Event Agenda
8:30 AM: Registration and refreshments
9:00 AM: Opening Remarks
Welcome from the MC
Christina Weise, Executive Director, SCPOR
Opening Prayer
Greetings from the Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR)
Maggie King, Patient Partner
Greetings from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health
Sheldon Brandt, Executive Director, Strategy & Innovation Branch, Saskatchewan Ministry of Health
Greetings from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA)
Andrew Will, Chief Executive Officer, SHA
9:25 AM: Keynote Presentation
Supporting Learning and Improvement in Health Systems: The Three-Legged Stool of System Operators, Patient Partners and Evidence-Support Providers
Dr. John Lavis, Director, McMaster Health Forum; Professor, Department of Health Evidence & Impact, McMaster
Dr. Rob Reid, Chief Scientist, Institute for Better Health; SVP Science, Trillium Health Partners
10:25 AM: Refreshment Break
10:40 am: Presentations
Building Towards a Learning Health & Social System in Newfoundland and Labrador
Amy Folkes, Senior Director, Provincial Planning, Performance and Evaluation, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services
Dr. Kendra Lester, Senior Director, Provincial Data and Information Services, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services
Dr. Kayla Collins, Director, Business Intelligence, Provincial Data and Information Services, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services
Learning Health Systems: The Alberta Experience
Tracy Wasylak, Health System Leader and Innovator; Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary
12:00 PM: Lunch / Networking
1:00 PM: Learning Health Systems in Saskatchewan: Leading Examples from Within
Moderated by Dr. Christine Stobart, Director, Training & Capacity Development, SCPOR
Collaboration with first nations to ensure patient-centred healthcare and health promotion
Dr. Stacey Lovo, Assistant Professor, School of Rehabilitation Science, University of Saskatchewan; Director of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Virtual Health Hub
Dray Bear, Community Development and Special Projects Coordinator, Whitecap Dakota First Nation
Transforming healthcare delivery: The role of people-centred metrics in Saskatchewan
Michelle Hill, Patient Family Partner
Cathy Cole, Director, Program Support and Development Team, Patient and Client Experience, SHA
Patrick Falastein, Program Director, Saskatchewan Health Quality Council
Health Research Data Platform - Saskatchewan: Data Access for the Learning Health System
Malori Keller, Director, Health Research Data Platform - Saskatchewan, SCPOR
2:00 pm: Breakout discussion: What are the possibilities in Saskatchewan
Facilitated by Malori Keller and Christine Stobart
2:45 pm: Refreshment Break
3:00 pm: Our Bold Ideas: Collaborative Activity
Facilitated by Malori Keller and Christine Stobart
3: 45 PM: closing remarks
Speakers and Presenters
Dr. John Lavis, Director, McMaster Health Forum; Professor, Department of Health Evidence and Impact, McMaster
John supports efforts to address health and broader societal challenges using the best-available research evidence and experiences and insights from citizens, professionals, organizational leaders, and government policymakers. He is co-lead of and lead report writer for the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges, as well as co-lead of Rapid-Improvement Support and Exchange (RISE), and he was co-lead of the COVID-19 Evidence Network to support Decision-making (COVID-END). He is the Director of the McMaster Health Forum and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Evidence-Informed Policy. He is a Professor in the Department of Health Evidence and Impact at McMaster University and the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Evidence-Support Systems. He holds an MD from Queen's University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a PhD (in Health Policy) from Harvard University.
Dr. Rob Reid, Hazel McCallion Research Chair, Learning Health Systems; Chief Scientist, Institute for Better Health; Senior Vice President, Science, Trillium Health Partners
Dr. Robert Reid is the Hazel McCallion Research Chair in Learning Health Systems and Chief Scientist at the Institute for Better Health (IBH) and Senior Vice President, Science at Trillium Health Partners (THP.) He is a global expert and thought leader in population health, learning health systems and primary care. He is best known for his work in developing and evaluating a patient-centred medical home at Group Health Cooperative, now Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Reid is currently providing expertise in the re-design of Ontario’s health care system through the Ontario Health Teams initiative. With IBH, Dr. Reid focuses on generating new ways to engage, design, deliver and finance health care and creating partnerships with patients, caregivers and the community to improve population health. At the University of Toronto, Dr. Reid holds an academic appointment as Professor (status) with the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), and the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He is also a Professor with McMaster University’s Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact; and an Affiliate Associate Professor with the University of Washington’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine. Dr. Reid received his medical degree from the University of Alberta and completed a Master’s Degree in Epidemiology and a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins University.
Amy Folkes, Senior Director, Provincial Planning, Performance and Evaluation, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services
Amy Folkes is the Senior Director, of Planning, Performance and Evaluation within the Quality and Learning Health Systems portfolio of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NL Health Services). This team is responsible for evaluation, performance/accountability requirements, strategic planning and a provincial policy office, with a purposeful role to support a pathway to a Learning Health and Social System. Amy is passionate about transformative change throughout NL Health Services, that is grounded in a co-design approach between NLHS, its internal and external system partners, and most importantly – patients and families.
Dr. Kendra Lester, Senior Director, Provincial Data and Information Services, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services
Kendra Lester is the Senior Director, Data and Information Services at Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services. Kendra and her team have provincial responsibility for data access, analytics, decision support, data lab, data warehousing, business intelligence, data quality and health information standards. Kendra is also pursuing her PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at Memorial University and is passionate about the power of data and information to drive data-driven decision making to improve patient care and outcomes.
Dr. Kayla Collins, Director, Business Intelligence, Data and Information Services, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services
Kayla Collins is the Director, Business Intelligence within the Data and Information Services department of NL Health Services. She has a PhD in Medicine (Community Health and Humanities) from Memorial University and has held leadership roles within the former NL Centre for Health Information and now NL Health Services for more than twenty years. Kayla led the visioning and establishment of the Data Lab and is currently the director responsible for Data Lab operations as well as the delivery of Decision Support services within NLHS.
Tracy Wasylak, Health System Leader and Innovator, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary
Tracy Wasylak is a health system leader and innovator. She was the former Chief Program Officer, Strategic Clinical Networks™ with Alberta Health Services. She has held numerous senior leadership roles within Alberta Health Services. Tracy holds an adjunct assistant professor appointment with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary. She was also the Co-Lead for the ABSPORU 2.0 Learning Health System Team. Tracy received the Order of Merit, Nursing Policy Award, from the Canadian Nurses Association in March 2018. She was the recipient of the 2015 AHS Presidents Excellence Award in the category of Innovation, the 2019 award for Outstanding Achievement in Quality Improvement and in 2023 awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta).
Stacey Lovo, Assistant Professor, School of Rehabilitation Science, University of Saskatchewan; Director, Virtual Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Virtual Health Hub
Stacey is a fourth generation settler living and working on Treaty 6 Territory and Homeland of the Métis. Stacey works in partnership with First Nation and Métis communities to identify healthcare access needs and to co-develop, implement and evaluate virtual and hybrid rehabilitation and primary care options to enhance healthcare opportunities in rural and remote regions.
Dray Bear, Community Development and Special Projects Coordinator, Whitecap Dakota First Nation
Dray, a proud member of the Whitecap Dakota Nation just 20 minutes south of Saskatoon, graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Human Resources in November. He passionately advocates for youth engagement and community development. Utilizing his expertise, Dray leads initiatives such as virtual reality experiences in health sciences education, inspiring curiosity and empowering the next generation.
Michelle Hill, Patient Family Partner
Michelle Hill has been a Patient Family Partner since 2022, for SHA and resides in Treaty 6 territory. Previous to SHA, Michelle was a Patient & Family Advisory Committee member for the Health Quality Council of Alberta for 6 years, participating in numerous Patient and Family Centered Care projects. Patient Data analysis and analytics (measurement) was forefront in this work. As a PFP, Michelle brings with her years of lived experience for herself, her children living with multiple conditions and many older siblings living with chronic illness.
Cathy Cole, Director, Program Support and Development Team, Patient and Client Experience, Saskatchewan Health Authority
Cathy Cole is the Director of the Program Support and Development Team in the Patient and Client Experience Portfolio at the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), a position she has held for the past five years. In this role, Cathy leads the People-Centered Measurement Strategy for the SHA, ensuring that healthcare delivery aligns with patient and client needs and expectations. Cathy is also leading the development of People-Centered Care across the province, advancing initiatives that prioritize the perspectives and experiences of patients and clients in the healthcare system. Her work extends to supporting Patient-Oriented Research, fostering collaborations that advance healthcare practices based on patient input and evidence-based findings. With a strong commitment to enhancing healthcare experiences and outcomes, Cathy is dedicated to driving improvements and innovations that place people at the heart of healthcare in Saskatchewan.
Patrick Falastein, Program Director, Saskatchewan Health Quality Council
Patrick joined HQC as Director, Health System Planning and Reporting, in May 2016. From 2013-15, Patrick was a policy and project specialist with the Emergency Department Waits and Patient Flow Initiative. During this time, he was instrumental in launching the initiative and leading the first instance of provincial integrated kaizen planning. From 2015-16, Patrick was the administrative fellow with the St. Paul’s Hospital leadership team and reported directly to the hospital’s CEO. His responsibilities included working with community partners to develop a community-based HIV hospice and serving as co-chair of several committees, such as occupational health and safety and emergency preparedness. Patrick has a Bachelor’s degree in physical activity studies from the University of Regina, a Master of Arts in physical education and recreation studies from the University of Manitoba, and a Master of Public Administration from the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan. He is also a certified Lean Leader.
Malori Keller, Director of the Health Research Data Platform- Saskatchewan, SCPOR
Malori has a Bachelor of Public Administration degree from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of Public Administration degree from the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Regina. Malori started her career working in the health system in various roles including as a Patient and Family-Centred Care Specialist and the Manager of the Saskatchewan Transplant Program. For the last nine years, she has worked at a provincial level in quality improvement, patient engagement, and project management at the Health Quality Council.