Canadian-Wide Collaborative Leadership Project Receives $2.7M from Ontario Government

A national collaborative leadership education partnership between the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM),Université Laval and Queen’s University,has received $2.7 million over three years from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC).  In addition to the substantial support from the five University partners and in-kind contributions of UBC andUniversité Laval, this grant has facilitated international recognition of innovation in health leadership program development across Canada and internationally.

The Canadian Interprofessional Health Leadership Collaborative (CIHLC) was chosen by the U.S. Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Board on Global Health as one of four innovation collaborative projects from around the world. The CIHLC will grow and pilot “leadership mobilization” ideas, outlined in the Lancet Commission Report,Health Professionals for a New Century: Transforming Education to Strengthen Health Systems in an Interdependent World . CIHLC’s vision is collaborative leadership for health system change to globally transform education and health.

In the 21st century, health systems have become so complex that they cannot be managed effectively by a few traditional leaders. Therefore, the CIHLC will develop, implement, evaluate and disseminate an evidence-based and commercially viable collaborative leadership education program. Targeted at emerging leaders in health care, the program will define and confer the competencies required to lead systems change and confront complex health challenges.

The leads for the five-university collaborative include:

• Sarita Verma , Deputy Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
• Maria Tassone , Director, Centre for Interprofessional Education Office, University of Toronto
• David Marsh , Associate Dean, Community Engagement, Northern Ontario School of Medicine
• Sue Berry , Executive Director, Integrated Clinical Learning, Northern Ontario School of Medicine
• Margo Paterson , Professor, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University
• Lesley Bainbridge , Director, Interprofessional Education, Faculty of Medicine University of British Columbia
• Emmanuelle Careau ,Professor, Rehabilitation  Department, Université Laval

“This funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care marks an important investment in health human resources. It will support our emerging leaders in acquiring new skills that prepare them to work with communities on very complex health and social situations. This program calls for a new approach to leadership that incorporates the strategic processes of community engagement,” said Sue Berry, NOSM’s Executive Director of Integrated Clinical Learning and CIHLC Co-Lead.

“The Northern Ontario School of Medicine looks forward to being part of this collaborative to encourage a positive revolution in the provision of equally-accessible health care. Educating leaders who can face the complexities of the current system is essential to improving the ever-evolving landscape of public health care provision,” added Dr. David Marsh, NOSM’s Associate Dean of Community Engagement and CIHLC Co-Lead.