Emily O’Sullivan is currently a Managing Director at Accenture, and is responsible for oversight of Accenture’s EMR/CIS Practice amongst leading a large-scale Canadian clinical transformation. She is a registered nurse with a career that spans clinical care, digital health strategy, and the execution of complex, multi-jurisdictional health system transformations. She began her career in acute care settings after training in Australia and practicing in England, before returning to Canada where she completed a diploma in Information Technology while continuing to work clinically. Her entry into informatics began in a hospital project management office, where she supported enterprise system rollouts and began building her expertise in digital enablement.
Over the past two decades, Emily has led and contributed to a wide range of digital health initiatives across Canada, the U.S., and the UK, in roles across health systems, government, and private sector consulting. Her experience includes:
- Oversight of a province-wide implementation of a clinical information system (CIS), involving stakeholder alignment, risk mitigation, vendor management, and provincial governance coordination.
- Leadership of a regional eReferral rollout, including integration with electronic health records, strategic direction setting, stakeholder onboarding, and roadmap development.
- Delivery of readiness assessments for hospitals and regional health organizations preparing for large-scale EHR transformations, with a focus on workflow alignment, change leadership, and clinical engagement.
- Management of multi-site clinical transformation programs using enterprise EHR platforms, including Cerner, Epic, and Sunrise Clinical Manager, with hands-on involvement from design through go-live support.
- Direction of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) initiatives across Ontario, including the design and provincial rollout of digital chemotherapy ordering systems.
- Design and rollout of command centre operations to improve system-wide care coordination, including technology selection, clinical workflow redesign, and operational governance setup.
- Digital strategy development and operating model design for ministries of health, hospital networks, and pediatric academic institutions, balancing short-term delivery needs with long-term system goals.
Emily has held executive-level roles where she was responsible for CIS sales pipelines, resource planning, program delivery, and national thought leadership in digital health. She has built reusable assets for readiness, optimization, and risk assessment, and has supported health systems in advancing their digital maturity along global models such as EMRAM.
Her unique perspective—shaped by frontline clinical experience and senior roles in delivery and advisory functions—allows her to operate seamlessly across clinical, technical, and executive domains. Emily’s work reflects a commitment to delivering practical, patient-centered digital health solutions that are grounded in operational realities and designed for scale.
Emily has been a Digital Health Canada Member for many years.
Why do you want to join the Digital Health Canada Board of Directors at this point in your career?As a registered nurse who transitioned from frontline care over 25 years ago, I have dedicated my career to advancing digital health across Canada. My journey—from clinical practice to leadership roles within the Ministry of Health, hospitals, vendor organizations, and consulting firms—has given me a unique, 360-degree view of our healthcare ecosystem.
Throughout these experiences, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of technology in improving care delivery, enhancing access, and supporting providers and patients alike. I believe strongly in the role Digital Health Canada plays in shaping the future of health innovation, and I’m eager to contribute to its mission.
Now, as a Managing Director at Accenture which truly blends technical capabilities with my clinical knowledge and experience, I have so much to offer. I bring to the table deep operational knowledge, policy and strategy experience, and a long-standing commitment to collaboration across sectors.
Digital Health Canada’s Strategy 2026 focuses on three strategic goals:
1) Excellence for Members: Growing and empowering the membership through tools and relationships.
2) Acting for Equity: Supporting the membership and advancing the network with equity, diversity, and inclusion.
3) Leadership for Industry: Distinguishing Digital Health Canada as a knowledge authority and enabler of innovation in the digital health industry.
With over 25 years dedicated to healthcare and digital health, my experience aligns with these goals as follows:
Excellence for Members: My diverse roles have equipped me to mentor and empower digital health professionals, fostering growth and collaboration within the community. Example – I recently sponsored ELF and am the Managing Director who is funding this file and sponsorship.
Acting for Equity: Collaborating across various healthcare sectors, I’ve championed inclusive strategies that address diverse patient populations and promote equitable access to digital health.
I offer a systems-thinking mindset grounded in real-world delivery. Having worked across government, healthcare organizations, vendors, and consulting firms, I bring a pragmatic understanding of how strategy translates into execution—especially in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. My experience spans policy development, vendor-side implementation, and front-line impact, which allows me to see challenges and opportunities through multiple lenses.
I also bring an ability to bridge clinical and technical conversations. As a nurse by background, I remain deeply connected to the core purpose of digital health—supporting better care and better outcomes. I’m known for bringing clarity to ambiguity, building momentum in challenging spaces, and managing the realities of change with empathy and focus.
Finally, I’m energized by the opportunity to contribute at the national level—to help shape the future of digital health in Canada by supporting professionals, championing equity, and creating space for thoughtful change.
Yes. Emily obtained her Nursing Diploma at Fanshawe College, her Nursing Degree in Australia, and worked as a Registered Nurse in England for many years on the cardiothoracic unit, and then in PACU. When she moved back to Canada, she worked at the University Health Network as an RN on the cardiac unit. When she was working at the Ministry of Health, she did some weekend work in Long-Term Care, as the portfolio she was managed at the Ministry focused on funding for LTC, and she wanted to learn the challenges firsthand. Emily maintains her Nursing license and stays relevant in areas of practice by way of her transformation and advisory work.
- Executives/CIOs
- Emerging Professionals
- Telehealth
- Clinicians
- Vendors
- IM/IT Practitioners
- Leaders
- Academic & Research
- Healthcare Institutions
- National eHealth Organizations
- Digital Health Entrepreneurs
- Walk for Wenjack, – The Walk for Wenjack is a national movement that encourages participants to walk in honor of Chanie Wenjack, a young Anishinaabe boy who died while trying to escape a residential school, and to reflect on Canada’s journey toward truth and reconciliation. The walk symbolizes a commitment to learning about Indigenous history, raising awareness, and taking meaningful action in support of reconciliation.
- Participate in every Accenture Pride activity including marches,
- I help foreign students with their resumes and help them to find work,
- I am an executive sponsor for ELF this year.
- And I am in a Leadership role at Accenture – I oversee our CIS/EMR/EHR book of business for Accenture Canada, key liaison for our Oracle Health partnership, in addition to being fully tapped into leadership delivery roles in support of eHealth.
I would be truly honoured to serve on the Digital Health Canada Board because this isn’t just professional for me—it’s my passion. I’ve spent my entire career at the intersection of care and technology, and I believe deeply in the potential of digital health to transform the way we deliver, experience, and manage healthcare in this country. This opportunity represents a chance to give back to a community and a mission that I care about deeply.
I bring decades of cross-sector experience—clinical, government, hospital, vendor, and consulting—which I will use to advocate for practical, patient-centered innovation that works in the real world. I’m passionate about supporting our members, growing leadership in the space, and creating a more connected, equitable digital health ecosystem across Canada.
If elected, I will show up with purpose, listen actively, contribute meaningfully, and help ensure that Digital Health Canada continues to be a powerful force for positive, lasting change. This is more than a board seat to me—it’s a chance to help shape a future for an improved way to deliver healthcare for Canadians that I believe in with all my heart as evidenced by the history of my career.
Bachelor of Nursing (BScN), University of Sydney Australia (1997)
Diploma in Applied Information Technology Institute (2000)
Project Management Professional (PMP) from Project Management Institute (PMI) (2003)
Masters of Business Administration (MBA), University of Phoenix, Arizona (2006)
Epic Certification (2013)
Introduction to Design Thinking (2016)