As we welcome 2012, ELF is excited to continue with our theme for the year, “Sustainability and the Future of Healthcare”. Throughout 2012, ELF will explore the future of our healthcare system and the shifts we will need to make to ensure that it can serve us for generations to come.

We are very pleased to announce our winter-spring lineup featuring some of the industry’s most dynamic leaders who will speak about the roles of various sectors in reducing demand and structuring our system for long-term success. We hope this year’s events help to increase your awareness of the opportunities that we have as emerging leaders to think outside of the box and contribute to solutions.

 Speaker Series Event #16: February 29, 2012
 Mary Jo Haddad, President & CEO,  The Hospital for Sick Children
Mary Jo was appointed President and CEO of SickKids in 2004. Since joining the hospital in 1984, she has held several leadership positions, including Executive VP and COO, Chief Nurse Executive, VP Child Health Services, and Director of Neonatology and Critical Care. Mary Jo is the Board Chair of MaRS Innovation and Chair Provincial Council for Maternal Child Health. Mary Jo lectures at the University of Toronto Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and Rotman School of Business. She is also a mentor for aspiring leaders from the Women’s Executive Network and Creative Institute for Toronto’s Young Leaders. Mary Jo was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in June 2010.

Development Seminar #7: April 17, 2012
Louis Thériault, Director, Health Economics, Canadian Alliance for Sustainable Healthcare
Louis joined The Conference Board of Canada in 1997, where he specializes in product development and in macroeconomic and microeconomic analysis. He was first responsible for the model design, empirical analysis, and marketing of the Metropolitan Outlook Service, including a quarterly economic forecast for large Canadian urban centres. In 2003, he launched the Canadian Industrial Outlook Service, analyzing economic and financial trends in large industries. More recently, he was Director of the International Trade and Investment Centre, which offers Canadian business leaders and policy-makers forward-looking analysis related to the implications of the ongoing restructuring of global production. He is an expert in health economics modeling and forecasting, and has been involved in numerous partnership projects that require database and model simulation expertise. 

Learn more about CASHC at http://www.conferenceboard.ca/CASHC/default.aspx

Speaker Series Event #17: June 27, 2012
Dr. Catherine Zahn, President & CEO, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Dr. Zahn joined the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health(CAMH) as President and Chief Executive Officer in December, 2009. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Zahn was Executive Vice President, Clinical Programs and Practice, at the University Health Network (UHN). Her reputation in hospital integration and her leadership of the renaissance of the Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) are recent accomplishments in a career that spans over 25 years.  Previous UHN positions have included Vice President and COO of TWH, Program Medical Director for Neuroscience and Division Head for Neurology. She was the inaugural chair holder for the Krembil Family Chair in Neurology. Dr. Zahn is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and a Professor in the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.

On the evening of December 6, 2011, Dr. David Mowat, Medical Officer of Health at the Region of Peel Public Health , met with ELF members to discuss the role of public health in the sustainability of the healthcare system.  Dr. Mowat’s presentation focused on the rise of chronic diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, which have surpassed infectious diseases as the leading cause of mortality and are the biggest threat to the sustainability of the healthcare system. 

Rather than focusing on the causes of disease, Dr. Mowat suggested we look at the “causes of the cause”, which are the determinants of health.  Determinants of health can be social and economic factors such as income, social status, education and literacy, working conditions, culture, gender, and social support networks.  Currently in the Peel region there is a nine-year life expectancy difference between the population at the highest income level and at the lowest income level.  While addressing determinants may seem like an overwhelming and nearly impossible challenge, Dr. Mowat argued that strategic, targeted action on determinants could have a greater impact on population health, and the sustainability of our health system, than most medical interventions.

Insights from Dr. Mowat’s experience as Medical Officer of Health:

• Need to ensure that everyone understands the difference between public health and publicly-funded healthcare – if public health efforts are successful, the use of publicly-funded healthcare can be decreased.
• Once identified as “welfare medicine”, helping the least fortunate, modern public health looks at probabilities and whole populations and, therefore, outcomes are very long term (e.g., the anti-smoking campaign). It is a less concrete, and therefore less politically attractive investment than capital, like hospital buildings.
• There is a relationship between urban planning and health. For example, low population density and increased car dependencies have reduced opportunities for utilitarian physical activity. Research shows a direct link between the “walkability” of a neighbourhood and the prevalence of chronic diseases within the area.  Peel Region is addressing this in new housing developments, along the entire spectrum of policy – through more than a dozen levels of regulation.
• Governments will allocate more of their budget to healthcare; however, even with the additional funds there is no guarantee that the system will be sustainable.  For example, if we were to completely eliminate class 3 obesity (BMI:40+) say, through bariatric surgery, it would only result in a 3% reduction in the prevalence of diabetes, and a 1% reduction in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, at a cost of $460,000,000!
• The critical social question in public health will always be the role of the individual vs. the state. The government pays for healthcare through public funds, so what is the public’s responsibility to be healthy? How much importance should be placed on individual autonomy compared to the good of the public? 

How can we influence change?

• Engage and inform the public – efforts to continue elevating health literacy will enable people to make better choices and help to de-normalize unhealthy choices.
• Guide choices through incentives and policy changes. Restrict and/or eliminate unhealthy choices.
• Make the healthy choice the easy one. People have a tendency to do the “easy” thing so leverage this behaviour to improve health in the overall population. 

Five Fun Facts about Dr. Mowat – Rapid-Fire Questions:

ELF:  Convertible or SUV?  
Dr. Mowat:  Convertible

ELF:  Favourite junk food?   
Dr. Mowat:  Pizza

ELF:  If you weren’t Medical Officer of Health, you’d be…?  
Dr. Mowat:  A landscape gardener

ELF: If you could magically fix one problem in healthcare, it would be…?
Dr. Mowat:  Underfunding of Peel Public Health

ELF:   If you could only have one item on a deserted island?
Dr. Mowat:  A wine cellar!

Related Materials

• Presentation slides
• PDF of Event Summary

Join us on December 6th, 2011 as ELF hosts Dr. David Mowat, Medical Officer of Health at the Region of Peel and demonstrated leader in building our national public health agency post SARS. This development seminar will focus on how to influence change in healthcare by illustrating the evolving role of public health within the broader health system. ELF’s Development Seminars are intimate events designed for practical, hands-on learning about a specific knowledge area or skill. 

Topics to be discussed at this Development Seminar will include:

• How the evolution of the public health sector has influenced the healthcare system
• How to recognize the forces of change and capitalize on opportunities
• How to build and leverage relationships with key stakeholders to advance organizational objectives and achieve greater impact
• Looking to the future – what is the role of public health in the sustainability of our health system

This development seminar is the first event in ELF’s event series on Sustainability and the Future of Healthcare. This year, ELF will explore the future of the healthcare system and the shifts needed to ensure that it is able to serve us for generations to come.

We will feature healthcare leaders from across the system who will speak about the roles of various sectors in reducing demand and structuring our system for long-term success.

Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Time: 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Oakham House – Thomas Lounge, Ryerson University, 63 Gould St.
Registration Details:  As always, participation is free for ELF members. Please note that registration is limited to 25 participants. Click here to register

Agenda
5:30-6:00pm      Registration, networking and refreshments
6:00-7:15pm      Guest speaker
7:15-8:00pm      Networking

About our Development Seminar Speaker:
Dr. David Mowat, Medical Officer of Health

Dr. David Mowat is the Medical Officer of Health for the Region of Peel. In this role, he is responsible for protecting and promoting the health of more than one million people in Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga.

Prior to joining the Region of Peel in 2007, Dr. Mowat was the Deputy Chief Public Health Officer for Canada during the formative years of the Public Health Agency of Canada, where he was responsible for strengthening public health practice, knowledge translation and the development of the public health workforce. In that role he participated in many federal/provincial/territorial committees and national initiatives.

Previous appointments include Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario, and senior positions at Health Canada, including Director General, Centre for Surveillance Coordination and Director General, Office of Public Health Practice.

One of the biggest issues in healthcare today is the sustainability of our health system. This year, ELF will explore the future of the healthcare system and the shifts we will need to make to ensure that it is able to serve us for generations to come. We will feature healthcare leaders from across the system who will speak about the roles of various sectors in reducing demand and structuring our system for long-term success. The theme is meant to generate discussion, increase awareness and inspire emerging leaders to think outside of the box.

Save the date! Our official launch event will be held on December 6, 2011.

Details and registration information will be released later this week. As always, participation is FREE for ELF members.

Once again we are inviting a number of established leaders, including Dr. Bob Bell (CEO, UHN), Dr. Ben Chan (CEO, Health Quality Ontario), and Tom Closson (CEO, OHA), to join us for a drink at our annual summer social.

Date:           Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Time:           5:30pm – 8:00pm
Location:    Peridot Resto Lounge – 81 Bloor Street East
RSVP:          Register by August 15 to enable planning (click here to register)

Why you should come:

• Network with some of Ontario’s most respected leaders in healthcare — don’t forget to bring your business cards!
• Meet and mingle with colleagues from many sectors of healthcare, including hospitals, community care, government, provincial agencies, health professionals, technology vendors and consulting firms.
• Espace from the summer heat with a refreshing drink!

See the application form for more information and instructions. We have also attached the Committee’s Terms of Reference and a background document on ELF.

Submissions due by July 15, 2011.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity – feel free to contact one of the existing committee members!

• Gia Marasco, ELF Coordinator
• Vincent Ng, Communications Lead
• Pooja Bhatia, Speaker Series Lead
• Kelly Kuru, Guided Leadership Series Lead

We will announce the selection of the new committee members by July 29, 2011.

Dr. Ed Brown is a founder and the CEO of Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN), one of the largest and most active integrated telemedicine networks in the world. Ed joined ELF to lead a discussion at our Speaker Series event, staying true to the spirit of ELF by keeping this a dialogue between members and senior leadership rather than just a presentation. Dr. Brown encouraged discussion throughout, and there was no shortage of thought provoking comments and questions both from the audience and from Dr. Brown!

Some interesting facts that Dr. Brown shared with ELF:

• Healthcare is the number one reason people use the internet.
• There are currently 1,200 sites live with OTN technology and 500 in development.
• In 2010/11, OTN facilitated 132,000 medical consults, 13,157 administrative meetings and 11,400 education events.
• There are approximately 50 million physician visits per year in Canada. Only 0.2% of them are conducted using telemedicine. (There is major room for growth!)
• Over half of all telemedicine activity is related to mental health care. Logically this makes sense since consultations are predominantly verbal interactions. Plus, some patients find comfort in being physically distanced from the clinician.
• Telemedicine can have a dramatic impact on wait times for certain services. For example, with OTN store-forward technology dermatologists can view patient images remotely and provide a diagnosis in approx. 5.4 days.
• OTN has helped to avoid 61M kilometers of patient travel, saving the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care $25M in travel subsidies.
• Last year over 16M tons of emissions were avoided due as a result of reduced need for patient/clinician travel.

Questions & Answer with the Audience

Q: The impact on rural communities is obvious, but how is telemedicine making an impact on urban communities?

A: Urban healthcare providers have been leveraging OTN for consults and education uses. As an example, OTN has seen hospitals use its technology to enable medical residents to participate in virtual patient rounds rather than wasting valuable time commuting from site to site.

Q: How are healthcare professionals incentivized to use OTN?

A: Other than the improved access to care and potential for better outcomes, which are very strong drivers for clinicians, there are financial incentives to encourage the use of telemedicine. Physicians receive a 15% incentive in professional fees when OTN is used. As a comparison, Australia provides a 50% premium.

Q from Dr. Brown to ELF Members: How should OTN leverage social media?

Date & Time:
Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 from 5:30pm to 8:00pm

Location:
Hart House (Music Room), 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto

About our Guest Speaker:

Dr. Edward Brown
CEO, Ontario Telemedicine Network

Dr. Brown is a founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN), one of the largest and most active integrated telemedicine networks in the world. Under his leadership, OTN supports the delivery of care to more than 125,000 patients annually and access to health professional education to more than 360,000 learners at more than 1,200 sites.

Dr. Brown has won numerous awards for his work in telemedicine, including being chosen as one of the twenty-five “Transformational Canadians” by the Globe and Mail, CTV and L Press in December 2010. He sits as a Director on the Boards of OntarioMD and the American Telemedicine Association.

An emergency physician who studied mathematics and engineering before embarking on his medical career, Dr. Brown is a passionate advocate for the advancement of telemedicine as an important tool to improve access to care, quality of care and the sustainability of health care systems.

To RSVP to this event, please complete the registration form.

Click here for a PDF copy of this invitation, and please help us spread the word by passing this invitation on to anyone who might be interested.

Imagine an innovative approach to make our health and health care better using information or communications technologies – what’s your idea?

Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) has launched its ImagineNation Ideas Challenge, asking Canadians how they would improve health and health care through innovation in information and communications technologies (ICT). Infoway is looking for bold, new ideas — or creative combinations of existing ideas — and will award more than $35,000 to recognize the leading ideas. All Canadians – whether they work in the health system, receive health services, or care about the future of health care in Canada for other reasons – are invited to participate. Individuals or teams of up to five people may enter at www.imagineNationchallenge.ca.

Submissions will be accepted until May 15, 2011. Now is your chance to share your inspiration and perhaps be recognized for your creativity in transforming health care.

25 ELF members are invited to spend an evening with Michael Kessel discussing what role private healthcare can play in Canada’s healthcare system. Topics include:

• Complementing the public system
• Two-way knowledge sharing (i.e. best demonstrated practices, key learnings)
• Providing flexibility and additional resources to the system

Date & Time:
Wednesday, February 16, 2011; 5:30 – 7:30 PM

Location:
401 Bay Street, Suite 1600, Toronto

Participation is FREE for ELF members, but please note that registration will be limited to 25 participants only.

**NOTE: Capacity limit for this event has been reached. Stay tuned for future ELF events, or contact us if you would like to be placed on the waiting list.

About our Development Seminar Speaker:

Michael Kessel
CEO, Cleveland Clinic Canada

Cleveland Clinic Canada, established in downtown Toronto in 2006, offers a patient-centered experience, serving the medical, health and wellness needs of Canadians through an executive health program, medical and surgical specialists, and lifestyle management programs. Prior to coming to Cleveland Clinic Canada, Kessel served as Vice President of Business Development and Finance at the Center for Partnership Medicine for five years. He grew the program into the largest academically affiliated executive health program provider in Chicago and third largest in the country. Prior to the Center for Partnership Medicine, he co-founded and served as Chief Financial and Operations Officer of a web strategy and development firm. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern.