributing to a healthcare system in crisis as professionals leave their jobs or struggle to continue in increasingly overwhelming conditions.
How can we address this pervasive issue? What is getting in our way? Is it a matter of knowing what to do, a lack of resources, or an issue of values and culture? How can we move beyond simple, often ineffective get-well fixes?
In this episode, we engage with Dr. Dayna Lee-Baggley, a Registered Clinical Psychologist and an internationally recognised expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, to explore burnout and learn what healthcare leaders and organisations can do to facilitate meaningful changes that can reduce burnout and improve the well-being of all those involved in the care process.
Tune in to this enlightening episode for practical advice, scientific insights, and a compassionate look at one of the most pressing issues in healthcare today.
Key Discussions:
- Background and Journey: Dr. Lee-Baggley shares her personal journey from a healthcare provider to a leading expert in burnout and professional resiliency.
- Supporting Depleted Professionals: Strategies for helping healthcare professionals who are exhausted while facilitating necessary systemic changes, to create healthier work environments.
- Factors Contributing to Burnout: Beyond workload, what are the other factors contributing to burnout, and how can we address them?
- Effective Stress Management Tools: Why simple solutions like hydration, mindfulness, and yoga aren't enough for the healthcare workforce.
- Science-Based Solutions: Insights from research on how to address burnout effectively.
- Health, Wellness, and JEDI: Exploring the relationship between health and wellness initiatives and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) efforts, and the importance of behaviour change in these contexts.
About Dayna Lee-Baggley
Dr. Dayna Lee-Baggley is a Registered Clinical Psychology with training and expertise in clinical psychology, health psychology, and organizational psychology. She worked as a health psychologist for almost 15 years in multidisciplinary teams on medical, surgical and cancer care hospital units with patients with chronic and life-threatening health conditions. She is an internationally recognized expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She also conducts research at Dalhousie University and at Saint Mary’s University. She has an active research program on behavior change, obesity, chronic
Helpful Links:
Dr. Lee-Baggley & Associates | Website: Click Here
ImpACTme app | Website: Click Here
Dr. Dayna Lee-Baggley | LinkedIn: Click Here
The Burnout Burger | Article: Click Here
How to Identify Burnout in Our Employees and Colleagues| Article: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear.
Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don’t forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
Welcome to a special milestone episode of The HQ Podcast! And what better way to celebrate our 50th episode than with another inspiring and critically important conversation. Today, we dive into a topic that's rapidly reshaping all parts of our lives, including the future of healthcare: artificial intelligence (AI).
Dale’s conversation with Dr. Muhammad Mamdani, Vice President of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto is a must listen for everyone.
To be clear, this isn’t just any discussion about AI – we’re bringing you an exclusive conversation with an organization, team, and leader that is leading the field in an area that promises to be at least part of the critical solution needed for not only healthcare’s sustainability, but its improvement and transformation. It also holds an exciting key to our health workforce challenges,
Dr. Mamdani's expertise and groundbreaking work at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in Medicine makes him the perfect guest to unpack the promises and challenges of AI in healthcare. As we ponder the potential of AI, we can't ignore the pressing Health Human Resource crisis facing healthcare systems worldwide. Does AI innovation hold the promise to alleviate this crisis, offering solutions to ensure better healthcare access and delivery for all?
Join us as we engage with Dr. Mamdani to explore this question and discuss AI’s significance in modern healthcare, its role in tackling patient data challenges, and how leaders can leverage AI ethically without compromising decision-making capabilities.
Don't miss out on this milestone episode – it's one for the books!
Key Discussions:
- Defining AI in Healthcare: Dr. Mamdani elucidates what AI truly entails and its significance in modern healthcare.
- Addressing the Data Problem: We examine the role of AI in tackling the data challenges prevalent in healthcare systems.
- Impact on Clinicians and Health Services: Dr. Mamdani sheds light on how AI can empower clinicians and optimize healthcare services through data-driven insights.
- From Theory to Practice: Gain insights into the process of developing and implementing AI solutions in real-world healthcare scenarios.
- Translating AI into Practice: Explore practical applications of AI in healthcare, from managing emergency department volumes to optimizing patient flow and nurse staffing.
- Building AI Initiatives: Dr. Mamdani shares valuable insights on building successful AI initiatives, emphasizing the importance of infrastructure, teams, and organizational culture.
- Navigating Risks and Ethical Considerations: We discuss the ethical implications and risks associated with AI adoption in healthcare, including governance, privacy, bias, and security.
About Dr. Muhammad Mamdani, PharmD, MA, MPH
- Vice President – Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto
- Odette Chair in Advanced Analytics
- Faculty Affiliate – The Vector Institute
- Director – University of Toronto Temerty Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education Medicine (T-CAIREM)
- Affiliate Scientist – IC/ES
- Professor, University of Toronto
Dr. Mamdani is Vice President of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto and Director of the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM). Dr. Mamdani’s team bridges advanced analytics including machine learning with clinical and management decision making to improve patient outcomes and hospital efficiency with over 50 AI solutions developed and deployed into clinical practice. Dr. Mamdani is also Professor in the Department of Medicine of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. He is also Affiliate Scientist at IC/ES and a Faculty Affiliate of the Vector Institute, which is a leading institution for artificial intelligence research in Canada. Further, Dr. Mamdani is a member of the Human Drug Advisory Panel of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB).
Previously, Dr. Mamdani founded the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN), which is among the world’s most impactful collaborations between researchers and drug policy decision-makers. He was also the Founding Director of the Li Ka Shing Centre for Healthcare Analytics Research and Training (LKS-CHART) of Unity Health Toronto and the Founding Director of the Applied Health Research Centre (AHRC) of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of Unity Health Toronto, which is Toronto’s leading academic research organization focused on the design and implementation of multicentre clinical research initiatives including large randomized clinical trials.
In 2010, Dr. Mamdani was named among Canada’s Top 40 under 40. Prior to joining the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and Unity Health Toronto, Dr. Mamdani was a Director of Outcomes Research at Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals in New York. Dr. Mamdani’s research interests include pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, drug policy, and the application of advanced analytics approaches to clinical problems and health policy decision-making. He has published over 500 research studies in peer-reviewed medical journals, including leading journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the British Medical Journal, and Annals of Internal Medicine. His research has been cited over 45,000 times and has an h-index of over 100.
Dr. Mamdani obtained a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in 1995 and subsequently completed a fellowship in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research at the Detroit Medical Center in 1997. During his fellowship, Dr. Mamdani obtained a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan with a concentration in econometric theory. He then completed a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University in 1998 with a concentration in quantitative methods, focusing on biostatistics and epidemiological principles.
Helpful Links:
Unity Health Toronto | Website: Click Here
Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto | Website: Click Here
Unity Health Toronto | Social: LinkedIn - Facebook - X (Formerly Twitter)
Dr. Muhammad Mamdani | LinkedIn: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear. Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don’t forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
In episode 49 of The HQ Podcast, Dr. Allen Power, Schlegel Chair in Aging and Dementia Innovation at the Schlegel—University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging in Ontario and keynote speaker at the upcoming Walk With Me 2024 conference, joins us to explore the relationship between leadership, culture change, and organizational transformation all so very critical to changing our approach to long-term care and caring for our ageing population.
Dr. Power, an internationally recognized educator on transformational models of care for older adults, brings deep insight into the essence of culture change, the role of leadership in healthcare transformation, and the profound impact of these elements on long-term care and dementia care practices.
This episode of The HQ Podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in infusing more well-being into our systems of caring for those aging – because at some point, each and every one of us is going to need a system that intersects with our own values – and if we wouldn’t want to be served in our current system, how can we not be committed to changing it for our own futures, if not for those who need it today?
If you’re interested in learning more from Dr. Allen Power, be sure to connect with the upcoming Walk With Me 2024 conference taking place May 1st-3rd, 2024 in Ottawa.
Key Discussions:
The Essence of Culture Change: Dr. Power’s perspective on culture change and its significance in healthcare and personal passion.
Defining Transformation in Healthcare: Unpacking the buzzword 'transformation' and what it means for real-world healthcare practices.
Leadership Challenges in Healthcare and Long-Term Care: An exploration of the specific leadership challenges in these sectors and strategies for overcoming them.
Leadership’s Role in Transformation and Culture Change: How leadership can effectively drive change and the qualities leaders must embody to facilitate this process.
Approaching Aging and Dementia Care: Dr. Power's vision for long-term care and dementia care, including his call to action for stakeholders.
Employee Engagement and Wellness Post-Pandemic: Reflections on the pandemic's lessons for employee well-being and engagement in the context of cultural transformation.
About Dr. Allen Power
Dr. Allen Power is an internist, geriatrician, and Schlegel Chair in Aging and Dementia Innovation at the Schlegel—University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging in Ontario, Canada. He is also clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester, NY, and an internationally recognized educator on transformational models of care for older adults, particularly those living with changing cognitive abilities.
Dr. Power’s book, Dementia Beyond Drugs: Changing the Culture of Care was named a 2010 Book of the Year by the American Journal of Nursing. His second book, Dementia Beyond Disease: Enhancing Well-Being was released by Health Professions Press in 2014 and the second edition of Dementia Beyond Drugs was released in 2017. He has given workshops and seminars on this topic in 18 countries across 5 continents.
Dr. Power is also a trained musician and songwriter with four recordings. Peter, Paul and Mary performed his song of elder autonomy, “If You Don’t Mind”, and Walter Cronkite used his song, “I’ll Love You Forever” in a 1995 Discovery Channel profile of American families. He also recently co-wrote the songs for singer/songwriter Anne Hills’ 2021 album, Accidental August, and their song, “Witness” was composed for the 2022 Pioneer/Green House conference.
Dr. Power is currently working with Dr. Jennifer Carson and Pat Sprigg on a new book about creating inclusive communities for people living with dementia.
Helpful Links:
Dr. Allen Power | Website: Click Here
Dr. Allen Power | LinkedIn: Click Here
Walk With Me 2024 | Website: Click Here
Research Institute for Aging (RIA) | Website: Click Here
Research Institute for Aging (RIA) | Social: LinkedIn | Facebook | X
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear. Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don’t forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
In this thought-provoking episode of The HQ podcast, we dive into one of the critical topics surrounding the future of healthcare delivery and a key solution out of the health human resource (HHR) crisis healthcare is facing today. With a special focus on the concepts of models of care and scope of practice, we explore the challenges and practical solutions to reshaping the healthcare landscape to meet current needs and address the burning question: are we utilizing our healthcare workforce in the most effective way possible?
Joining us for this conversation is Suzanne Madore, a remarkable health leader with 33 years of nursing experience, who has risen through the ranks to become the Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Executive for The Ottawa Hospital (TOH). Suzanne brings with her to the conversation her unique leadership experience from a bedside nurse to a key figure tackling healthcare’s most significant challenges, such as surgical wait times, staff burnout, and hospital occupancy.
Join us for this insightful conversation as we explore the future of care delivery with one of healthcare’s most forward-thinking leaders.
Key Discussions:
- Tackling the Health Workforce Crisis: An in-depth look at HHR challenges including demographics, turnover, recruitment, and how these issues contribute to the current state of crisis in healthcare.
- Hard Truths and Impetus for Change: Suzanne addresses the hard truths health system leaders need to face and what drives the need for innovative solutions in today’s healthcare crisis.
- Evolution of Clinical Models of Care: A journey through the history and evolution of clinical models of care, spotlighting the shift towards team-based models and its implications for healthcare delivery.
- Operational Challenges and Solutions: From an operational standpoint, we discuss the complexities of implementing new care models and how they affect various roles within the healthcare system.
- Cultural Impact and Workforce Response: An exploration of how these changes affect the hospital's culture and the overall response from the workforce.
- Advice for Future Leaders: Suzanne offers her wisdom to other leaders, particularly HR leaders, who aim to make a difference in the healthcare landscape.
About Suzanne Madore:
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Executive at The Ottawa Hospital
Suzanne Madore stands as a beacon of leadership and innovation within Canada’s largest academic health science centres. With a career spanning over three decades in nursing and executive roles, Suzanne’s approach to solving healthcare challenges through public-private partnerships, cross-hospital collaborations, and risk-taking has marked a significant impact on staff and patient outcomes. Her commitment to the profession and empathy for frontline staff continue to guide her work in developing new models of care and addressing healthcare’s most pressing issues.
Helpful Links:
The Ottawa Hospital | Website: Click Here
The Ottawa Hospital | Social: Linkedin - Facebook - X (Formerly Twitter)
Suzanne Madore, COO & CNE at The Ottawa Hospital | LinkedIn: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear. Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don’t forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
In episode 47 of The HQ podcast we discuss the fundamental role Canadian health research plays not only in uncovering game-changing new discoveries, but also in improving healthcare and health systems around the world.
From the discovery of insulin in 1921 to directing decades of scientific research that led to the development of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines to combat COVID-19, Canadian health research has always been a global leader. However, concerns are mounting that federal government investment in health research is no longer sufficient to develop and support Canada’s best and brightest minds as they work to uncover the discoveries that will address future challenges.
Learn as our expert panel goes “beyond the lab” to explain the importance of maintaining a strong Canadian health research ecosystem as the foundation for high-quality clinical care, a wealth generator with a tremendous return on investment, and our nation’s best defense against the next, inevitable pandemic.
About David Hill
Dr. David Hill is the integrated vice-president, Research, and scientific director of Lawson Health Research Institute at St. Joseph’s Health Care and London Health Sciences Centre and a professor at Western University.
About Ellen Chesney
Ellen Chesney is the Chief Administrative Office – Research at the Provincial Health Services Authority in British Columbia, a $180 million research enterprise. She manages board governance and oversight of research across PHSA's eight agencies and four research institutes.
About Cindy Trytten
Cindy Trytten is Director of Research at Island Health Authority in BC where, at any one time, 30-40 clinical trials are taking place at Royal Jubilee, Victoria General and Nanaimo Hospitals. Cindy has particular expertise and interest in advancing research in Emerging Health Research Institutes in BC and Canada.
Helpful Links:
Health research funding overview: CIHR Grants and Awards Expenditures - CIHR (cihr-irsc.gc.ca)
Background on the need for health research investment: HealthCareCAN | Federal health research funding needed - HealthCareCAN
What is health research? What is health research? - CIHR (cihr-irsc.gc.ca)
David Hill | LinkedIn: Click Here
Ellen Chesney | LinkedIn: Click Here
Cindy Trytten | LinkedIn: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear. Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don’t forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
In episode 46 of The HQ podcast, we're exploring a topic at the heart of our health and well-being: Nutrition. With March marking National Nutrition Month, we're taking a closer look at the complexities surrounding nutrition and its profound impact on our health, especially as we age.
Joining us once again is Professor Heather Keller, the Schlegel Research Chair in Nutrition & Aging at the University of Waterloo. An internationally recognized expert in geriatric nutrition, Professor Keller's research spans nutrition risk, malnutrition identification and treatment, and enhancing the mealtime experience across care sectors. Her work aims to improve nutrition care processes and implement best practices, particularly among diverse groups in the community, including those living with dementia.
In this episode, we explore the essentials of nutrition and malnutrition, discussing not only the definitions but also the misconceptions surrounding these terms. The critical focus of our conversation is on the significant role nutritional health plays as we age – and what happens to seniors when it is assumed or goes unexamined by our healthcare system. Indeed, what is the impact of not diagnosing malnutrition in someone who is admitted for more than even 3 days?
Key discussion points include:
- What exactly are nutrition and malnutrition, and how do they differ?
- The impact of hospital stays on nutrition and how they can challenge patients, particularly the elderly.
- The unique nutritional challenges faced by older adults with cognitive impairments.
- The prevalence of malnutrition among older adults and its importance.
- Strategies to support the nutrition of older adults post-hospitalization to promote recovery and prevent rehospitalization.
Tune in as we unpack the vital role of nutrition in our health and how we, alongside healthcare professionals, can better support the nutritional needs of older adults, ensuring a healthier, more nourishing future.
About Heather Keller
Heather is an internationally recognized expert in geriatric nutrition, assessment, and treatment. Research areas focus on nutrition risk and malnutrition identification and treatment across care sectors; improving nutrition care processes and implementing screening and other best practices; supporting food intake of diverse groups living in the community, including those living with dementia; and improving hospital and residential food and promoting food intake and the mealtime experience in these settings. Professor Keller has led several national research and knowledge translation projects, including the landmark Nutrition Care in Canadian Hospitals, More-2-Eat and Making the Most of Mealtimes in Long Term Care studies. Professor Keller has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and translates much of this evidence into practice with tools and resources. As a founding member and past chair/co-chair (2009-2018) of the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force, she is involved in translating research into practice and advocating for improvements in nutrition care. She is currently the co-chair of the primary care working group for CMTF and involved in several national and international expert groups advancing the prevention, detection and treatment of malnutrition.
Helpful Links
Heather Keller | LinkedIn: Click Here
Heather Keller | Twitter: @HeatherHKeller | @nutriagelab
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Again (RIA) | LinkedIn: Click Here
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Again (RIA) | Twitter: Click Here
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Again (RIA) | Facebook: Click Here
Additional Resources:
CHOICE+ | Website: Click Here
Food Service & Nutrition Management in Healthcare | CHA Learning Program | Website: Click Here
Long-Term Care Executive Leadership | CHA Learning Program | Website: Click Here
People-Centred Care | CHA Learning Program | Website: Click Here
In this thought-provoking episode of The HQ, we explore several different dimensions of aging and the innovations in seniors’ and long-term care and what it means to age well in Canada. For this conversation, we are joined by Zannat Reza, Director of the Future of Aging social impact team at SE Health, co-lead of the COURAGE: Action for Better Aging initiative, and host of SE Health's own podcast, The Future Age. Together, we discuss the pivotal role our healthcare leaders and organizations must play in fostering and facilitating new policies and a shift away from outdated models of care towards sustainable aging strategies, especially in light of our rapidly ageing population.
Join us as we learn from Zannat about the COURAGE: Action for Better Aging Initiative and the work being done to develop a better approach to aging and senior care across Canada. This is a fascinating conversation that is sure to get you talking as our society’s approach to aging is one that will impact us all, directly and/or through our families.
About Zannat Reza, MHSc
Zannat Reza is Director of the Future of Aging social impact team at SE Health, a not-for-profit home and community care organization, and a co-lead of the COURAGE: Action for Better Aging initiative.
Managing relationships and partners has been the cornerstone of Zannat’s career. She has worked in health communications for 25 years, including regular appearances on CBC News Network and being quoted frequently in the Toronto Star and the Canadian Press network. Before SE Health, Zannat ran a consulting company, worked at a social issues marketing agency, and managed a PR portfolio for an association. She has a Master of Health Sciences in Community Health, and her mission is to promote health and well-being to help people thrive at any age.
Helpful Links
Zannat Reza | LinkedIn: Click Here
Zannat Reza | Twitter: Click Here
SE Health | Website: Click Here
Future of Aging | Website: Click Here
COURAGE: Action for Better Aging | Website: Click Here
The Future Age Podcast | Website: Click Here
Additional Resources
Courage Action for Better Aging Roadmap for Action | Download: Click Here
Courage Action for Better Aging Discussion Paper | Download: Click here
Courage Action for Better Aging SYNERGY: Creating a New Vision for Living Report | Download : Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear. Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don’t forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
To kick off Season 3 of The HQ podcast, we are honoured to welcome an internationally distinguished expert in mental health, Dr. Javeed Sukhera. As Chair of Psychiatry at the Institute of Living (IOL) and Chief of Psychiatry at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, Dr. Sukhera brings invaluable insights to our discussion about structural stigma in the healthcare system, as it relates to those who live with mental health and/or substance use challenges. Structural stigma impacts our ability to provide high-quality, equitable care and service, across all parts of the health system. So, why does it persist – and why does it persist in our healthcare organizations and systems? What is getting in the way of equitable care and unbiased treatment for all?
In this episode, Dr. Sukhera explores with us the nuances of structural stigma, identifies key structural barriers that exist within the health system, and discusses strategies that can help us dismantle these barriers at a systemic level to improve care for all. This episode is a must-listen for healthcare professionals, policymakers, and anyone who is passionate about transforming mental health care in Canada. Tune in to The HQ Podcast Season 3 for this eye-opening discussion and join us in creating a future where mental health care is free from stigma and bias.
Don't miss out – listen, learn, and be part of the change!
About Dr. Sukhera
Dr. Javeed Sukhera is the Chair of Psychiatry at the Institute of Living (IOL) and Chief of Psychiatry at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. In his role as Chair/Chief, Dr. Sukhera is responsible for advancing the IOL's clinical, research, and educational missions including training programs in psychiatry, psychology, social work, and nursing, as well as several endowed research centers.
Dr. Sukhera is an internationally recognized health professions education researcher and thought leader. His research program explores novel approaches to addressing stigma and bias among health professionals and he has also been involved in advocacy and cross-sectoral work in education, policing, and community services. He is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Canadian Medical Association Journal and Deputy Editor of the journal Perspectives on Medical Education.
Helpful Links
Dr. Javeed Sukhera | LinkedIn: Click Here
Dr. Javeed Sukhera| Twitter: Click Here
Mental Health Commission of Canada | Website: Click Here
FREE Mental Health Structural Stigma in Healthcare eLearning Course | CHA Learning: Click Here
Additional Resources
Champions and Changemakers: Real-World Examples | MHCC Website: Click Here
Dismantling Structural Stigma: An Implementation Guide | MHCC Website: Click here
Structural Stigma: Resources | MHCC Website: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear.
Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don’t forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
Welcome to Episode 43 of The HQ. In this heartening episode, we are joined by Zofia Dove, a seasoned expert in Geriatric and Palliative Care with over 30 years of international healthcare experience. Through her best-selling book "Unexpected Gifts" and numerous speaking engagements, Zofia emphasizes the importance of compassionate communication, especially in caring for those in the final stages of life.
Throughout our heartfelt conversation, we explore the critical importance of finding and providing joy through compassionate care, especially for those facing life's most challenging moments. Zofia’s insights and deep understanding of the human condition, particularly as it relates to aging, death, and dying, offer a fresh perspective on the final stages of life and the privilege of caring for people in those stages. These insights underscore the significance of joy, laughter, and human connection in these profound moments.
Tune in as we explore the power of compassion, the experience and provision of joy in palliative and end-of-life care, the role of humour in easing difficult situations, and the significance of spirituality in healthcare.
About Zofia Dove
Zofia Dove has over 30 years of international experience in Health Care Systems, specifically in Geriatric and Palliative Care.
During this time, she has touched the lives of thousands of people in a profound way. She has brought joy and laughter to many patients at the most critical time of their lives. Zofia’s deep understanding of the human condition, as it is related to ageing, death and dying, makes her an unexpected gift to everyone she is in contact with.
She is an inspiring, empowering and entertaining speaker, who brings more light, love and laughter to some serious topics. She shares her passion on the power of humour in communication. She brings this new perspective to institutional leadership, business and healthcare professionals, teams and caregivers through her talks and training programs.
Zofia is the best selling author of “Unexpected Gifts”, a book inspired by interactions and experiences with her clients. Her passion is to teach more effective communication skills, especially for those caring for clients in transition.
Helpful Links
Zofia Dove | LinkedIn: Click Here
Zofia Dove | Website: Click Here
Unexpected Gifts | Book: Click Here
People Centred Care Program | CHA Learning: Click Here
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In Episode 42 of The HQ podcast, we are joined by Kevin Hayes, Senior Advisor, Clinical Ethics at the University Integrated Health and Social Services Centre for West-Central Montreal. What happens when healthcare professionals step into someone else's home? During our conversation, we explore the concept of "home" and the ethical complexities of providing services in a place that is home to others and how to address issues of discrimination, racism or abuse when it happens in a “home” environment.
Tune in as we engage with Kevin, an expert clinical ethicist, to explore the intricacies of providing healthcare in someone's home, in navigating the ethical dilemmas and challenges that come with it. Join us and learn what leaders can do to support staff wellness and safety in challenging situations like this.
About Kevin Hayes
Kevin is the Senior Advisor, Clinical Ethics at the University Integrated Health and Social Services Centre for West-Central Montreal (aka the CIUSSS) where he has worked since 2018. Kevin has a M.Sc in Experimental Medicine with a specialization in Bioethics from McGill University, graduating in 2013. He has been active in various frontline and senior management positions in the field of health & social services since 1985 including Coordinator of Professional services, ombudsperson and chair of the clinical ethics committee at CLSC Rene-Cassin (a “local community service centre”), Director of Multidisciplinary services at CSSS Cavendish (a “Health and Social Service Centre”), as well as Associate Director of Academic affairs at the CIUSSS West Central Montreal Health.
Helpful Links
Kevin Hayes | LinkedIn: Click Here
CIUSSS | Website: Click Here
Long-Term Care Executive Leadership Program | CHA Learning: Click Here
People Centred Care Program | CHA Learning: Click Here
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For Episode 41 of The HQ Podcast, we have the privilege of welcoming Kathleen Ledoux, a distinguished nurse with extensive experience in clinical, leadership, and academic roles, to engage in a discussion on compassion in healthcare. Kathleen, who has published both research and commentary on compassion, explores with us what it is to be compassionate, where compassion comes from, and its integral connection to the delivery of high-quality healthcare and leadership.
In the lead-up to and during the pandemic, healthcare professionals faced both physical and mental exhaustion, experiencing firsthand the profound effects and impact of burnout. How do these effects influence the capacity of our healthcare professionals to experience and express compassion, and in turn, how does this impact the quality of care provided? Tune in as Kathleen discusses these questions and offers actionable solutions for addressing this critical issue.
About Kathleen Ledoux
Kathleen Ledoux is a nurse who has had multiple and diverse experiences over the course of her career. She has been a clinical nurse, a nurse leader and most recently, a nurse academic. Among many accomplishments, Kathleen is most proud of attaining her Ph.D. at a time when she might have contemplated retirement. During the course of her PhD Kathleen became immersed in learning about compassion: its effects and benefits, how it can be learned, and how to implement it in both one’s professional and personal realms. To that end, she completed a year-long program at Stanford University’s Centre for Compassion and Altruism Research to learn how to teach others how to be compassionate. She has published both research and commentary on compassion. Kathleen is currently an Adjunct Research Professor and Research Coordinator at Western University, Canada. It is her intention to spend this next portion of her career helping others to learn how they might lead a more compassionate life, writing about, and researching compassion.
Helpful Links
Kathleen Ledoux | LinkedIn: Click Here
The Compassion Institue: Click Here
People-Centred Care | CHA Learning Online Program: Click Here
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Welcome to episode 40 of The HQ Podcast! In this episode, we continue our special series exploring the critical and compelling issues equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in healthcare. Our conversation moves beyond the need for these principles; it focuses on the actionable steps organizations can take to enable genuine culture change. As previous guests of The HQ have pointed out, creating inclusive workspaces is not only a socially just thing to do, it is also good for business. So, how do we transform EDI from being a mere buzzword into a lived experience shared by all? How can organizations not only attract a diverse workforce but also foster an environment where everyone feels they belong? What does it take to get everyone on board? These are important questions because while so many conversations right now are about “recruitment,” belonging is ultimately about retention.
To answer these questions and more, we are joined by two distinguished guests: Beverly Kravitz and Christine Morin. These leaders from the University Integrated Health and Social Services Centre for West-Central Montreal (CIUSSS) share their journey, the challenges they've encountered, and the strategies they've implemented as part of their initiative to foster a work culture centred on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).
Don't miss this opportunity to learn from the firsthand experiences of professionals making substantial contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion in healthcare.
About Beverly Kravitz
Beverly Kravitz, reporting directly to the CEO, is the Director of Human Resources, Communications, Legal Affairs and Global Security for the University Integrated Health and Social Services Centre for West-Central Montreal (CIUSSS). She has held this position since the 'CIUSSS’ creation in 2015. Our institution is comprised of 9 healthcare institutions and 34 member facilities, among them an internationally renowned acute-care hospital (Jewish General Hospital), frontline clinics, rehabilitation and long-term care sites, as well as university-affiliated research institutions. Our over 13,000 employees provide a seamless continuum of care to the patients, residents and users in their territory, a population of nearly 400,000 in one of Canada’s most diverse catchments.
Ms. Kravitz began her legal career in 1988, after having completed her civil and common law studies at McGill University. She joined the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) Foundation in 2002 after 15 years of legal experience in the private sector. She was Director of Planned Giving, Strategic Planning and General Counsel with the JGH Foundation until 2007, at which time she was appointed as the hospital’s Director of Human Resources and Legal Affairs, a position she held until the creation of the CIUSSS in 2015.
Ms. Kravitz completed the Authentic Leadership Development Program and Leading High Performance Health Care Organizations, two professional development courses with the HarvardBusinessSchool. In 2022, she completed the NIHI McMaster Connected Health and IoT course and is currently completing a course on Solving Business Problems Using People Analytics.
Ms. Kravitz is known for her strong leadership and strategic skills, has an effective management style and a solid approach to conflict resolution, mediation and negotiation. She places great importance on providing a safe, healthy, stimulating and fulfilling work environment that fosters teamwork and mutual support among colleagues. She takes great pride in having led the JGH to be recognized as one of Montreal’s Top Employers every year since 2013.
About Christine Morin
Christine Morin has been trained in Social Work and has taught psychosocial intervention for approximately 18 years in Quebec, where she conducted several institutional projects linked to inclusion of diversity in higher education. In the past 10 years, she also acted as a researcher in the field of inclusion at the Research Center for Inclusion of people with disabilities (CRISPESH), developing specific expertise on inclusion of people with disability in the workplace, inclusion of diversity in higher education and professional development through reflexive learning. She also acted as the development manager for CRISPESH, and provided support to organizations in the development of their DEI efforts. She began her work here at CCOMTL in April 2022, with the mandate to develop and implement a DEIB strategy for the CIUSSS.
Helpful Links
Beverly Kravitz | LinkedIn: Click Here
Christine Morin | LinkedIn: Click Here
CIUSSS | LinkedIn: Click Here
CIUSSS | Website: Click Here
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In Episode 39 of The HQ podcast, we dive into a vital discussion on “Just Culture” with David Marx, the celebrated thought leader who is considered by many to be the “father of just culture” in contemporary healthcare. Together, we unravel the intricacies of Just Culture—what it is, why it is critical in high-consequence industries such as healthcare, and how it can be fostered.
David guides us through strategies for developing a culture that emphasizes not just safety but justice, managing risks, and enhancing accountability. Throughout the conversation, David provides his insights on how healthcare leaders and organizations can develop high-reliability systems that prioritize a Just Culture with the aim of better outcomes for all involved. Key to the conversation is also a very interesting discussion of the relationship between Just Culture and psychological safety – how they are importantly different, yet how they can complement one another.
This episode isn't just for healthcare professionals and leaders but for anyone invested in cultivating a fair, empathetic, and safe culture in any type of organization. Tune in to be enlightened, challenged, and inspired by an expert who has devoted his career to improving safety and reducing risks, all in the pursuit of a more just and compassionate healthcare landscape.
About David Marx
David Marx is CEO of The Just Culture Company, a U.S.-based risk management firm. David has a BS in Mechanical Systems Engineering (1985) and Juris Doctor in Law (1997). David’s firm currently spends the majority of its effort on helping high-consequence organizations develop values-supportive practices and culture.
In the healthcare sector, David has been working to help healthcare institutions and regulatory agencies reduce the risk of iatrogenic patient harm. He was on the Board of Advisors for the National Patient Safety Foundation and won the Institute of Safe Medication Practices’ Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on medication safety. In the area of healthcare safety culture, David authored the document, “Patient Safety and the ‘Just Culture’: A Primer for Healthcare Executives,” for the National Institutes of Health, and is considered the “father of just culture” in contemporary healthcare.
Helpful Links
David Marx | LinkedIn: Click Here
The Just Culture Company | Website: Click Here
The Just Culture Company | LinkedIn: Click Here
Article: Reckless Homicide at Vanderbilt, a Just Culture Analysis | Click Here
Article: Nine Behavioral Benchmarks Tied to Successful Implementation of a Just Culture within a Healthcare Organization | Click Here
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About This Episode
In Episode 38 of The HQ podcast, we have the honour of engaging with Stephanie Nixon, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Director of the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen's University. Throughout our conversation, Stephanie expertly guides us through the complexities of privilege and allyship shedding light on their significance and their relevance to healthcare before inviting us to consider why this may not be the right desired outcome. Instead – spoiler alert – she introduces the concept of “co-liberatorship” and why this may be a better way through systemic power dynamics.
One of the highlights of our discussion is the introduction of the Coin Model of Privilege (see link in show notes). This powerful model helps us understand how social structures can simultaneously produce unearned advantages and disadvantages. Stephanie's illustration of the Coin Model provides invaluable insight into the dynamics of privilege, and how it can be used to guide the actions of people in positions of privilege for resisting the unjust structures that create health inequities.
Join us for this eye-opening episode as we explore privilege and how we can become better allies and co-liberators in creating a more equitable and inclusive healthcare system for all.
About Stephanie Nixon
Stephanie Nixon, PhD is Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Director of the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Prior to taking on this role in July 2022, she was a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto for 15 years. Stephanie has been a physiotherapist and activist scholar for 25 years. She completed her PhD in Public Health and Bioethics in 2006 at the University of Toronto, and a post-doc at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa in 2008. Stephanie is a straight, white, middle class, able-bodied, cisgender, settler woman who tries to understand the pervasive effects of privilege. In particular, she explores how systems of oppression shape health and community care, research and education, and the role of people in positions of unearned advantage in disrupting these harmful patterns.
Stephanie developed the Coin Model of Privilege and Critical Allyship as a way to translate core ideas about anti-oppression and anti-racism to people in positions of unearned advantage.
Helpful Links
Stephanie Nixon | LinkedIn: Click Here
Stephanie Nixon | Twitter: Click Here
Stephanie Nixon | Queen's University Faculty Page: Click Here
Coin Model of Privilege & Critical Allyship | Article: Click Here
Coin Model Resources | Google Doc: Click Here
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In this thought-provoking episode of The HQ podcast, we examine the crucial relationship between healthcare and the environment. Canada’s healthcare system stands as one of the largest energy consumers, purchasers of goods, and employers, giving it a significant role in both the environmental challenges we face and influencing the potential solutions we can embrace.
In episode 37, we are joined by a panel of experts from HealthPro Canada and Health Proc Europe who are leading the way in helping healthcare organizations implement practical strategies and innovative approaches to integrate sustainability into their practices. Tune in to gain valuable insights as our panellists discuss solutions for reducing the healthcare system's impact on our environment and discover how we can all contribute to building a greener and healthier future.
About Kendra Frey
Kendra Frey is Vice President, Materials Management at HealthPRO Canada. As Vice President of Materials Management, Kendra is responsible for the strategic oversight of several business units under HealthPRO’s Materials Management portfolio, including Clinical, Support Services, Nutrition and Food Services, Capital Equipment and Signature Services. In this capacity, she drives new strategies to deliver the best value to members. Kendra is a certified Supply Chain Management Professional and holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce in Management Economics from the University of Guelph.
About Alam Hallan
Alam Hallan is the Clinical Director at HealthPRO Canada and is a driving force in the realm of sustainability with a rich blend of experience in pharmacy, biotechnology, and business.
With almost a decade in the pharmacy and clinical research space, Alam broadened his horizons with an MBA from Oxford University. This global educational journey ignited his passion for sustainability, prompting him to integrate these principles into his professional endeavours.
Alam is a seasoned veteran in leading successful digital transformations within the pharmacy sector. He's keen on leveraging his tech skills to nurture environmentally responsible initiatives and bridge the gap between healthcare and sustainability.
About Elisa Frenz
Elisa Frenz is the Chief Executive Officer of Health Proc Europe. Elisa’s mission is to humanize patient care by creating valuable, collaborative and transparent health ecosystems.
Elisa advises organizations in the healthcare sector from corporate to start up level on an international scale, and, with her entrepreneurial mindset, she brings bold ideas to life, leveraging multi-stakeholder connections across industries, with the aim to accelerate digital transformation.
Helpful Links
Kenrda Frey | LinkedIn: Click Here
Alam Hallan | LinkedIn: Click Here
Elisa Frenz | LinkedIn: Click Here
HealthPro Canada | Website: Click Here
Health Proc Europe | Website: Click Here
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About this EpisodeIn episode 36 of The HQ podcast, Jeffrey Moat, CEO of Pallium Canada, joins us for a candid and thought-provoking conversation about palliative care. Throughout our conversation, we discuss palliative care's "brand problem", how palliative care and those who provide it have been affected by the pandemic, and how the palliative care approach, one of the best examples of team-based care, can be applied at every stage of treatment and diagnosis, and how it can help with our current health workforce challenges.
Tune in as we dive into this often skirted-around and poorly understood topic to uncover the critical role palliative care plays in the health continuum and its significance in the broader conversations surrounding leadership and our health workforce.
About Jeffrey Moat
Jeff joined Pallium Canada as Chief Executive Officer in 2017 where he brings 30 years of experience in creating organizational excellence, compelling social change programs and increasing consumer engagement within the not-for-profit, private sector and NGO industries.
Previous to this, Jeff joined the Mental Health Commission of Canada where he established Partners for Mental Health, the country’s first non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating a social movement to transform the way people think about mental health, and act towards people living with a mental health problem or illness.
Jeff also enjoyed an eight-year tenure as National Director of Marketing for Canadian Blood Services. He spent the first half of his career in the financial services as Assistant Vice President for Citibank Canada and Bank One International and later Vice President of Marketing for Alterna Bank.
Jeff is a graduate of McGill University where he received his Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Management Policy. Jeff also holds a certificate in Finance and Accounting from McGill University and has earned professional certificates in Direct Marketing and Database Marketing from York University. Jeff also has his Chartered Marketer professional designation.
Helpful Links
Jeffrey Moat | LinkedIn: Click Here
Pallium Canada | LinkedIn: Click Here
Pallium Canada | Website: Click Here
The ECHO Project | Website: Click Here
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In episode 35 of The HQ Podcast, we delve into the crucial relationship between health research and citizens (e.g. patients and families) who partner in this critical work. We explore the invaluable insights and contributions that “patient partners” bring to the table and how their involvement shapes the health research and many other healthcare decisions we all depend upon.
Our guests, three exceptional leaders who are patient partners from different regions of Canada, share their experiences and perspectives, shedding light on the intricate dynamics of this collaborative process including what effective patient partnership needs to look like, how we can achieve this through approaches like relational-equity, and what value it brings to us all.
Tune in as we explore what it is to be a patient partner, the enablers and barriers of becoming a patient partner, and examine the transformative effects of patient-oriented research on clinical care. This is a conversation you won't want to miss!
About Beth Ciavaglia
Beth is a physiotherapist who works in Quality and Risk in long-term care. Prior to that, she worked in acute care for 18 years. She is the Chair of the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research’s Patient and Family Advisory Council, a Patient Ambassador with the Canadian Institute of Health Research and sits as a Director for Arnprior Regional Health. A four-year breast cancer survivor, she is excited for the ongoing cancer discoveries that will not only extend life but most importantly, support quality of life.
About Bev Pomeroy
Bev Pomeroy is a Patient Public Engagement Specialist and an uninvited settler-person on the shared, traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Snuneymuxw territory known as its colonial name Gabriola Island, BC. Bev has a particular interest in Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and has co-developed a Trauma & Resiliency Informed Practice program for Research and Evaluation; a strengths-based approach to Patient-Oriented Research. Bev landed in patient-oriented research after her daughter, Sophia, passed away in 2017 from a rare, complex chronic condition at the age of 16. They sit on the board of BC Patient Safety Quality Council Oversight & Advisory, Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Evidence Alliance, and the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research.
About Brenda Andreas
With aging comes the need for primary care to manage chronic conditions. When you live in a small rural isolated community, access to primary care has many challenges and this how Brenda became interested in patient engagement and in patient-oriented research in primary care.
Currently as the co-chair of the CPCRN Patient Council, Brenda has help positions which include co-principal applicant on the CIHR funded grant for the CPCRN, and member of both the Executive and Steering committees. Brenda has been involved as a co-applicant, knowledge user, and co-investigator on funded patient-oriented research since 2017. She has participated in reviewing grant submissions, developing training curriculum, measurement tools, and knowledge translation activities where she has collaborated on the design, delivery, and evaluation of these projects.
Brenda is also an active patient partner within the Saskatchewan Health Authority as she is a member of the SHA Board Quality & Safely Committee, the Patient Family Leadership Council, the Accreditation Oversight Committee and the Patient Centered Measurement working group.
Other health system partner organizations that Brenda partners with include Accreditation Canada (Patient Surveyor), USASK Behavioral Ethics Board (community member), Health Care Excellence Canada (Faculty member of the Virtual Care Collaborative) and with University of Manitoba College of Nursing (supporting curriculum for 7110).
With lived experience as both a patient and a researcher, Brenda focuses her research on bringing connection, community, and relational equity to impact evidence based best practices within the health care system. To her, this means building trusting relationships and to advocate for the voice and visibility of our vulnerable underserved populations.
Helpful Links
Beth Ciavaglia | LinkedIn: Click Here
Bev Pomeroy | LinkedIn: Click Here
Brenda Andreas | LinkedIn: Click Here
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research | Website: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear. Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don't forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
Join us for episode 34 of The HQ podcast, as we welcome two esteemed health leaders, Vesna Kos, Senior Advisor, and Stevie Colvin, Manager of Organizational Development, from Alberta Health Services' Talent Management Strategies department. Together, we delve into the crucial role that coaching plays in the organizational development of AHS, exploring the relationship between leading and coaching, and the significance of developing a coaching culture.
Tune in to discover why coaching is the panacea for all things related to people and culture and why it is a vital tool for driving growth and success within any organization.
About Stevie Colvin MA, CEC, CTDP
Born in Saskatchewan and raised in Alberta Stevie now calls Edmonton home. Stevie describes herself as a sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and passionate leadership and organizational development specialist.
Currently, she is the Manager of Organizational Development at AHS. In this role, her primary focus is culture change. She claims her raison d’etre is giving rise to confident people and healthy organizations. A certified coach and adult educator, and she holds a master’s degree in leadership with a focus on resilience through profound change. Stevie is a member of the International Coaching Federation and the Institute for Performance and Learning.
Prior to working in Talent Management Strategies, Stevie worked at the university Hospital in Edmonton and held a variety of roles, the most challenging being the leadership of the staffing office. She claims that it was that role that ignited her passion for leadership development.
While work keeps her engaged, Stevie’s family and personal pursuits keep her happy. She volunteers at Royal Roads University, coaching students and spends as much time as possible with her grandchildren. Her favourite activities include back-country hiking and camping; cross country skiing and sitting in the sunshine with a good book.
About Special Guest Vesna Kos, MBA, CDC, ACC
Vesna Kos is a lifelong learner who firmly believes in having a growth mindset. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a graduate certificate in Management from the Australian Institute of Business, as well as a leadership certificate from the University of Alberta.
Along with her educational background, Vesna is also certified in various tools that she uses with teams and during coaching. She holds certifications in Personality Dimensions, Crucial Conversations, Resilience @ Work, Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator Step I and Step II, Leading with Emotional Intelligence, EQi-2.0 and EQ 360, as well as Trust at Work and Triscendence Trust Assessment for Leaders and Teams.
Specializing in leadership and team development, Vesna has a particular passion for coaching and consulting in the areas of leadership and team effectiveness, courageous leadership, organizational culture and employee engagement, emotional intelligence, and leadership presence. With over fifteen years of experience working in a variety of industries, including government, finance, higher education, retail, consulting, and healthcare, Vesna currently works as a Senior Advisor in Alberta Health Services' Organizational Development team.
Our CHA Learning Coaching Story
We're excited to share an insightful article written by Dale Schierbeck, Vice President of Learning & Development at CHA Learning and host of The HQ podcast. In the article, Dale highlights the power of coaching for healthcare professionals and teams, and shares his own experience of how coaching made an impact on our very own team. If you’re looking for new ways to invest in your team and unlock their full potential, Dale’s article is a must-read!
Read the full LinkedIn article here: Our CHA Learning Coaching Story
Coaching & Professional Services at CHA Learning
CHA Learning offers a series of Coaching & Professional Services for individuals, groups and teams to enhance leadership potential, team effectiveness, skills and knowledge and culture. If you're curious about the benefits of coaching for individuals and teams working in healthcare, please Contact Us to register for a FREE 30-minute consultation with our lead coach Amanda Bjorn.
Helpful Links
Vesna Kos | LinkedIn: Click Here
Stevie Colvin | LinkedIn: Click Here
Alberta Health Services | Website: Click Here
Alberta Health Services | LinkedIn: Click Here
CHA Learning Coaching & Professional Services: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear. Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don't forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
In recognition of Mental Health Week 2023, we are excited to re-release one of our most popular episodes, where we dive into the pressing healthcare human resource crisis in Canada and its impact on the well-being of healthcare professionals. In this episode, we are joined by two experts who contributed to a report published by the Mental Health Commission of Canada late in 2022. The report analyzes the barriers and facilitators that healthcare workers, teams, and organizations face when trying to support psychological self-care and protect workers from moral distress.
In this engaging discussion, we explore the findings of this important report and learn from a first-hand account of the dire reality healthcare professionals in Canada are facing today. We also examine the steps that need to be taken to address this crisis and support the mental and emotional well-being of those who dedicate their lives to caring for others.
Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing healthcare professionals and learn how we can support their mental health and well-being.
The Mental Health Structural Stigma in Healthcare Micro-eLearning Course
The Mental Health Structural Stigma in Healthcare Micro eLearning Course, developed in partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, is now available for FREE to those working in the Canadian health system.
This course is intended for health system leaders and influencers, as well as any healthcare professional, who wants to better understand and identify structural stigma in their organization and how it contributes to inequity and poorer experiences and health outcomes for those experiencing mental health and substance use concerns. Learners can complete this online course in approximately one hour.
To learn more about this course and register for free, Click Here.
About Special Guest Madi Sutton
Madi Sutton is a nurse who has worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She graduated from Dalhousie nursing school in 2019 and went onto work at camp hill Veterans Memorial, a long-term care facility for veterans. She then went on to work at 4.1 Halifax Infirmary Vascular and General surgery, working directly with patients undergoing surgery.
Madi now works at the medial day unit in the Victoria General. This facility provides treatments such as blood product transfusions, IV antibiotics, iron infusions, and various types of chemotherapy.
Although Madi has not worked on a unit designated for COVID-19 patients exclusively, every unit she has worked on has experienced the impacts of working directly with COVID-19 positive patients, navigating COVID policy changes, and struggling through staffing shortages.
About Special Guest Colleen Grady
Dr. Grady is a researcher focused on physician leadership development, psychological health and safety in the workplace, and functional healthcare organizations.
She holds master and doctoral degrees in business administration and her current work supports the post-graduate program in the Department of Family Medicine (DFM), the evaluation of Ontario Health Teams, Indigenous health, and collaboration among family physicians to inform system integration.
Helpful Links
Colleen Grady | Twitter: Click Here
Madi Sutton | LinkedIn: Click Here
Mental Health Commission of Canada | Website: Click Here
Mental Health Commission of Canada | LinkedIn: Click Here
Report: Exploring Two Psychosocial Factors for Health-Care Workers | Website: Click Here
Mental Health Structural Stigma in Healthcare Micro-eLearning Course | Free Course: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear. Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
Don't forget to subscribe to The HQ on your favourite podcast player and leave us a review!
On Episode 32 of The HQ Podcast, we're pleased to be joined by Dr.
Christopher McCabe, Professor of Health Economics at Queens University in
Belfast, Northern Ireland, and renowned health economics leader. During our
conversation, we discuss the notion of "value" as it relates to
healthcare (what it is, why it's important, how we measure it) and the crucial
questions that need to be asked when it comes to designing or re-building a
healthcare system that not only produces the best outcomes for taxpayers but
also considers the critical health professionals who ultimately will deliver
the healthcare priorities that Canadians need to agree upon.
Tune in for an engaging and thought-provoking conversation that will leave
you with a deeper understanding of healthcare economics, value and the
questions we need to ask to rebuild a better healthcare system.
About Chris McCabe
Dr. Christopher McCabe is Professor of Health Economics at Queens University
Belfast, jointly appointed to the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
and Queens Management School. He was previously the CEO and Executive Director
of the Institute of Health Economics, a not-for-profit research institute in
Alberta Canada.
Dr. McCabe has 30 years’ experience as a university based health economist.
He trained and worked for 20 years in the UK before emigrating to Canada. His
PhD was concerned with the methods for valuing paediatric health. During his
time in the UK, he held Full Professorships at the Universities of Sheffield,
Warwick and Leeds. In the United Kingdom he was the founding Director of both
the NICE Decision Support Unit, and the Academic Unit of Health Economics at
the University of Leeds. He was more recently a Professor of Health Economics
at the University of Alberta, where he was appointed to the Capital Health
Endowed Research Chair.
Dr. McCabe has contributed to a number of standard setting documents related
to the evaluation of innovative health technologies including the second
edition of the NICE Guide to the Methods of Health Technology Appraisal, the
fourth edition of the CADTH Guidelines for the Economic Evaluation of Health
Technologies, and third edition of the ISSC Guidelines for the translation of
stem cell research and regenerative medicine. He was lead author of the 2018
CADTH Guideline on the economic evaluation of co-dependent therapies. He has
contributed key papers to the literature the reimbursement of treatments for
rare diseases. More recently Dr. McCabe advised the Patented Medicines Price
Review Board on the technical issues related to the revision of their
regulations for setting the price of patented drugs in Canada. He is currently
Chair of the Royal Society of Canada COVID Task Force Working Group on the
Economy, and a member of the same task force’s Working Group on Health Care
post-COVID.
Helpful Links
Chris McCabe | LinkedIn: Click Here
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Welcome to Episode 31 of The HQ Podcast! We're excited to have Professor Heather Keller, Schlegel Research Chair in Nutrition & Aging at the University of Waterloo, join us for a special #NutritionMonth discussion about food and the importance of thinking beyond nutrition when it comes to mealtimes in long-term care homes.
Heather shares with us her ground-breaking research and work around CHOICE+ – a set of six guiding principles designed to enhance the mealtime experience for long-term care residents. With several provinces planning to make massive capital investments in long-term care facilities, this research couldn't come at a better time. Heather explains how her findings can be applied to both existing homes and new builds and renovations all with the goal of ensuring that all residents, including those suffering with dementia, can have truly fulfilling and enjoyable dining experiences and improved health outcomes.
Tune in to learn more about the innovative ways Heather is improving the lives of long-term care residents and how we can all think beyond nutrition when it comes to mealtime.
About Heather Keller RD PhD FDC FCAHS
Heather is an internationally recognized expert in geriatric nutrition, assessment, and treatment. Research areas focus on nutrition risk and malnutrition identification and treatment across care sectors; improving nutrition care processes and implementing screening and other best practices; supporting food intake of diverse groups living in the community, including those living with dementia; and improving hospital and residential food and promoting food intake and the mealtime experience in these settings. Professor Keller has led several national research and knowledge translation projects, including the landmark Nutrition Care in Canadian Hospitals, More-2-Eat and Making the Most of Mealtimes in Long Term Care studies. Professor Keller has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and translates much of this evidence into practice with tools and resources. As a founding member and past chair/co-chair (2009-2018) of the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force, she is involved in translating research into practice and advocating for improvements in nutrition care. She is currently the co-chair of the primary care working group for CMTF and involved in several national and international expert groups advancing the prevention, detection and treatment of malnutrition.
Helpful Links
Heather Keller | LinkedIn: Click Here
Heather Keller | Twitter: @HeatherHKeller | @nutriagelab
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Again (RIA) | LinkedIn: Click Here
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Again (RIA) | Twitter: Click Here
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Again (RIA) | Facebook: Click Here
Additional Resources:
CHOICE+ | Website: Click Here
Food Service & Nutrition Management in Healthcare | CHA Learning Program | Website: Click Here
Long-Term Care Executive Leadership | CHA Learning Program | Website: Click Here
People-Centred Care | CHA Learning Program | Website: Click Here
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In Episode 30 of The HQ Podcast, Dr. Tim Willett, President & CEO of Simulation Canada, joins us to discuss the role of simulation in addressing critical healthcare human resource challenges. Throughout our conversation, Dr. Willett shares how simulation can improve the supply of healthcare professionals, prepare new hires for their roles, and support the health and wellness of our current health workforce.
Tune in as we explore the numerous opportunities that the emerging and rapidly evolving field of simulation-based education has to offer, including its ability to reduce training costs, improve quality, safety, and health outcomes, and prepare healthcare professionals for future global health threats.
About Dr. Timothy Willett, MD, MMEd
President & CEO | Simulation Canada
Dr. Timothy Willett is Simulation Canada’s President & CEO (from 2016) and was previously the inaugural Director of Research & Development. Tim has been working at the intersection of healthcare education, technology and leadership since 2005. He is passionate about the transformational (and overdue) value simulation is bringing to the healthcare education and delivery sectors. As President & CEO, Tim is responsible for the leadership and day-to-day operations. He is honoured to be part of this small but mighty team and the network’s passionate nation-wide community. Tim received his MD from the University of Ottawa and a Masters of Medical Education from the University of Dundee, Scotland. He has served as a curriculum developer and educational researcher for the University of Ottawa, CRI Critical Care Education Network, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He has served on the Executive Committee and as Co-Chair of the Competency Working Group of the MedBiquitous Consortium.
Tim is privileged to live on the land of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people, in the territory covered by the Rideau Purchase (Treaties 27 and 27-1/4), where he endeavours to teach his 3 children about stewardship of the land.
Helpful Links
Tim | LinkedIn: Click Here
Tim | Email: Click Here
Simulation Canada | LinkedIn: Click Here
Simulation Canada | Twitter: Click Here
Simulation Canada | Website: Click Here
Additional Resources:
Tips - Simulation Canada | Website: Click Here
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In this special two-part episode of The HQ podcast, we examine the state of our health human resource (HHR) data and information and explore how our HHR data is being collected and used by our healthcare and system leaders across Canada to make decisions about our health workforce and our future needs.
To discuss this, we're thrilled to welcome back Steve Ashton, Vice-President of People & Organization Development at the IWK Health Centre, and joining him is Tony Bennett, Executive Director for HR Analytics & Planning with Alberta Health Services.
Both Steve and Tony are senior HR executives and bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to human resource analytics and workforce planning in healthcare. Tune in as they discuss their perspectives and share their insights on the importance of data-driven decision-making as it relates to our health workforce, and how they see the current state of health human resource information.
Don't miss out on this informative and thought-provoking discussion as we all get curious about our health workforce data and where it can lead us!
About Steve Ashton
Steve Ashton is the Vice-President of People & Organization Development at the IWK Health Centre. IWK serves women, children, and youth in Atlantic Canada. Prior to the IWK, Steve held senior HR leadership roles with Bell Aliant, where he helped develop a multi-year Learning Strategy, as well as Leadership Development & Succession programs. He was previously a Partner with Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette working in executive search and career transition.
Steve has a wealth of education that includes a bachelor’s in psychology, an MBA, and is a graduate of Harvard’s program on Leading Change and Organizational Renewal.
Steve Ashton joined us for Episode 9 of The HQ podcast to discuss Employee and Family Assistance Programs. Listen here!
About Tony Bennett
Tony is the Executive Director for HR Analytics & Planning with Alberta Health Services as well as being a CPHR and UVic graduate with a Master’s in Public Administration.
HR Analytics & Planning leads and supports evidence-based people decision-making, planning and action within AHS and its leadership through workforce data management, deeper analytics, workforce planning and organization design.
Tony has worked in HR for over 30 years covering compensation, labour relations, organization design, HRIS, human capital metrics, strategy/policy development and general human resources operations and administration.
He strongly believes Human Resources provides important value added, innovative services to an organization through the development and management of strategy-based services while providing practical value to their clients.
Helpful Links
Steve Ashton | LinkedIn: Click Here
Tony Bennet | LinkedIn: Click Here
IWK Health Centre | Website: Click Here
IWK Health Centre | Twitter: Click Here
Alberta Health Services | Website: Click Here
Alberta Health Services | Twitter: Click Here
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This is part two of our special two-part episode of The HQ podcast, where we examine the state of our health human resource (HHR) data and information and explore how our HHR data is being collected and used by our healthcare and system leaders across Canada to make decisions about our health workforce and our future needs.
To discuss this, we're thrilled to welcome back Steve Ashton, Vice-President of People & Organization Development at the IWK Health Centre, and joining him is Tony Bennett, Executive Director for HR Analytics & Planning with Alberta Health Services.
Both Steve and Tony are senior HR executives and bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to human resource analytics and workforce planning in healthcare. Tune in as they discuss their perspectives and share their insights on the importance of data-driven decision-making as it relates to our health workforce, and how they see the current state of health human resource information.
Don't miss out on this informative and thought-provoking discussion as we all get curious about our health workforce data and where it can lead us!
Listen to part one of this two-part episode here: Click Here
About Steve Ashton
Steve Ashton is the Vice-President of People & Organization Development at the IWK Health Centre. IWK serves women, children, and youth in Atlantic Canada. Prior to the IWK, Steve held senior HR leadership roles with Bell Aliant, where he helped develop a multi-year Learning Strategy, as well as Leadership Development & Succession programs. He was previously a Partner with Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette working in executive search and career transition.
Steve has a wealth of education that includes a bachelor’s in psychology, an MBA, and is a graduate of Harvard’s program on Leading Change and Organizational Renewal.
Steve Ashton joined us for Episode 9 of The HQ podcast to discuss Employee and Family Assistance Programs. Listen here!
About Tony Bennett
Tony is the Executive Director for HR Analytics & Planning with Alberta Health Services as well as being a CPHR and UVic graduate with a Master’s in Public Administration.
HR Analytics & Planning leads and supports evidence-based people decision-making, planning and action within AHS and its leadership through workforce data management, deeper analytics, workforce planning and organization design.
Tony has worked in HR for over 30 years covering compensation, labour relations, organization design, HRIS, human capital metrics, strategy/policy development and general human resources operations and administration.
He strongly believes Human Resources provides important value added, innovative services to an organization through the development and management of strategy-based services while providing practical value to their clients.
Helpful Links
Steve Ashton | LinkedIn: Click Here
Tony Bennet | LinkedIn: Click Here
IWK Health Centre | Website: Click Here
IWK Health Centre | Twitter: Click Here
Alberta Health Services | Website: Click Here
Alberta Health Services | Twitter: Click Here
Tell Us What You Think
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In episode 27 of The HQ podcast, and in the aftermath of the highly anticipated health summit that was held on February 8th in Ottawa, we're joined by Dr. Michael Gardam, a veteran of healthcare systems in three Canadian provinces and the Chair of the HealthCareCAN Board of Directors, to discuss his views on not only what is ailing Canadian healthcare, but what are the conditions for truly transforming it so that it serves all Canadians.
As you’ll hear, Michael believes that political brinkmanship is the wrong approach to solving Canada's healthcare woes, and it's time for an open dialogue on what outcomes and services Canadians expect from their healthcare system.
Join us as we explore the future of Canada's healthcare system and our health workforce and the changes needed to address the needs of Canadians now and in the future.
About Dr. Michael Gardam
Dr. Michael Gardam is the Chair of the HealthCareCAN Board of Directors and CEO of Health PEI in Prince Edward Island. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and has published more than 120 scientific works. He holds Masters degrees from McGill University and the University of Toronto and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in infectious diseases.
His interest in physician leadership and organizational culture led him to become Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee at UHN (2015-2017) and Chief of Staff and Humber River Hospital in Toronto (2018-2020). He is currently Program Director of the York University Schulich School of Business Healthcare Leadership Development Program and an instructor for the Physician Leadership Institute of Joule (Canadian Medical Association).
Dr. Gardam has also advised many organizations in Canada and internationally. Some of these have included the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Hand Hygiene New Zealand, the Irish Health Services Executive, the Maryland Patient Safety Center, the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, as well as numerous hospitals across Canada.”
Helpful Links
HealthCareCAN | Website: Click Here
HealthCareCAN | LinkedIn: Click Here
Health PEI | Website: Click Here
Health PEI | LinkedIn: Click Here
Additional Resources
HealthCareCAN | Press Release - February 7, 2023 (Ottawa): Click Here
HealthCareCAN Media Contact | Steve Wharry, Communication & Member Services: swharry@healthcarecan.ca
Dr. Michael Gardam | In the Media: Source 1, Source 2, Source 3
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In order to provide comprehensive and effective healthcare to our communities, it is essential to consider both the healthcare industry and the broader realm of health sciences and research. The innovations arising from research in the health and life sciences are critical in improving health outcomes across Canada and addressing global health challenges such as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
In this episode of The HQ podcast, we examine the crucial connection between IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access), innovation, and improving healthcare in conversation with renowned expert Dr. Ryan Wiley.
As the President of Shift Health, Dr. Wiley brings extensive knowledge and experience in the field of health research and innovation, working with top leaders to create a more inclusive and person-centered healthcare future. With a Ph.D. in immunology from McMaster University and his roles as a professor, researcher, policy advisor, and advocate, Dr. Wiley is a respected voice in the health and life sciences industry.
Tune in to this enlightening episode as we explore the impact of IDEA on the future of healthcare.
About Dr. Ryan Wiley
Dr. Ryan Wiley is President of Shift Health, which he has helped to grow into one of the most dynamic and trusted advisory teams within the health research and innovation ecosystem, with footholds in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Working with global leaders in the contexts of business, healthcare, science, policy and social justice, Ryan is committed to creating a healthcare future that’s collaborative, inclusive and person-centred.
Ryan received his PhD in immunology from McMaster University, where he is now Adjunct Professor. He is Policy Advisor to and Past Chair of Research Canada, Co-chair of Life Sciences Ontario’s Annual Policy Forum, a founding member of Building an Inclusive Life Sciences Future and the Inclusive Life Sciences Collaboration, Chair of Amref Health Africa in Canada and a Director on the board of CanHealth International. Ryan was honoured to receive Research Canada’s Leadership in Advocacy Award in 2019 and Life Sciences Ontario’s Volunteer Award in 2022.
Helpful Links
Ryan Wiley | LinkedIn: Click Here
Shift Health | LinkedIn: Click Here
Shift Health | Website: Click Here
Additional Resources | The I.D.E.A.L. Biosciences Employer Recognition Program: Click Here
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The challenges of working in healthcare are well-documented and undeniable. From the emotional and mental demands of caring for patients and their families, to grappling with complex ethical dilemmas, healthcare professionals are constantly exposed to difficult and potentially traumatic situations. The current healthcare crisis in Canada, with increased demands on our health system and a shortage of healthcare professionals, has only exacerbated these challenges.
In this episode, we delve into the serious issue and its impact on the moral distress and psychological well-being of healthcare professionals. We are joined by two experts who have contributed to a report published by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, which explores the barriers and facilitators that healthcare workers, teams, and organizations face when trying to support psychological self-care and protect workers from moral distress.
Listen in as we discuss the findings of this important report and learn from a first-hand account about the dire reality healthcare professionals in Canada are facing today. We will examine the steps that need to be taken to address this crisis and support the mental and emotional well-being of those who dedicate their lives to caring for others.
About Madi Sutton
Madi Sutton is a nurse who has worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She graduated from Dalhousie nursing school in 2019 and went onto work at camp hill Veterans Memorial, a long-term care facility for veterans. She then went on to work at 4.1 Halifax Infirmary Vascular and General surgery, working directly with patients undergoing surgery.
Madi now works at the medial day unit in the Victoria General. This facility provides treatments such as blood product transfusions, IV antibiotics, iron infusions, and various types of chemotherapy.
Although Madi has not worked on a unit designated for COVID-19 patients exclusively, every unit she has worked on has experienced the impacts of working directly with COVID-19 positive patients, navigating COVID policy changes, and struggling through staffing shortages.
About Colleen Grady
Dr. Grady is a researcher focused on physician leadership development, psychological health and safety in the workplace, and functional healthcare organizations.
She holds master and doctoral degrees in business administration and her current work supports the post-graduate program in the Department of Family Medicine (DFM), the evaluation of Ontario Health Teams, Indigenous health, and collaboration among family physicians to inform system integration.
Helpful Links
Colleen Grady | Twitter: Click Here
Madi Sutton | LinkedIn: Click Here
Mental Health Commission of Canada | Website: Click Here
Mental Health Commission of Canada | LinkedIn: Click Here
Report: Exploring Two Psychosocial Factors for Health-Care Workers | Website: Click Here
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We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear. Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
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If most people strive to be good and want to do good things, why is it that we have problems like racism, discrimination, and oppression? What are the obstacles that prevent us from being good leaders and fostering equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI)? For Part 8 of our series focused on EDI, we are joined by Bashir Jiwani, Executive Director, Ethics and Diversity Services, at the Fraser Health Authority to discuss these questions, and more broadly the ethics of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Don't miss this captivating and insightful conversation with Bashir Jiwani, a brilliant thought-leader and one of Canada's top bioethicists!
About Bashir Jiwani
Bashir Jiwani, PhD, is Executive Director, Ethics and Diversity Services, at the Fraser Health Authority which serves one of Canada’s largest, fastest growing and most diverse regional populations.
Bashir leads a team that provides decision support in patient care and at the system-level, builds capacity to deal with complex, ethically challenging situations in contexts of diversity, enables access to language resources and builds partnerships for understanding and collaborating with diverse communities. The team’s overall goal is to support patients, care providers and members of the public to improve their quality of life and live with greater integrity through their engagement with the health system.
Bashir currently serves on the Drug Benefit Council for BC, the Expensive Drugs for Rare Diseases Committee for BC, the Core Team for the Aga Khan University Thinking Group on Ethics, Stem Cell Science, and Regenerative Medicine and as a consultant for the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board (ITREB) of Canada. Bashir is the President of the Canadian Bioethics Society.”
Helpful Links
Bashir Jiwani | Fraser Health Authority: Click Here
Fraser Health Authority| Website: Click Here
Fraser Health Authority | LinkedIn: Click Here
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We welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear. Please take a few moments to fill out our short survey: Click Here
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What is a land acknowledgement, what is the intended purpose, and why are they important? For Part 7 of our series focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), we are joined by two members of the Saskatchewan Health Authority: Mike Northcott, Chief Human Resource Officer, and Andre Letendre, Senior Specialist Cultural Health Systems – First Nations & Metis Health. Together, they answer these questions and both demonstrate and teach how to create and deliver authentic and personal land acknowledgements.
Tune in as we engage with these thought-leaders to explore the history and importance of land acknowledgements and how their use contributes to meaningful truth and reconciliation.
About Mike Northcott
Mike Northcott is Saskatchewan Health Authority's Chief Human Resources Officer. Mike and his team are responsible for all human resource operations and professionals to ensure that the organization attracts, develops and retains the best health care professionals for the province of Saskatchewan.
Mike joined the former Saskatoon Health Region in 2007 and played a key role in the strategic direction of the region’s human resource functions. Throughout his career in human resources, Mike has served in various leadership positions in health care in Saskatchewan and Alberta, most recently as the Director of Human Resources for the former Saskatoon Health Region. Mike holds a Masters of Human Resources Management from the University of Regina. He also has a Bachelor of Science Kinesiology Degree and a Bachelor of Commerce, both from the University of Saskatchewan.
Mike is passionate about leadership and is a graduate of the Saskatchewan Leadership Program, the Queens Leadership Program and is a certified Lean Leader. He believes that the most important job a leader has is developing more leaders. He has served as the co-chair of the Joint Health Human Resources Committee, as a member of the Health Labour Relations Counsel and a member of the Provincial Health Authority Transition Team. Currently, Mike serves on the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) Board of Directors, and is a member of the Learning/Education Advisory Group for HealthCareCAN, an advisory body helping to shape professional development opportunities and resources for healthcare leadership across Canada.
About André Letendre
Andre Letendre is originally from Batoche but primarily grew up in Prince Albert and now lives in Saskatoon. He is the second youngest of 7 siblings. His educational background is in Human Justice and he has worked extensively with Nehiyawak and Nakawe Ketayak (both Elders). He is Michif and is very proud of his heritage and has raised his children and grandchildren to be proud of their culture as well.
Andre has always felt a calling to help those in need and when he began reconciling his own life at the age of 32, he was drawn to work with federal and provincial Indigenous prisoners as well as work in the community providing support and guidance to those who were struggling to make change in their lives. Now that he is entering his 7th Fire, he is guided to work in Health to assist in making change to the system and support health care workers in providing services to First Nations and Metis patients, clients and residents.
Early in his personal reconciliation, he found that humor was very powerful in building confidence and self-worth and he applies this in his present work. Andre is also a musician, which has also been a fundamental aspect to his healing. He writes that he is honored to do the work he has been asked to do and appreciates the opportunity to continue to learn and grow.
Helpful Links
Mike Northcott | LinkedIn:
Racism in the Canadian health system is an issue that can no longer be denied or overlooked. For many Canadians – especially for those who are members of a visible minority - systemic racism has been, and continues to be, a barrier to achieving health equity and outcomes for all – and for creating inclusive, safe workspaces for all those who work (or want to work) in healthcare.
For Part 6 of our series focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), we are joined by Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed, Associate Dean of Serving and Engaging Society at Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine, to have an in-depth conversation on the important topic of racism in the Canadian health system.
Tune in as we engage with Gaynor to help us understand institutional and structural racism - what it is, how it persists in healthcare, and how to dismantle it - and what actions and system improvements are needed moving forward to bring an end to racism across the health sector.
Don't miss this important conversation!
About Gaynor Watson-Creed
Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed is the Associate Dean of Serving and Engaging Society for Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine, and Chair of the Board of Engage Nova Scotia. She is a public health specialist physician with 17 years experience, having served as the former Medical Officer of Health for the Halifax area and Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health for Nova Scotia.
Dr. Watson-Creed is a PEI native and received chemistry degrees from UPEI and University of Guelph before attending Dalhousie University for her MD in 1995. From there, she attended McMaster University where she received board certifications in family medicine in 2001 and in Public Health and Preventive Medicine in 2005. She sits as chair or member of several population health councils and boards nationally, including the Examination Board for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the Board of Community Food Centres of Canada. She is co-chair of the Advisory Council to the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health and a member of the CIHI Advisory Council on Population Health. Dr. Watson-Creed sat on the One Nova Scotia Coalition, and received the William Grigor award for achievement in medicine from Doctors Nova Scotia in 2017. In 2018 she was awarded the President’s award from Public Health Physicians of Canada for her advocacy regarding public health systems and services in Canada. In 2019 she was named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network in recognition of the direction and support she has provided to so many initiatives. Dr. Watson-Creed was named to the federal Task Force on Women in the Economy, co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister Mona Fortier, which completed its work in 2021. She was awarded the title Doctor of Science, honoris causa, by Acadia University in 2021 in recognition of her many contributions to Nova Scotia and to Canada over her career.
Helpful Links
Dr. Gaynor Watson Creed | LinkedIn: Click Here
Dr. Gaynor Watson Creed | Twitter: Click Here
Engage Nova Scotia| Website: Click Here
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In Episode 21 of The HQ podcast, we explore the structural barriers that impede the ability of international educated health professionals (IEHPs) to navigate arrival into Canada and find employment in healthcare organizations and explore some of the strategies to improving this. To discuss this topic, we are joined by two members of the National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4) - Christine Kouri, Manager of Health Equity and Diversity at CHEO, and Dr. Sahar Zohni, Project Manager for N4.
Throughout our conversation, we learn about the important work N4 is doing to help make improvements to the arrival process and how it is assisting internationally educated physicians, nurses, and other professionals that our health system desperately needs to ensure uninterrupted, quality services navigate the structural barriers that make arrival, licensure, and employment in the Canadian health system incredibly difficult.
Don't miss this important conversation!
About N4
N4, is a national network for the diversity of providers who assist newcomers in navigating these complex Canadian healthcare and social service systems. N4 provides opportunities for professional development, education, virtual discussions, networking, and the sharing of data and resources. It aims to promote best practices in the field of newcomer navigation, with the ultimate goal of improving the experience of newcomers to Canada.
About Christine Kouri
N4, is a national network for the diversity of providers who assist newcomers in navigating these complex Canadian healthcare and social service systems. N4 provides opportunities for professional development, education, virtual discussions, networking, and the sharing of data and resources. It aims to promote best practices in the field of newcomer navigation, with the ultimate goal of improving the experience of newcomers to Canada.
About Dr. Sahar Zohni
Christine has over 30 years of experience in the Canadian healthcare system and is known for her initiatives and expertise in equitable healthcare across socioculturally diverse and marginalized populations. Upon obtaining her Master's in Health Administration, she was recruited to CHEO to lead the development of their Patient Experience department. As the Manager for that department, she led CHEO's efforts to ensure an optimal experience for Syrian Refugees that were welcomed to Ottawa in early 2016. In addition to oversight of the N4 project, Christine continues to lead CHEO's health equity efforts for their most vulnerable patients and families, including newcomers.
Helpful Links
N4 | Website: Click Here
N4 | LinkedIn: Click Here
N4 | Twitter: Click Here
Christine Kouri | LinkedIn: Click Here
Dr. Sahar Zohni | Twitter: Click Here
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In Episode 20 of The HQ podcast, we are joined by Milena Braticevic, Founder of Nondual Perspectives, to discuss the concept and need for mental resilience and psychological safety in healthcare. Throughout our conversation, Milena provides insight into how those in healthcare who are dealing with exhaustion, which is significantly contributing to our health human resource crisis, can build or rebuild resilience. Additionally, she offers practical ways to improve resilience, both mentally and physically, to prevent future burnout. Don’t miss this important conversation!
About Milena Braticevic
Milena holds a Ph.D. in Integral Health from the California Institute for Human Science. Her main focus is exploring strategies for mental health development and prevention of depression and anxiety. In her research, she explores how increasing awareness of nonduality and the natural state can help ease depression and anxiety without the use of medication.
Milena currently teaches programs on Building Mental Resilience in Uncertain Times and Psychological Safety in the Workplace at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. She has also delivered her programs to several organizations, including the Ontario Public Health Association, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services, and the Ontario Association of Social Workers. Milena has contributed as a speaker on mental resilience for the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists and the first National Safety Council conference on psychological safety Valuing the Whole Person: A Summit on Psychological Safety & Wellbeing. Milena’s mental health literacy programs have helped individuals at various organizations and educational institutions build resilient minds and reduce the prevalence of common mental disorders and stigma.
Helpful Links
Nondual Perspectives | Website: Click Here
Milena Braticevic | LinkedIn: Click Here
Tell Us What You ThinkWe welcome your feedback about the HQ Podcast so we can continuously improve and create episodes that our listeners want to hear.
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About The HQ
The HQ is CHA Learning’s/HealthCareCAN’s podcast series where we explore and discuss the topics relevant to healthcare today. The HQ focuses on the people that make up and lead our complex, adaptive system of healthcare. The HQ is your trusted headquarters as, together, we engage with thought-leaders to learn and understand what matters most to those that lead our health workforce.
CHA Learning | HealthCareCAN
In Episode 19 of The HQ podcast, we are joined by Neil Pretty, CEO and Co-Founder of Aristotle Performance. During our conversation, we discuss how leadership has changed since the onset of the pandemic and how, as a result of the pandemic, some leaders adopted a command-and-control style of leadership. We address important questions such as:
- What is the command-and-control style of leadership?
- What is the impact of this leadership style on staff, psychological safety, and on those that lead our teams – and how does all of this enable or hinder our goal for equity, diversity and inclusion?
- What can leaders do to reflect on and examine their own leadership style to help make the shift away from a command-and-control style of leadership?
- How can all of this bring about a great sense of belonging and connectedness, including for our leaders who may otherwise feel alone and isolated?
Tune in as we unpack these questions and gain insight from a thought leader who has been on the leading edge of developing at-scale solutions for increasing workplace psychological safety from the earliest days of the pandemic.
About Neil Pretty
Neil Pretty is the CEO and co-founder of Aristotle Performance. Neil describes the start of his own leadership journey beginning when he was 13 years old in army cadets. He has held positions of leadership ever since then and started several businesses and lead many teams as a result. Neil moved into the corporate space first as a coach then specializing in working with high potential leaders who struggled with destructive and even toxic behaviours.
His practice evolved into team and organizational development and has been on the leading edge of developing at-scale solutions for increasing psychological safety from the earliest days of the pandemic. Together, with his team, they work with organizations all over the globe and are the Americas partner of The Fearless Organization.
Helpful Links
Aristotle Performance | Website: Click Here
Aristotle Performance | LinkedIn: Click Here
Neil Pretty | LinkedIn: Click Here
About The HQ
The HQ is CHA Learning’s/HealthCareCAN’s podcast series where we explore and discuss the topics relevant to healthcare today. The HQ focuses on the people that make up and lead our complex, adaptive system of healthcare. The HQ is your trusted headquarters as, together, we engage with thought-leaders to learn and understand what matters most to those that lead our health workforce.
CHA Learning | HealthCareCAN
Laura Salmon, Director of First Nations Health Programs at the Yukon Hospital Corporation, joins us on Episode 18 of The HQ podcast as we continue our series on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Laura shares the innovative strategies that are being used in the Yukon to help increase Indigenous and First Nations representation in the health system. Follow along as we learn how these strategies work, and how they can be applied at all levels of healthcare across Canada and how they can help us answer The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action and lead to the transformation and healing so critical to our Indigenous, First Nations, and Metis people.
About Laura Salmon
Laura Salmon started her professional career in nutrition when she moved to the Yukon over 20 years ago. She has been the Director of First Nations Health Programs (FNHP) since 2013, and oversees a wide variety of Yukon Hospitals programs and services for Indigenous patients. Through her role, she is accountable for ensuring that the holistic health needs of self-identified patients are met by Yukon Hospitals. She also contributes to the planning and direction of corporate initiatives like Indigenization: transforming spaces, services, policies and programs with a focus on youth and the future of healthcare.
Originally from the Nak’Azdli Wh’uten First Nation in BC, she is now a seasoned Yukoner and enjoys the changing seasons. She makes the most of the long winter with skiing and the long summer days with running and cycling.
Helpful Links
Yukon Hospitals | Website: Click Here
First Nations Health Staff | Website: Click Here
Yukon Hospitals | LinkedIn: Click Here
Yukon Hospitals | Twitter: Click Here
Yukon Hospitals | Facebook: Click Here
The HQ is CHA Learning’s/HealthCareCAN’s podcast series where we explore and discuss the topics relevant to healthcare today. The HQ focuses on the people that make up and lead our complex, adaptive system of healthcare. The HQ is your trusted headquarters as, together, we engage with thought-leaders to learn and understand what matters most to those that lead our health workforce.
CHA Learning | HealthCareCAN
In Episode 17 of The HQ podcast, we are joined by Dr. Bill Howatt - Behavioural Scientist, Founder and CEO of Howatt HR. During our conversation, we explore equity, diversity and inclusion in the context of neurodiversity, as well as learn and understand how our health system currently supports - and how it can improve support for - those who are neuro-atypical. Tune in for Part 4 of our series on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as we engage with one of Canada's top experts in workplace psychological health and safety.
About Dr. Bill Howatt
Dr. Bill Howatt, is the Founder and CEO of Howatt HR, and refers to himself as a behavioural scientist with a keen curiosity for how employees and employers can work together to reduce mental harm and promote mental health in the workplace. Dr. Bill is on the CSA OHS Standards Steering Committee and Chair of the CSA Standard Z1008: Management of Substance Related Impairment in the Workplace. He is the co-creator of the Psychologically Safe Workplace Awards.
He regularly contributes to workplace mental health research such as Canada Pandemic Pulse Check: COVID-19’s Impact on Canadians’ Mental Health with the Mental Health Commission of Canada; Moving to Action: Implementing the Workplace Safety & Prevention Services’ Mental Harm Prevention Roadmap; and Canada Standards Association Investigating employers’ practices in response to COVID-19 for safeguarding employees’ psychological health and safety in the workplace. He has 30 years’ clinical experience in mental health and addictive disorders.
Dr. Bill is the former Chief of Research, Workforce Productivity, at The Conference Board of Canada, and the former Chief of Research and Development, Workforce Productivity, at Lifeworks. Dr. Bill has created the senate- approved Certificate in Psychologically Safe Leadership and Certificate in Management Essentials, Pathway to Coping and Mental Fitness through the University of New Brunswick. He is the co-creator of the Psychological Health and Safety Facilitator Certificate.
Dr. Bill is a regular contributor and co-authors a blog with the CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada for WSPS Ontario CEO Health and Safety Leadership Network. Dr. Bill has published over 50 books, such as The Globe and Mail bestseller, The Cure for Loneliness, and Stop Hiding and Start Living. He is a regular contributor to Talent Canada, OHS Magazine, and The Chronicle Herald and has published over 350 articles with The Globe and Mail.
Helpful Links
Dr. Bill Howatt | Website: Click Here
Dr. Bill Howatt | LinkedIn: Click Here
Dr. Bill Howatt | Twitter: Click Here
Howatt HR | Website: Click Here
Howatt HR | Twitter: Click Here
CHA Learning | HealthCareCAN
The HQ is CHA Learning’s/HealthCareCAN’s podcast series where we explore and discuss the topics relevant to healthcare today. The HQ focuses on the people that make up and lead our complex, adaptive system of healthcare. The HQ is your trusted headquarters as, together, we engage with thought-leaders to learn and understand what matters most to those that lead our health workforce.
In Episode 16, we are joined by Maria Tassone, Executive Director of the University Health Network (UHN) and the Michener Institute, to discuss the pandemic's impact on our ability to learn and to teach those working in the health system. Tune in to discover how lessons learned and innovations in teaching throughout the pandemic can be expanded to address our current HHR Crisis.
About Maria Tassone
Maria Tassone is the Executive Director at UHN and the Michener Institute. Maria holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy, a Master of Science, and she is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.
Maria is passionate about the interface between practice, education and research, and leading change in complex systems. Her early scholarly work focused on how health care professionals learn and translate learning into practice. Her experiences in collaborative leadership for health system change contributed to the development, implementation and evaluation of the Collaborative Change Leadership™ program, for which Maria is currently Co-Director.
Over the course of her career, Maria has been recognized as a leader in innovation related to education and practice with the 3M Team Innovation Award and the Ontario Hospital Ted Freedman Award for Education Innovation.
Helpful Links
Maria Tassone | LinkedIn: Click Here
Maria Tassone | Twitter: Click Here
University Health Network | Website: Click Here
School of Continuing Education at Michener/UHN | Website: Click Here
Collaborative Change Leadership | Website: Click Here
Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education | Website: Click Here
In Part 3 of our series on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), we are joined by healthcare thought leader Jake Starratt-Farr - a social worker, counsellor, and member of CMA's Patient Voice - to explore how well our health system serves and supports those who don't identify as cisgender and those who identify as transgender. Tune in as we continue our series on EDI, one of the most important topics in Canada, around the world, and in healthcare.
About Jake Starratt-Farr
Jake is a social worker and counsellor and works as often as he can with interprofessional primary care teams in Ontario to support wrap-around care for transgender people. As a trans person, he is dedicated to supporting trans and gender-expansive individuals and is passionate about helping health care providers better understand the unique health needs of the 2SLGBTQI community. As a member of CMA’s Patient Voice, Jake advocates for timely and equitable access to transgender care.
Helpful Links
Jake Starratt-Farr | LinkedIn: Click Here
Jake Starratt-Farr | Twitter: Click Here
Jake Starratt-Farr | Website: www.authenticselfcs.com | psychologytoday.com
Canadian Medical Association Patient Voice: Click Here
In Part 2 of our series on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), we engage with healthcare thought leader Beverley Pomeroy - a Queer Researcher and award-winning Patient Public Engagement Specialist - to explore Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI+) in the context of gender and sexuality and how our health system serves and employs members of our community who identify as Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer (or Questioning), Intersex, Asexual (2SLGBTQIA+). Follow along as we continue our series on EDI, one of the most important topics in Canada, around the world, and in healthcare.
About Beverley
Beverley Pomeroy is a Queer Researcher, an Award-Winning Patient Public Engagement Specialist, and an uninvited settler-person on the shared, traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Snuneymuxw territory also known as Gabriola Island, British Columbia. Beverley has a particular interest in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI+) and has co-developed a Trauma & Resiliency Informed Practice program for Research and Evaluation, Patient Public Engagement and Quality Improvement; a strength-based approach to Patient Public Experience.
Beverley's unique combination of education, professional experience and lived experience has exposed them to progressively senior leadership opportunities in a variety of health care and research environments; from community laboratory services to patient safety, and quality improvement. Beverley landed in patient-oriented research after her daughter, Sophia, passed away in 2017 from a rare, complex, chronic disease at the age of 16. They sit on the board of BC Patient Safety Quality Council Oversight & Advisory, Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Evidence Alliance, and Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy. Beverley is also the co-principle investigator on a number of projects across the country including Beyond the Binary, and The Intersection of Trauma and Grief.
Awards
BC Patient Safety Quality Council Quality Trailblazer Award Winner 2021
YWCA Vancouver Women of Distinction Award Winner 2011 (Innovation and Technology)
Vancouver's Top 40 Under Forty Winner 2009
Stevie Award Top Canadian Entrepreneur Finalist 2009
Helpful Links
Beverley Pomeroy | LinkedIn: Click Here
Beverley Pomeroy | Twitter: Click Here
Beverley Pomeroy | Website: www.beverleypomeroy.com
In Part 1 of our series on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), we are honoured to be joined by special guest Dr. Gigi Osler. Dr. Osler shares her experiences overcoming barriers in her own career and discusses the importance of EDI in healthcare, and why it is a critical component of planning for our future health workforce. Tune in as we explore one of the most important topics in Canada, around the world, and in healthcare.
About Dr. Gigi Osler
Dr. Flordeliz “Gigi” Osler is an Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgeon, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, and a dedicated advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion. Born in Winnipeg to immigrant parents from the Philippines and India, her mother encouraged her strength and independence, while her father inspired her to become a physician. In practice since 1998, she has worked to balance life as a surgeon, wife, and mother.
As the 2021 Federation of Medical Women of Canada President, she serves as a role model and leader for the medical profession and influences medical women across Canada. In 2018, when she was the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) President, she led the development of the CMA’s first-ever policy on equity and diversity. She also has leadership roles with the Canadian Medical Forum, the Virtual Care Task Force, the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and the International Federation of ORL Societies.
Dr. Osler is the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including the University of Manitoba Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada May Cohen Equity, Diversity and Gender Award. She made WXN Canada’s 2019 Top 100 Most Powerful Women List, the Medical Post’s 2021 Power List, and was inducted into the Government of Canada’s Women of Impact in Canada online gallery in 2022.
In this special episode of The HQ podcast, we are joined by special guest Shirlee Sharkey. Shirlee is the former long-serving President and CEO of SE Health. In an era where few CEOs hold more than a five-year term in a single organization, Shirlee has held her position at SE Health for more than 30 years. Tune in as Shirlee candidly reflects on her time as CEO, reveals the secrets to transformational leadership, and shares her thoughts on how to improve our health system. If you are a current or aspiring leader, you won't want to miss our chat with this award-winning and distinguished thought leader!
About Shirlee Sharkey - ICD.D, CHE, MHSc, BScN, BA, LLD (honoris causa)
Shirlee Sharkey is recognized as one of Canada’s foremost experts on home care and healthy aging. As a registered nurse and the longtime CEO of SE Health, a unique not-for-profit social enterprise, she has dedicated her career to empowering people, championing compassion and advancing social innovation to forever impact how people live and age at home. In May 2022, Shirlee stepped down from SE Health following 30 years of breakthrough leadership.
Shirlee shares her passion and expertise as a thought leader, speaker, author and mentor. In 2020, she collaborated with a range of experts to co-author The Future of Aging, a book that has been described as “a brilliant and powerful challenge to locked-in ageist mindsets, policies and service models.” Naturally curious and committed to lifelong learning, Shirlee regularly engages with students, entrepreneurs and business leaders from other industries.
Shirlee’s commitment to public service is evident in her leadership and involvement on many boards, including University Health Network, the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation, and BAYADA Home Health Care. She also is a senior fellow of Canada’s top think tank, the CD Howe Institute. Internationally, Shirlee is a Healthcare DENMARK ambassador. Committed to global influence, she has gained and shared health system insights through her experiences in the Middle East, Australia and northern Europe.
Helpful Links:
Shirlee Sharkey | Twitter: Click Here
SE Health | Twitter: Click Here
SE Health | Website: Click Here
The Future of Aging | Amazon: Click Here
Over 4.62 billion people across the world use social media! People spend an average of 2 hours and 27 minutes per day on social media and the average user will visit 7.5 different social media platforms every month (Hootsuite, 2022). To say that social media platforms dominate our media landscape would be an understatement.
In this episode of the HQ Podcast, we are honoured to be joined by special guest Dr. Katharine Smart, President of the Canadian Medical Association, to discuss the role of social media in healthcare, misinformation, and the advantages and disadvantages of online communication.
About Dr. Katharine Smart
Dr. Katharine Smart has worked in pediatrics for over 20 years. She moved to Whitehorse (Yukon) to implement a new collaborative model of pediatric care to serve marginalized children. She works primarily with children who have experienced trauma and adverse childhood events, and she witnesses the broad and lasting impact these events have on children and their development daily.
A passionate advocate for improving services for all children, Dr. Smart also provides acute care at the hospital. Prior to moving to Canada’s North, she was a pediatric emergency medicine physician at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary and the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
Dr. Smart currently serves as the Canadian Medical Association President, the 10th woman to access the role in 154 years. She is a mom to two kids and a fur friend, a wife and an active member of her community.
Helpful Links:
Dr. Katharine Smart | Twitter: Click Here
Canadian Medical Association | Twitter: Click Here
Canadian Medical Association | Website: Click Here
In this episode of The HQ podcast, we discuss the importance of putting the “home” back in long-term care facilities and finding more effective ways to treat our seniors with care and dignity.
Joining us in our conversation are two remarkable healthcare leaders from the Region of Peel. Ann-Marie Case-Volkert, who is the Director of Long-Term Care in the Health Services Department of the Region of Peel, and Monica Goodban, whose work focuses on the implementation of emotion-based care approaches, such as the Butterfly Model of Care.
Tune in as we engage with these healthcare leaders to learn and understand what the Butterfly Model of Care is and how it has improved the lives of those in their care.
About Our Guests
Ann-Marie Case-Volkert is the Director of Long-Term Care in the Health Services Department of the Region of Peel. She oversees the Region’s five Long Term Care Centres and its 1100 staff. Ann-Marie has over 20 years of progressive leadership and healthcare experience in long-term care, acute & community care, and regulatory compliance.
Monica Goodban has been working with people living in long-term care homes since 1994. Her work with the Region of Peel focuses on leading the implementation of emotion-based care approaches, such as the Butterfly Model of Care. She is passionate about ensuring that those living with dementia have vibrant, connected, and emotionally well lives.
CHA Learning
The Long-Term Care Executive Leadership program at CHA Learning will prepare you for the critical role of leading a person-centred, long-term care home with attention to quality innovation, crisis leadership, and the wellness of your home’s team. Advance your knowledge and skills with this flexible online program to make positive changes in your home’s team and for those in your care.
To learn more about our Long-Term Care Executive Leadership program click here.
Many in healthcare have heard of or even utilized an Employee Assistance Program, often expanded to Employee and Family Assistance programs, or EFAPs. In this episode of The HQ, we talk with Steve Ashton, Vice-President, People & Organization Development at the IWK Health Centre, about EFAPs. What are EFAPs? Where do they come from? Do they truly make a difference – both to employees (and their families) and to the employer? Do they need to change, especially in a post-COVID health system? Tune in as we tackle these questions and more!
About Steve Ashton
Steve Ashton, is the Vice-President of People & Organization Development at the IWK Health Centre. IWK serves women, children, and youth in Atlantic Canada. Prior to the IWK, Steve held senior HR leadership roles with Bell Aliant, where he helped develop a multi-year Learning Strategy, as well as Leadership Development & Succession programs. He was previously a Partner with Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette working in executive search and career transition.
Steve has a wealth of education that includes a bachelor’s in psychology, an MBA, and is a graduate of Harvard’s program on Leading Change and Organizational Renewal.
The data collected and stored in our personal health records is one of the most valuable assets within healthcare. This data is used to improve the quality and safety of care, conduct clinical research, evaluate medical treatments and technologies, and guide public health decision-making and funding allocations.
Who are the health professionals responsible for collecting and managing this data? How does this in turn become “health information” and why should we care more about its quality? And with the increased use of technology, how is the privacy, security, and integrity of this data and information maintained?
To help us answer these questions, we are joined by Monique Rasmussen, Regional Director, Coding & Informatics at Providence Health in British Columbia. Monique has more than 27 years of Health Information Management experience and is the current Chair of the Board of the Canadian Health Information Management Association.
You can learn more about Health Information Management and our HIM program by visiting our website.
One of the greatest changes to Canadian healthcare over the last few decades has been the introduction of patient-centred care – or, as we like to define it, people-centred care.
On this special episode of The HQ podcast, we are joined by Lesley Moody, Clinical Director at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. Lesley brings a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge to our conversation on the topic of people-centred care. Tune in to learn how the pandemic impacted Princess Margaret’s ability to deliver people-centred care and the innovative solutions that emerged because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges and opportunities it presented.
This special episode of The HQ podcast caps off our Patient Experience Week 2022 article-series focused on the topic of people-centred care. You can find the article series as well as information about our online People-Centred Care certificate program by visiting the CHA Learning website.
About Lesley Moody
Lesley Moody is the Clinical Director at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Previous to this role, Lesley was the Director for Person-Centred Care at Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) where she oversaw a number of programs provincially including Patient Reported Outcomes, Psychosocial Oncology, Patient Education, Patient Engagement, Patient Reported Experience Measurement and Quality Initiatives. Lesley has led the advancement of patient experience and patient and family engagement programs from both local and system levels. Lesley holds an MBA from McMaster University and a Ph.D. in Health Policy from the University of Toronto.
On episode 6 of The HQ, we discuss the role and importance of quality improvement and innovation with healthcare leader Samantha Hamilton, Director, Quality, Patient Safety & IPAC at The Ottawa Hospital.
What is quality improvement as it relates to healthcare? How has COVID-19 impacted quality improvement and innovation initiatives? What innovations have we seen as a result of the pandemic, and what does quality improvement look like as we contemplate a return to whatever version of normal that comes next. Tune in as we discuss these, and other important questions with Samantha.
Samantha is an experienced leader in the areas of patient safety, risk, and strategic management in Canadian healthcare. She holds a Master’s in Health Administration from the University of Ottawa and an Executive Certificate in Operational Risk Management from York University. She’s a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality and is also trained as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
In addition to her role at The Ottawa Hospital, she is a valued Faculty Member of several programs at CHA Learning, as well as a Faculty Member and Academic Director for the University of Ottawa’s Telfer Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Leadership Program.
In this episode of The HQ, we are joined by special guest Jacqueline Per, Executive Director Learning, Research and Innovation at Fraser Health in BC, to discuss health human resource planning and innovation, and what can be done to retain and expand our health workforce post-COVID-19.
We are delighted to welcome back Kristen Winter, Vice President of Human Resources, Workforce Optimization and Leadership at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto as our special guest on episode 4 of The HQ podcast.
In this episode, we discuss the topic of immigration and our healthcare workforce and tackle some of the questions related to the recruitment of foreign trained healthcare professionals. What is the challenge to bringing them to Canada? What hurdles do they face when they arrive in Canada? What are the ethics in recruiting abroad? What more can our different levels of government do to assist the recruitment process and relocation? And what innovative approaches has Sunnybrook taken to help their new recruits?
Join us as we dive deeper into the health human resource crisis and discuss what can be done to reduce the workforce gap that COVID-19 has created.
In this episode we are going to cut to the issue facing healthcare today - the crisis of our health human resources or, in more simple terms, the crisis of the people in healthcare. It is a topic on the lips of those in government, including our federal and provincial ministers of health. It is top of mind for most healthcare organizations and certainly for our health leaders and those that lead people.
Our healthcare workers, the people we depend on to care for us, are themselves in need of care. They are burnt out, demoralized, and exhausted. Many are sick and some are so mentally hurt that they have committed or attempted suicide. Our current system of health stands at the brink of collapse – or, at the very least, most agree it is unsustainable into the future.
To explore this pressing healthcare topic, we are very pleased to be joined by Andrée Robichaud, CEO of Central Health in Newfoundland and Labrador. Andrée has acquired extensive experience over the last two decades as a health care executive and board member in several organizations in several provinces and regions. Andrée also brings strategic planning and policy development experience as the former Associate Deputy Minister for Francophone Services with the Government of New Brunswick. She has also chaired the Conference of Federal Provincial Deputy Ministers Advisory Committee on Health Delivery and Health Human Resources.
When you hear the word, “Coaching” what comes to mind? What does it mean to be a coach? And, more importantly, what does it mean in healthcare?
In most organizations and certainly healthcare organizations, we talk about teams, we talk about leaders, and we might even talk about game plans – but where does the coach fit in this? And what's The Role of Coaching in Staff and Organizational Development?
To discuss this topic we are joined by special guest - Amanda Bjorn.
Amanda Bjorn is a Coach, learner, teacher and leader. Amanda is a unique health leader whose experiences in health care have taken her from the bedside to the boardroom. She is a former Occupational Therapist and the former Executive Vice President, People, Culture and Strategy at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. She is the creator of Providence Healthcare’s PRISM award winning Leadership Development Institute and the ME to WE to ALL framework for human and organizational development. Amanda also accidentally created the largest public library collection of leadership books in the city of Toronto. In 2022, Amanda opened her own coaching and consulting business so that she can thrive by helping others to flourish.
This is Part 2 of our two-part episode on The Psychological Wellness of Leadership During the Pandemic where we've been speaking with Kristen Winter, Vice President of Human Resources, Workforce Optimization and Leadership at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.
In Part 1, Kristen shared very candidly about what it’s like to be a healthcare leader and especially a people leader during the pandemic and the impact it has had on her team and the way she leads. In Part 2, we pick up the conversation with her again where she answers the question about how she sees herself coming through this and back to 'normal'.
In this special two-part episode, we talk to Kristin Winter Vice President of Human Resources, Workforce Optimization and Leadership Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. In Part 1, we discuss with Kristen what it’s like to be a healthcare leader and especially a people leader during the pandemic and the impact it has had on her team and the way she leads.