There’s often an internalized stigma when we consider ourselves patients. But reality is, we’re all patients! From birth and beyond, we rely on our clinics, emergency departments, and public health systems and the experts. Our environments have been shaped over time to increase safety, wellness, and to satisfy our constitutional right to health and provide […]

To be included as an equal at tables with other health care partners, leaders and providers is simply awe-inspiring. Patient inclusion means that we are all equals and that we all have meaningful contributions to make. At e-Health, for example, patient partners are included at every step of the conference process from membership on planning […]

I once read that “teachers don’t teach for the income. Teachers teach for the outcome.” That is what motivates me to volunteer as a patient partner/advisor in the health care sector. Patient partners aren’t usually paid for their contributions and are often the only unpaid members at committees and conferences. We do this work because […]

Being a patient advisor has given me access to many discussions and learning opportunities not just within my home province of Alberta but has allowed me to gain insight into health care across Canada. I am able to bring a patient perspective to various panels, meetings, and projects, and experience has shown that it grounds […]

For the past 15 years, I have been a volunteer advocate for healthcare and in the last two years, have been a patient advocate for the eHealth Conference. Why would I do this and is it beneficial to improving healthcare? YES!!! My mantra for years has been to “personalize my healthcare”, from birth to death, […]

Who knew: romance and e-Health go together like candy and flowers. Wait, what? What possible connection can there be between a holiday that celebrates romance and a conference that celebrates digital health? It’s actually kind of obvious when you think about it. The people who come to e-Health are caring, passionate, and driven to improve […]

For some, the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year. But for me, it is e-Health season: a time to connect and meet new people in the e-Health field. This will be my fourth e-Health and I am excited for all the hot topics on the agenda this year. e-Health with Mental Health […]

How involved are you in making decisions and taking action to improve your health and wellness? How confident do you feel navigating the health system? With new opportunities provided by recent developments in digital health across Canada, more and more Canadians are taking their health care into their own hands — becoming engaged to improve […]

Electronic access to health care information and services for Canadians has slowly increased over the past decade with momentum growing in the past two years. Virtual care empowers individuals to manage how and where their personal health information is accessed, to securely communicate with health care providers, and has been shown to lead to reduced […]

May 28, 2019 – Toronto – The annual gala celebrating the Canadian Health Informatics Awards (the ‘CHIA Awards’) took place last night in Toronto. More than 400 Canadian health and technology professionals gathered Tuesday, May 27 at the Beanfield Centre for the CHIA Awards Gala honouring the digital health leaders and visionaries who are reimagining healthcare delivery in […]

On May 29th, I was honoured to speak at the closing session of the eHealth 2019 conference.  Although it was me up at the mic, a multitude of voices combined to create the words I spoke.  I was speaking on behalf of an amazing group of patient partners, advocates and now friends that attended the […]