Driving the Future of Digital Health: Fuelling the Next Generation

Shelagh’s career has been defined by a passion for digital health and its transformative ability to improve the patient and provider experience. In her previous national executive leadership roles in both the public and private sectors, Shelagh earned widespread recognition for her business development, relationship management, consensus-building, and communication skills. Shelagh was named as one of the Women Leaders in Digital Health (2017) and a Digital Health Canada Fellow (2023). A dedicated advocate for innovation and equity through digital health, Shelagh has shaped policy and practice through influential volunteer roles. She is currently Vice -Chair, Vision Loss Rehab Canada and has served as Vice Chair of SNOMED International, Board Chair of Digital Health Canada, and Board Director, Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). Notably, she played a key role in hiring Digital Health Canada’s first CEO during her tenure as Board President (2006-2008). Shelagh holds a B.Sc. in Applied Health Sciences from the University of Waterloo and is a Certified Professional in Health Information & Management Systems (CPHIMS-CA).

Mrs. Horton was born and raised in the northern community of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in Manitoba. She attended the NCN Roman Catholic Day School, the Guy Hill Residential School near The Pas, and the Assiniboia Residential School in Winnipeg. She graduated from the Victoria General Hospital in Winnipeg in 1970, obtained her public health nursing diploma from the University of Windsor, Ontario in 1978, and her BA and MPA from the University of Manitoba in 2000. Her professional nursing career includes: hospital work in Winkler, Manitoba, and Norway House; outpost nursing in Cross Lake, God’s Narrows-Gods River Nursing Stations, and in Arviat Nunavut; public health nursing in Thompson and, First Nation political organizations in the areas of health administration and health policy analysis. With experience in northern isolated community nursing and public health, she has developed a deep understanding of health issues pertaining to First Nations health. Her association with the Canadian Society of Circumpolar Health, the International Union of Circumpolar Health, and other international Indigenous research professional organizations, has provided her with further knowledge and a global perspective on health issues pertaining to Indigenous people. She was a member of the Canadian Institute of Health Research - Indigenous Peoples Health Advisory Board. She currently acts as a Owechiowew / Helper / Knowledge Keeper and advisor for the First Nations Health & Social Secretariat of Manitoba in their various research initiatives, plus other university research organizations. Her volunteer activities included work with Palliative Manitoba conferences; the Manitoba Multi-Faith spiritual committee and the Welcoming Winnipeg committee. She is the Co-president of the Assiniboia Residential School Legacy Group. Mrs. Horton practices her traditional ways and ceremonies. She has been married for 53 years, has 2 children. She is proud of her children’s accomplishments, Myles being a neurologist and Sara being a successful influencer with experience in traditional herbal medicine, yoga and on line tarot card readings. She is a proud Kookum of two grandsons, ages 12 and 10.

Duska Kennedy is the Vice President, Strategy and Digital Health and Chief Digital Officer at North York General Hospital in Toronto which is a leading community academic hospital in Canada offering acute care, ambulatory, and long-term services.She is a national health system leader and is focused on spearheading new digital technology solutions that transform the way we work and provide a connected care experience to the communities she serves. She is deeply passionate about exploring innovative ways to transform the patient and provider experience. Duska has had a 20+ year career with a variety of progressive leadership roles across both the private and public sectors. She brings a wealth of health care information management and information technology experience combined with a strong strategic orientation and project execution experience.

Duska has managed numerous large-scale health care systems implementations, led strategic planning efforts in the acute, community, and oncology sectors and held operational leadership roles at several healthcare organizations.

Duska holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts, Honorus Business Administration from The Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University.

Wendy Tegart is an accomplished professional who applies IT principles and best practices to deliver technology services that focus on operational and service excellence. Her over 25+ year career has been focused on operations management in various healthcare organizations including Alberta Health Services (AHS), Calgary Health Region, and University Health Services in Toronto. At AHS, Wendy leads a team of 225 IT professionals and oversees service desk management, access provisioning, identity management and directory services. For the past 2.5 years, Wendy serves as an elected Board Member for Digital Health Canada, is past-Treasurer and helps organizes the yearly Alberta regional event.

Waldo Beauséjour is a quantitative economist passionate about driving the future of digital health through data-driven insights. He holds a Master’s in Applied Economics from Eastern Michigan University and a B.Sc. in Quantitative Economics with a concentration in Statistics.

As Research Manager at Canada Health Infoway, Waldo leads and contributes to national research and evaluation initiatives on digital health adoption, equity, and innovation. Over the past five years, he has directed major studies such as the Canadian Digital Health Survey, the National Survey of Canadian Nurses (with CNA and CNIA), the 2024 National Survey of Canadian Physicians (with the CMA), the Canadian Interoperability Landscape Survey, and evaluations of Infoway’s recent AIScribe Program involving over 10,000 clinicians nationwide.

Waldo co-authored a peer-reviewed JMIR paper on digital health in nursing practice and contributed to Longwoods whitepapers on collaboration, environmental benefits of virtual care, and equitable access to personal health information.

Making Prevention as Easy as Treatment in the EMR

Point-of-Care Imaging for Early and Equitable Pressure Injury Detection

A Guideline-Based Clinical Decision Tool for Identifying Overdue Vaccinations in Pharmacy Practice

Building Digital Mental Health Innovations for Refugees in Canada

Vessence Biomedical: Better Outcomes for Managing Urinary Incontinence

Kaitlyn has been active in the Canadian healthcare system for 18 years. She bridges her health professional background, health informatics experience working in virtual care for 5 years and now practices as a privacy and AI risk management and strategy consultant with a special interest in children's privacy and technologies that support implementation of best practices.

Taranum Khan, Ph.D., PMP®, CCS, is an award-winning career strategist, recruitment expert, and 360Reach Certified Personal Branding specialist. She empowers professionals to build confidence, optimize their networks, and shine on social media to stand out in competitive job markets. Taranum’s precedent-setting work in employment, equity, recruitment, and immigrant settlement in Canada has earned national recognition. A best-selling author, facilitator, and dynamic speaker, she is passionate about creating meaningful impact. With her #maketheway mindset, she challenges norms and inspires transformation in career, recruitment, and academic journeys locally and globally. Her insights on hiring trends, job search, and personal branding have been featured in numerous publications, podcasts, and interviews. Known for her uplifting presence, Taranum helps individuals uncover their inner strengths and lead with authenticity. Her leadership in recruitment, education, and human services continues to influence systems and empower diverse communities. Taranum’s mission is to connect people to purpose-driven careers and lasting success.

Julie is a senior level Talent strategist with over 20 years of experience turning strategy into action and leading programs from inception to implementation. She has served a variety of industries, including financial services, digital health and technology. She is currently the Associate Director, Talent Management at SickKids Foundation, where she leads the talent management practice including talent acquisition and employee engagement. Previously, Julie was the Senior Director, Talent Initiatives at Toronto Finance International (TFI) where she worked with financial services leaders to identify key talent issues and opportunities an led joint projects to address them on a sectorwide level. Julie has also led future skills and upskilling and reskilling research, to help employers prepare their workforces to succeed in the future of work. She has created learning and development programs and learning pathways to drive employee engagement and career development.

Stephanie Rintoul is a Clinical Innovation Coordinator at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS). Liaising with diverse teams, she project manages the evaluation of health technologies within HHS’ hospital network, and identifies new project opportunities. Her project experience includes a remote patient monitoring program, an ondemand language translation application, and most recently, an imaging device for early detection of pressure injuries. Stephanie is a Certified Associate in Project Management, and holds a Master of Science, eHealth from McMaster University, and a Bachelor of Science, Bio-Medical Science from the University of Guelph.

Stephanie is committed to contributing to a digital health community promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing. She has been actively engaged in numerous Digital Health Canada initiatives, as a speaker for events, a participant in the inaugural mentorship program, and a member of the Emerging Professionals Working Group contributing to the recently released, first-of-its-kind, environmental scan of AI-driven clinical initiatives across Canada.

Hrudaya Wunudurthy is a Project Manager at PHSA within the Regional Digital Solutions portfolio, supporting the development, delivery, and management of digital and information technology solutions for Vancouver Coastal Health, the Provincial Health Services Authority, and Providence Health Care. This includes both clinical and corporate products such as CST Cerner.

With more than six years of experience across the healthcare and finance sectors, Hrudaya is recognized for her strong communication, collaborative approach, and ability to analyze and optimize complex systems. She thrives in cross-functional environments, ensuring effective coordination between stakeholders and project teams to drive successful project outcomes.

Hrudaya holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management from Manipal University, India, and a Master’s in Global Health Care Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey. Passionate about leveraging technology to enhance healthcare delivery, she is committed to advancing innovation and excellence across the projects she leads.

Based in Vancouver, BC, Hrudaya enjoys learning and practicing Indian classical dance in her spare time, embracing a balanced and holistic approach to both her personal and professional life.

Anne has 15 years of experience in digital health across Canadian government, hospital and community organizations. She is currently the Director of Clinical Applications and Decision Support at Women’s College Hospital, where she focuses on continuous improvement of the digital experience for clinicians and patients, as well as advancing the hospital’s data governance practices and data analytics maturity. Anne also serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for DigitalHealth Canada, as well as the co-chair of Ontario’s chapter of Networked Health. She is an adjunct professor in the Master of Health Informatics program at the University of Toronto, where she teaches Leadership in Digital Health Transformation. Anne holds a Master of Health Administration from the University of Toronto, as well as CPHIMS-CA and CIPP/CA designations.

Ezinne V. C. Onwuekwe is a digital health transformation professional with years of cross-continental experience reimagining healthcare systems through innovation, data, and people-first transformation. With a background in pharmacy, public health, project management and healthcare analytics; she has contributed to large-scale healthcare projects. These include the province-wide EMR implementation (One Person One Record) in Nova Scotia, Canada as well as coordinating multi-million-dollar public health initiatives across 55 African countries. Ezinne also contributes her expertise on several international advisory boards, including the International Pharmaceutical Federation’s (FIP) Technology Advisory Group, and serves as an ambassador in initiatives like Google Women Techmakers, supporting women in STEM in Nova Scotia and globally. A strong proponent of youth empowerment, Ezinne is committed to inspiring and mentoring the next generation of leaders in digital health. She does this through her work with Digital Nova Scotia’s Skills for Hire Atlantic and EduNova Study and Stay program. Her work continues to drive innovation in digital health solutions and capacity building for future healthcare leaders.

Diana Erazo is a Health Informatics student at George Brown College with a background in organizational psychology and business management. Before moving to Canada, she led large-scale mental-health and inclusion initiatives for one of Ecuador’s largest companies, designing data-driven programs that improved workforce wellbeing and psychological safety. In Canada, she applies that same systems mindset to digital health, focusing on data quality, equity, and patientcentred innovation. Diana volunteers with the Remote Care Monitoring team at Toronto Grace Health Centre, supporting virtual-care workflows that enhance patient safety and continuity of care. As an active student member of Digital Health Canada and a volunteer at the 2025 e-Health Conference & Tradeshow, she is passionate about connecting people, processes, and data to strengthen healthcare delivery through technology and collaboration.

Francesca D’Angelo is a Clinical Innovation Coordinator at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS), where she leads the planning and implementation of digital health projects. Francesca holds a Master’s degree in Creation and Management of Innovative Companies from the University of Barcelona and a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences from McMaster University. With over 4 years of experience in project coordination and research, Francesca effectively interacts with a range of clinical departments across HHS to gain insights into the challenges and barriers faced by patients and healthcare professionals, driving the integration of digital health solutions into practice to improve quality of care and patient outcomes.

Naima Salemohamed is a Health Strategy Consulting Manager at Accenture, where she has served as a Product Owner and Senior Project Manager across public and private sector initiatives. Her work is grounded in strong stakeholder engagement and a clear understanding of how patients move through the health system. Passionate about change management, she brings practical, people-focused approaches that help teams adopt new ways of working. She also explores how social media can influence health IT and uses online platforms to spark conversations about the future of care.

Naima first connected with Digital Health Canada as an undergraduate and attended her first eHealth conference in 2015. Since then, she has remained active through planning committees, student mentorship, and adjudicating association awards. She recently served as Conference Director for BCHIMSS and previously supported the chapter as Communications Director. She enjoys building community, coordinating events, and creating spaces that bring people together.

She holds an MSc in Health Informatics from the University of Toronto and a BSc in Health Information Science from the University of Victoria. Naima sits on the UVic Alumni Association board, volunteers within the Ismaili Community, and can often be found with a good book, a puzzle, or a cute café.

Gillian Strudwick is a Registered Nurse, holding the positions of Chief Clinical Informatics Officer and Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She is also an Associate Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. Dr. Strudwick serves as a board member for AMS Healthcare and the Village Family Health Team. She is a Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing.