Today we’re announcing that two new directors were elected to join our Board of Directors at the annual general meeting on September 28, 2022. Our volunteer Board of Directors is a diverse group of leaders who are passionate about improving healthcare, with – and for – everyone in Canada.
The new directors are:
Heather Thiessen, Patient Partner, Health Standards Organization and Accreditation Canada, past Co-Chair, Saskatchewan Health Authority, and independent patient partner.
Gail Tomblin Murphy, PhD, Vice President, Research, Innovation and Discovery, and Chief Nurse Executive of Nova Scotia Health.
“It’s truly an honour to sit as a Director on HEC’s board. As an engaged patient, family member and passionate patient partner, I bring my years of experience to this table to help deepen understanding of the realities patients and families face in healthcare today,” says Heather Thiessen. “Listening and working with patients and families is a catalyst for the change in healthcare we so desperately need.”
“I am very honoured to have this opportunity to serve as a Director. Enabling innovation within and across health systems is fundamental to our collective ability to deliver safe and high-quality care at all levels, from home, community and primary care to the most specialized care,” says Gail Tomblin Murphy, PhD. “Innovation in healthcare is a key enabler that brings leading research and best practice evidence, and technological advancements to policy, planning and practice as well as to care delivery – improving experiences for patients, communities and providers, as well as enhancing health outcomes and system efficiencies.”
The Board also thanks two outgoing Directors for their service as part of the inaugural Board that led the amalgamation of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement into HEC:
Vincent Dumez, Co-director of the Center of Excellence on Partnering with Patients and the Public (CEPPP), Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal and Research Centre of the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CRCHUM).
Petrina McGrath, PHD, Health System Executive, People, Quality & Practice and Chief Nurse Executive, Lakeridge Health. Previously the Executive Director Quality and Safety for the Saskatchewan Health Authority, including the role of Safety Officer for the Emergency Operations Committee.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Heather Thiessen and Gail Tomblin-Murphy as the newest Directors on our Board,” says Erik Sande, Chair, HEC Board of Directors. “We’re grateful to them, and our parting colleagues Vincent Dumez and Petrina McGrath, for their commitment to safer, higher quality healthcare for everyone in Canada.”
