Message from the President
We hope you enjoy this issue of the e-newsletter. Check out the newly expanded section called "Leadership and Innovation", where grads' contributions to health and health care are noted. And do let us know about your [or your colleagues'] news; we would love to publish it in future issues.
Changing emails? Please let Tina know at tina.smith@utoronto.ca , so you will receive your e-newsletter.
Jennifer Clarke, President
The SOG Annual General Meeting - October 6, 2004
This year's Annual General Meeting, sponsored by DINMAR, was about recognizing our alumni… and a little bit of business. Members of our 2003-04 Executive Committee worked tirelessly to ensure high quality events, timely communications and significant improvements to our many deliverables… All members have returned for another term, and we have welcomed two new members as well. Your 2004-05 Executive Committee are:
| Jennifer Clarke | ('92) | President |
| Nasir Noormohammed | ('92) | Past President |
| Charissa Levy | ('00) | Treasurer |
| Lisa Newman | ('98) | Secretary & Chair, Communications |
| David Thomas | ('89) | Chair, Membership Services |
| Anne Wojtak | ('94) | Co-Chair, Education |
| Rob Crawford | ('98) | o-Chair, Education |
| Meg Sheehan | ('95) | Member at Large |
| Pat Debrusk | ('04) | Member at Large |
| Khanum Keshavjee | ('82) | Member at Large |
| Tina Smith | ('86) | HPME Representative |
| Sid Stacey | ('82) | Member at Large |
| Ken Tremblay | ('80) | Member at Large |
| Malak Sidky | ('93) | Business Manager |
| Shannon Madden | PhD Student Rep | |
| Clarys Tirel | MHSc, 2nd year Student Rep | |
| Sean Malloy | MHSc 1st year Student Rep |
AGM Award Winners
I am pleased to announce that Malcolm Moffat was the recipient of this year’s Leadership Award, and Deborah Tregunno was the recipient of this year’s Graduate Literary Award.
Dr. Tregunno received the literary award for her publication entitled "Competing Values of Emergency Department Performance: Balancing Multiple Stakeholder Perspectives." Deborah is a PhD graduate of the class of 2002 and this publication is a direct result of her dissertation on this topic. She also holds a Masters degree from the University of Alberta (1985).
Prior to her doctoral studies, Deborah worked in a variety of management positions, most recently as a Program Director at Sunnybrook Hospital . She has a long standing interest in issues of quality improvement, how to best meet departmental objectives, and harmonizing different stakeholder perspectives in assessing performance. Deborah is currently an Assistant Professor at York 's University's School of Health Policy and Management as well as the School of Nursing . The award-winning article, co-authored by Drs. Ross Baker, Jan Barnsley and Michael Murray, was published in Health Services Research 39:4, Part 1 (August 2004). Congratulations Deborah!
To read about Malcolm Moffat's leadership contribution to the rehabilitation field of health care, please see his profile in the Leadership and Innovation section.
AGM Key Note Speaker
We were very fortunate this year to have a very special guest speaker, Sister Elizabeth Davis ('85). It is virtually impossible to summarize Sister Elizabeth's speech in mere words. Simple text cannot duplicate the emotion and conviction with which Sister Elizabeth delivered her message. There is no way to do justice to the very personal and special anecdotes that Sister Elizabeth shared with us, and we feel so privileged to have heard. Sister Elizabeth made all of us laugh and many of us cry… but most importantly, she made all of us listen.
I would like to try to recount one very powerful analogy that Sister Elizabeth described to us… that of the Inukshuk and how it symbolizes today's leader. Inukshuk are created by Canada's First Nations people by piling various-sized rocks one on top of the other, carefully balancing them so that they miraculously maintain their shapes despite weather and time. The Inukshuk are often formed in the shape of a person and are regarded as works of art by many. But the Inukshuk perform a very valuable service as a form of communication amongst nomadic tribes often separated by great distances. Each Inukshuk tells a story… one may point to a spot where the fishing is good… another may indicate that there is food buried beneath… yet another may indicate that the last group went that way… Although they are nomadic and distant, through the Inukshuk, these tribes have a real sense of community. The magic of the Inukshuk is accentuated by the fact that they can only be made from broken rocks…. Something new is created from the pieces that most would view as broken or useless!
Leaders today are challenged to create a sense of community and shared vision within organizations that often span multiple campuses separated by great distance. Leaders today are challenged to make difficult decisions that many view as dismantling the culture, history and integrity of organizations that have existed for decades… Leaders are surrounded by broken "rocks". And yet, the true leader, will use those broken rocks to create a work of art that tells a story to those who will come after. The artist does not always receive direct credit for his/ her work…. but must be contented by the fact that he/ she is an architect of progress.
Thank you, Sister Elizabeth, for your honesty, your insightfulness and most of all your inspiration.
VIEW Sister Elizabeth's presentation: "Leaders Today: Finding The Good, Holdin' Ground" (PowerPoint).
Welcome to New Business Manager - Malak Sidky
Malak Sidky has agreed to re-join the Executive Committee as our Business Manager. Malak is a graduate of the HPME class of 1993 and held the Business Manager position from 1991-1996. Malak is also doing some contract work for Novo Nordisk Canada , and Cercle de l'Amitié, a Francophone cultural organization. Malak can be reached at msidky@rogers.com.
First Joint Annual CCHSE/HPME Professional Education Day
On January 18, 2005 , the Canadian College of Health Services Executives (CCHSE), GTA Chapter, and the HPME Society of Graduates will host their first joint professional development event: "Does Culture Eat Strategy for Lunch?"
The keynote speaker is Brian Lee, President, Custom Learning Systems. Brian brings a wealth of experience in the leadership arena and works with organizations in improving corporate culture in order to be successful in reaching strategic goals. For more information on this event, please see the HPME website: www.utoronto.ca/hpme/alumni/alumni.htm
This event will be held from 8:30-12:30 , followed by lunch, at the Park Hyatt Hotel at a cost of $125. To register, please contact Malak Sidky at msidky@rogers.com or call 905-281-5001 ext. 3045. If you are a CCHSE member, please register on the CCHSE website www.cchse.org.
Please note that this is a 3.5 MOC Category 1 event.