Duska Kennedy

I am thrilled at the opportunity to join the Digital Health Canada Board of Directors now because of my extensive experience in the field, particularly through leadership in digital health across the acute, primary and community sectors in Ontario. As an active participant in Digital Health Canada over the last decade, I believe it has greatly benefited my growth as a digital health leader and I see this as an exciting opportunity to give back to the organization, my peers and support emerging digital health leaders in this exciting field. At this point in my career, I am passionate about advancing digital health initiatives and believe I can offer valuable insights and lived experience to drive positive change. I have seen how innovative technologies can directly impact patients’ lives. From remote monitoring to personalized treatment plans, these advancements not only enhance the patient experience but also empower patients to take greater control over their health journey. By contributing to this board, it would provide me with the opportunity to amplify my impact and learning to a national scale. Finally, I would also welcome the opportunity to strengthen my network and help forge new peer and vendor connections to drive change in the communities I serve locally.

Excellence for Members

• As a long-standing Digital Health Canada member, I can share ideas for innovative new virtual member offerings and improvement opportunities for in-person events
• As an academic digital health instructor at the University of Toronto and my role leading digital health planning at a regional community level, I can identify opportunities to expand the network across new healthcare settings and to new sectors (e.g., research and education)
• I will share my learnings from key strategic partnerships that I have developed in my Chief Digital Officer role and help solicit opportunities for additional external funding support

Acting for Equity

• I believe my experience in fostering trusting and reciprocal relationships will be crucial in reaching out to groups that may currently be underrepresented within Digital Health Canada. For example, I have been a committed mentor in KPMG’s Network of Women in the GTA.
• I was also the digital health equity lead at North York General that introduced the new provincial health equity measurement survey and can shared lived experience delivering digital health solutions to support equity data capture, including the change management aspects for patients and staff.
• Draw on my experience as a women leader and mentor to emerging leaders to help deepen Digital Health Canada’s understanding of what both existing and potential members require to feel a sense of belonging within the organization and the broader industry.

Leadership for Industry

• By leveraging my networking skills and experience in collaboration at local, regional, and provincial tables, I can play a key role in leading and developing intersectoral partner roundtables. I am quite adept at bringing together stakeholders from various sectors within the digital health ecosystem and facilitating collaborative discussions.
• I am the corporate strategy lead at North York General Hospital, and I look forward to the opportunity to leverage this broader strategic skillset to work with Digital Health Canada on the execution, reporting and measurement of its updated strategic plan.

1. Possess cross sectoral digital health experience in the acute, community and primary care settings
2. Demonstrated leadership and board governance experience serving as a Director on a national board (HealthPRO Canada), including as the Chair of the IT Sub-Committee
3. Track record of collaboration and leading system level change, including current roles as Co-Chair of the Provincial Oracle Health Collaborative, Chair of the Provincial Tri-HIS Collaborative, Consortium Executive Sponsor on the Provincial Evidence to Practice Program
4. Highly passionate and experienced in patient-centred design
5. Robust strategic planning, reporting and evaluation experience
6. Experience with diversity and health equity from a leadership and implementation perspective
7. Experience with programs developing and recruiting emerging leaders

No.

• Executives/CIOs
• Leaders
• Academic & Research
• Healthcare Institutions

During my tenure as VP and Chief Digital Officer, the team I lead at North York General Hospital has been highly engaged with Digital Health Canada. Over the past two years, we have delivered over five presentations at the annual eHealth conference, focusing on sharing our digital health insights derived from our local initiatives and leadership roles within Ontario. Notably, I spoke at the 2023 eHealth conference and served as a CIO Panelist at the 2023 UpOnDigital Conference. Additionally, I have contributed as a speaker on Webinar Wednesday sessions, while my team has consistently participated as presenters in this forum.

• HealthPRO Canada, Director on Board of Governors, Chair of IT Sub-Committee of the Board (June 2021 to present)
• Chair North York Toronto Health Partners Digital Working Group (Current)
• Co-Chair of the Provincial Oracle Health Collaborative (Current)
• Co-Chair of the Provincial Tri-HIS Collaborative (Current)

In my 20+ year career including now in my role as Vice President of Strategy, Digital Health, and Chief Digital Officer at North York General Hospital I have demonstrated my strategic leadership abilities. I have spearheaded innovative digital technology solutions and have a deep understanding of how to transform healthcare delivery through digital means.

My experience in designing and implementing innovative digital health solutions, including patient portals, health information systems, digital patient identity, remote patient monitoring, and artificial intelligence capabilities, showcases my proficiency in leveraging technology to improve patient care and operational efficiency.

My background includes stakeholder engagement and team building, essential skills for collaborating with diverse stakeholders within Digital Health Canada to advance the Canadian digital health industry collaboratively. I also value the benefit of learning from peers at a national level and believe there is considerable benefit to making these learnings and best practices accessible to all members.

My track record of managing large-scale healthcare systems implementations and leading strategic planning efforts across different healthcare sectors demonstrates my operational expertise and competency to work across a number of healthcare sectors and within different levels of government.

Lastly, my passion for exploring innovative ways to transform the patient and provider experience aligns with Digital Health Canada’s mission to advance digital health initiatives and ensure that Canada remains at the forefront of digital healthcare innovation.