Mary Jane Dykeman: Thinking About Solutions, Not Answers
Healthcare Change Makers
As a health lawyer, Mary Jane Dykeman, partner at INQ Law has a strong pulse on health information, privacy, and AI, believing that these factors are critical to the future of healthcare. This pulse allows for a unique and tailored perspective on preventing risk and strengthening privacy. In this episode of Healthcare Change Makers, Mary Jane taps into her dual expertise to share insight into some of the biggest influences on the future of healthcare, finding the balance between privacy and AI, and the risk processes that improve healthcare. Quotables: “I come from a place where I...
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Dr. Tunde-Byass and Jennifer Dockery: Transforming Pain into Purpose
Healthcare Change Makers
Black maternal health in Canada requires collective change, and that belief is exactly what sparked Toronto’s first Black Maternal Health Week. Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass, OB-GYN (NYGH) and President-Elect (FMWC), and Jennifer Dockery, Vice President, Quality, Post-Acute Care & Community Integration at North York General Hospital are determined to spotlight gaps in care and amplify the voices of Black mothers. In this episode of Healthcare Change Makers, Dr. Tunde-Byass and Jennifer talk candidly about why there is limited data about Black maternal health in Canada, what data is available,...
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Rebecca Shields: A Cure for Mental Illness
Healthcare Change Makers
Rebecca Shields and her team at CMHA York and South Simcoe have strong throughlines in place for their 2025-2028 Strategic Plan. A key driver of this plan is the update of their mission and values, and their new vision which is all about a cure for mental illness. This disruptive and exciting thought stems from CHMA’s belief that true recovery is possible when institutions globally work together towards this goal. What does this vision mean for their organization? “It means that we begin more and more to look at how do we partner in research, how do we ensure that we’re adopting...
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Andrew Williams: Innovating for Exceptional Care
Healthcare Change Makers
Andrew Williams and his team at HPHA are steadfast towards innovating to provide exceptional care for Canadians. One of the many efforts towards achieving this is through the completion of the Cancer and Medical Care Clinic and Pharmacy at Stratford General Hospital. This initiative is a strong testament to the fact that facilities have a positive impact on the quality of care provided, and the relationship between hospitals and their communities are key. “We would not have been able to do this had the community not stepped forward and donated their hard-earned money towards this project....
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Dr. Andrew Boozary: The Need to Recentre Humanity in Healthcare
Healthcare Change Makers
Health is driven by more than what happens in a clinic or the operating room, it is driven by long-standing system decisions. One of the ways Dr. Andrew Boozary and the UHN are impacting health equity is through the inception of Dunn House, Canada’s first hospital-led supportive housing initiative. This unique model couples health and social care by improving health outcomes for unhoused Torontonians, embedding concreate solutions to UHN’s most vulnerable patients. “This brings a wholistic approach to healthcare, that it’s not just about access to physicians and nurses, that there’s...
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Karen Oldfield: Raise and Develop Those Around You
Healthcare Change Makers
Karen and her team are full steam ahead with all the initiatives at Nova Scotia Health today. She speaks with pride about their work around improving patient care and much more. One of the initiatives they’re working on includes the West Bedford Transitional Health facility which helps enhance the chances of patients going back home successfully. Another proud initiative includes the YourHealthNS mobile app, which over half the population in NS have already downloaded enabling them to better navigate the healthcare system. “We’re on quite a pace, quite a tear, and there’s going to be...
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Catherine Gaulton: The Magic of the Reciprocal Model
Healthcare Change Makers
With the insights from 2024 under her belt, Catherine is filled with ideas, hope, and confidence in the magic of the reciprocal model for the upcoming year. One of the initiatives Catherine is looking forward to includes continuing to meet Subscribers where they are across Canada through joining Subscriber forums, conferences, and quality days. Another exciting thing on the horizon is finalizing HIROC’s strategic plan for 2026 onwards by tapping into the phenomenal guidance from staff, Subscribers, and the board. On our final episode of the year, reflect alongside Catherine as she shares...
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Gail Hunt: Meeting the Needs of the Future
Healthcare Change Makers
Gail Hunt’s team at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) in Ontario describe her as being good at breaking down complicated things from a strategic perspective – a quality that helps lead the organization into the next decade. RVH recently announced a new 10-year strategic plan which has been carefully curated to ensure staff and the larger community feel connected, equipped, and excited long term. “With the population growth in this area of the province, what do we need to be able to meet the needs of the future, meet the patient expectations, and have the team members here be...
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Christine Donaldson: Moving the Needle on Sustainable Procurement
Healthcare Change Makers
Advocating for change and collaboration in our healthcare supply chain is part of Christine Donaldson’s purpose, this shines through in her leadership approach. Her team’s advocacy work is reflected with action as HealthPRO Canada recently became an Aboriginal Procurement Champion with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), thus making strides towards a more inclusive healthcare supply chain and system. “Part of our Indigenous journey and reconciliation of where we’re heading into the future is to do it through business partnerships,” says Christine when explaining the...
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Dr. Steven Harrison: Redefining Leadership in Seniors’ Care
Healthcare Change Makers
For this episode of Healthcare Change Makers, we sat down and had a captivating conversation with Dr. Steven Harrison, the CEO of Tri-County Mennonite Homes. Steven has a wealth of experience as a seasoned leader in long-term care. Throughout the episode, you’ll hear all about his insights from working internationally and how this experience has shaped his views about Canada embracing global perspectives and solutions for challenges at home. We also learned more about Steven’s career journey, beginning as a PSW and his decision to pursue a career in leadership focusing on system design and...
info_outlineWith a new year on the horizon, Catherine is looking forward to so many things – the continued efforts in Health Human Resources, advancing the work in the main areas of Risk, the future of Collaborative Benefits, and so much more.
“My optimism is around people that surprise me every day. When I think you can’t help but be defeated, human spirit and strength comes forward every time”, says Catherine when explaining her positive outlook for 2024.
In this episode, Catherine gives us a glimpse into the mind of a CEO, including her zest for learning new things and how she recharges and stays inspired through even the most difficult of times.
Before we let her go, a surprise guest joins us to chat and gives us a sneak peak into what family time looks like for Catherine!
Quotables:
“There are these juxtapositions of so much that is going on, yet there’s reason for hope because the bedrock of what we provide in our healthcare system and the people that provide it is so very strong.” - CG
“I’m continually impressed by the people I work with everyday and the people that we have the true pleasure of serving in the healthcare system who are doing the work that is fundamental to the lives of so many citizens of this country.” - CG
“We have a population of employees who know that when they provide feedback, they will have a response and I think that’s phenomenal.” - CG
“Our strength will always be that we have brilliant and caring people who are willing to spend time with us so we learn what they’re doing, and we can take that knowledge and put it into forms that are used more generally.” - CG
“Lately I’ve been focused on how there are women who are coming into leadership, how they historically have not been facilitated to have a voice, and now are so strong in our system.” - CG
“If you’re feeling like you’re not accomplishing what you need to or want to, or you’re making no progress at all, give yourself the 5 minutes to walk around the block and compare where your life is today with how it was 6 months ago, and you’ll be inevitably inspired by that.” - CG
“Of course there are really hard times, and we’re all at times feeling defeated, but the people I interact with, the people that provide care in our system, the people at HIROC, there’s huge optimism on all those fronts.” - CG
Mentioned in this Episode:
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