March 26th, 2022 – 10:00 to 16:30
We are pleased to offer the 2022 Exploring Healthcare Quality Improvement (EHQI) Conference. This year’s theme for the conference is Build Back Better: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic. This conference provides a one-time opportunity to gain insight into the lessons learned in the healthcare system through the experience of COVID-19. This event is targeted at undergraduate and graduate students as well as industry professionals with a variety of sessions being offered. Our lineup of industry professionals will speak to the theme of Build Back Better through a patient-centered care lens and the role of quality improvement (QI) in health systems. We are excited for attendees to build their knowledge on quality improvement, knowledge translation, and how QI projects impact the healthcare system.
Attend In-person or virtually
Given the constraints of COVID-19, our conference will take place in a hybrid format. The online delivery of the conference will take place on Microsoft Teams, and the in-person component will take place at Brock University. If you are planning to attend in person, proof of vaccination documents and a photo ID are required as per Brock University policies, and masks need to be worn at all times unless you are eating or drinking.
Feedback Form
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Dr. Peter Tiidus- Presenting an Introduction to the Conference
Dr. Peter Tiidus is the Dean of Applied Health Sciences at Brock University. At the start of his career, Dr. Tiidus was a faculty member at the University of Toronto for over 8 years, and prior to his appointment at Brock University in 2015, he was a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University for 26 years as well as the department chair and acting-Dean. His teaching interests include exercise and muscle physiology, biochemistry as well as human nutrition. He has published approximately 90 scientific papers in peer reviewed academic journals, co-authored 2 books as well as numerous chapters and completed almost 30 scientific conference presentations.
Dr. Carol Fancott- Keynote Speaker
Carol Fancott is the Director, Patient Engagement and Partnerships at Healthcare Excellence Canada, where she leads the co-development and co-delivery of programs and initiatives that focus on purposeful and meaningful engagement of patients, families, and caregivers for health system improvement. Carol will be presenting her keynote speech alongside Adrienne Zarem, and they will be discussing the lessons learned in relation to patient-centred care from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adrienne Zarem- Keynote Speaker
Adrienne Zarem is an embedded Patient Partner with Healthcare Excellence Canada, and a passionate advocate for patient engagement and partnership in healthcare improvement. After her youngest daughter was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Adrienne embarked on a journey to partner with local and national organizations to help drive patient-centered safe and high-quality healthcare through effective and meaningful patient and family engagement. She is a past co-chair of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s Family Advisory Committee, a graduate of Canada’s first Family as Faculty program, a Parent Advisor and Hub Team member of ECHO Autism Ontario, and one of Canada’s first Patient Surveyors with Accreditation Canada. Adrienne will be presenting her keynote speech alongside Carol Fancott, and they will be discussing the lessons learned in relation to patient-centred care from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kian Rego- Breakout Session Presenter
Kian Rego is in her 4th year of the HBSc in Medical Sciences at Brock University. Partnered with Yaa Asare, her I-EQUIP project this year focused on evaluating the virtual care program at the Niagara Falls Community Health Center from a patient perspective, to develop patient-centered solutions for assigning long-term virtual primary care. Kian is passionate about the social determinants of health and quality improvement rooted in patient-centeredness. Her clinical volunteer experiences and previous research studying decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenous health, have opened her eyes to issues relating to health equity and the importance of continual evaluation of health equity through quality improvement initiatives. Post-graduation, Kian is interested in pursuing a career relating to medicine, health systems research and health administration. Kian will be presenting in a breakout session about the I-EQUIP Program and quality improvement.
Ryan Andres- Breakout Session Presenter
Ryan Andres is the High Risk Therapist at Pathstone Mental Health where he primarily works with youth at risk of harm to self and/or others. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences from Brock University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto. Ryan is a proud alum of the I-EQUIP program, participating in Cycle 3.0 as an undergraduate student on the “Design and Implementation of a Trauma Care Bundle at a Community Hospital” project. Currently, he supports several I-EQUIP projects in collaboration with Pathstone Mental Health and Brock University. Ryan will be presenting in a breakout session about the importance of patient engagement in quality improvement.
Dr. Layla Mofid- Breakout Session Presenter
Layla is the Acting Manager of Surveillance and Evaluation at Niagara Region Public Health. Prior to this role, she worked at ICES as a Quality Improvement Epidemiologist, teaching data concepts in QI as part of the IDEAS Ontario Advanced Learning Program. She holds a BSc in Health Sciences from Brock University, a MSc in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and a PhD in Epidemiology from McGill University. Layla will be presenting alongside Rachel Skellet in a breakout session about continuous quality improvement in the professional setting.
Rachel Skellet- Breakout Session Presenter
Rachel Skellet received her Bachelor of Public Health from Brock University, as well as a Masters of Science in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Currently, Rachel is completing a certificate in Privacy, Access, and Information Management from Ryerson University (Chang School of Continuing Education). Rachel works at Niagara Region Public Health & Emergency Services as the Acting Manager of Continuous Quality Improvement supporting the COVID and non-COVID-related quality improvement projects. Prior to her current position, Rachel worked both as an epidemiologist and a data analyst supporting the infectious diseases, family health, chronic disease, injury prevention, and substance use programs at Niagara Region Public Health & Emergency Services and the Middlesex-London Health Unit. Rachel is passionate about ensuring decision makers have access to and use the best available data in order to make an evidence-informed decision. Rachel will be presenting alongside Layla Mofid in a breakout session about continuous quality improvement in the professional setting.
Dr. Ekta Khemani- Keynote Speaker
Dr. Khemani completed her Bachelor of Science from McMaster University, and then pursued a Master of Science at the University of Toronto. She then went on to complete a Doctor of Medicine as well as her residency in Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at the University of Toronto. Following her residency training, Dr. Khemani completed a fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. In 2014, Dr. Khemani completed a Certificate in Patient Safety and Quality Management at the University of Calgary and there she won Best Poster and Presentation at the Safety and Quality Improvement Research Day. Dr. Khemani is currently an attending anesthesiologist, an Assistant Professor in Anesthesia, and the Clinical Fellowship Director for the Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Fellowship Program in the Faculty of Anesthesia at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. In her keynote speech, Ekta will be discussing the role of quality improvement in Building Back Better and how we can apply the lessons we learned to the healthcare system.
Celeste Turner- Breakout Session Presenter
Celeste is a queer and genderqueer individual who lives and works in the Niagara Region in Ontario. Working as the LGBTQ2+ Support Coordinator for the Niagara Falls Community Health Centre and volunteering as Co-Chair of the board of directors for OUTniagara, Celeste is active and dedicated to supporting Niagara’s 2SLGBTQQIA+ community. In 2019, Celeste was the recipient of a YMCA Peace Medal for their efforts to Niagara’s sexual and gender diverse community. Celeste enjoys both teaching and practicing yoga, and lives with their 130lb mastiff. Celeste will be presenting in a breakout session about engaging diverse populations in quality improvement.
Jayne Morrish- Breakout Session Presenter
Since February of 2014, Jayne Morrish has been the Knowledge Mobilization Officer at Brock University’s Lifespan Development Research Institute. In her role, Jayne works to build capacity for knowledge mobilization/knowledge translation (KMb/KT) and authentically engage the “next users” of research knowledge within the KMb/KT process. Prior to her role at Brock, Jayne coordinated the research and KMb/KT initiatives at Parachute, a national injury prevention organization. Jayne has completed a SSHRC funded Master’s from Brock University, a Bachelors of Health from York University, the Knowledge Translation Professional Certificate from the University of Toronto, the Mobilize YU Certificate from York University, and the Leadership Niagara Certificate. Jayne has received various awards for her work, including a Certificate of Academic Excellence from the Canadian Psychological Association, a 40 Under Forty Award, and a Brock University President’s Distinguished Staff Service Award. Jayne will be presenting in a breakout session about knowledge translation and its role in quality improvement.
Dr. Sinéad McElhone- Breakout Session Presenter
Dr. Sinéad McElhone has an HBSc in Human Nutrition and a PhD in the large-scale epidemiological study of obesity in children and adolescents from Ulster University in Northern Ireland. She then worked at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia as a post-doc research fellow in the area of child obesity before obtaining a position as a Senior Lecturer/Program Lead at Leeds Beckett University in England within the areas of nutrition, epidemiology and public health for 6 years. She is currently the Acting Director of Organizational and Foundational Standards within Public Health and leads a large team of data, CQI, research & evaluation and communications experts. Up until the Pandemic, Sinéad developed and delivered both online and in-person courses at Brock University, and supervised Master students in areas related to Public Health, Epidemiology & Analytics and Health Equity. Sinéad will be presenting in a breakout session about data driven decision making.
Dr. Madelyn Law- Keynote Speaker
Dr. Madelyn Law is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences and the Associate Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning at Brock University. Dr. Law is also the Founder and Director of the Interprofessional Education for Quality Improvement Program (I-EQUIP). Through this program, Dr. Law has mentored over 200 students and health professionals on 65 improvement projects across the Niagara Region. Through her research and teaching, Dr. Law has mentored many students who have gone on to graduate programs in health services research or health professional degrees. Madelyn will be discussing how quality improvement and Building Back Better resonate on an individual level in her keynote speech.
Posters
Attendees will have the opportunity to present their own quality improvement or healthcare-related abstracts during a storyboard presentation session. For this conference, we will be showcasing a wide variety of projects through the narration of storyboards. This is a unique method of organizing processes of information, into a visually appealing sequential story for health that aims to improve the organization and delivery of healthcare services.