Candidate name: Stephanie Johnston
Title: Director, Information Technology
Organization: London Health Sciences Centre
Stephanie has been serving as Director, Information Technology since July 2022, supporting an expanding number of ITS portfolios including Corporate Solutions, Biomedical Engineering, Virtual Care, and most recently HelpDesk, Network Telecom, and Technology Solutions. In the two years prior, Stephanie served as Manager and Project Lead for Virtual Care for LHSC and St. Joseph’s. At the height of the pandemic and in a short period of time, she and her team achieved remarkable progress in Virtual Care, including the implementation of Prescription eFax, integration of OneChart Video Webex Appointments, and approval and initiation of Cerner’s HealtheLife Patient Portal. With over ten years of experience in strategic, collaborative, and leadership roles, Stephanie has experience leading health system change across hospitals, primary care and community mental health and addictions settings. She has a passion for codesign, quality improvement, health equity and the determinants of health, and health system transformation through technology. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master of Arts in Sociology, a LEAN Six Sigma Yellow Belt, and just received her Certified Health Executive (CHE) designation. With a strong commitment to community service, Stephanie has served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction & Mental Health Services since the formation of the new organization in 2021. Prior to this, she served in various Board roles with Addiction Services of Thames Valley for 6 years. In addition, Stephanie currently serves as an Ethics Facilitator within LHSC to infuse ethics into daily practice and decision-making.
How long have you been a member of Digital Health Canada?
1.5 years
Why do you want to join the Digital Health Canada Board of Directors at this point in your career?
Over the past 7+ years, I have served as a Board Member for a community mental health and addiction agency. With continued development in my professional career in Information Technology & Digital Health, I am seeking to better align my skills, knowledge, strengths and experience with Digital Health Canada and its future direction.
How does your experience align with the Digital Health Canada strategic plan and mandate?
Leaning into the strategic priorities of Digital Health Canada: Empowering Individuals, Knowledge sharing & life-long learning, and Advancement & advocacy are reminiscent of a day in the life of Stephanie. Over the past 3 years, I have been devoted to transforming the healthcare space through digital tools and technology in enhancing the healthcare experience with and for the people we serve. Leveraging a codesign framework, user-design principles, and agile methodology, I supported the implementation of a virtual care strategy across multi-hospitals including the development of an operational virtual care team to support the adoption and implementation of virtual care. Key outcomes have included: integrated video visits, prescription efax solution with our EHR, education/training, health equity framework, organizational policy enhancements to support clinical practice change, and the establishment of communities of practice to support teams in developing their shared knowledge for change. A key piece of this change has been constant and continuous advocacy with health system partners on the impacts of system-wide decisions on patients and physician practice.
What unique skills, perspectives and contributions would you bring to the Digital Health Canada Board?
- Codesigning with patients & family
- Significant background and experience in Health Equity & Social Justice
- Project planning & execution
- Quality improvement & evaluation
- Virtual care change leader
- Report writing & business case development
- Strong leadership capabilities (CHE)
- Strategic health futurist
Do you or have or have you ever had any direct patient care experience (clinical)?
While not a direct front-line staff offering clinical care, I have experience leading multidisciplinary teams in healthcare in delivering high-quality, collaborative, and person-centred care.
What segments within the Digital Health Canada community do you feel you will best represent?
- Emerging Professionals
- Telehealth
- Leaders
- Healthcare Institutions
With which Digital Health Canada committees, task groups or activities have you volunteered in the past five years? Describe your most significant contributions to Digital Health Canada’s mission.
This would be my first opportunity to contribute directly to Digital Health Canada. While I submitted an application for the work completed on health equity and codesign in digital care, I was not successful. That being said, fellow peers did participate in the work and extended the opportunity to connect with me and a couple of members of the virtual care team to ensure he was able to include our learnings in the development of this work for Digital Health Canada.
What other board appointments or relevant leadership experiences have you had in the past five years?
- July 2022 – Present: Director, Information Technology, LHSC
- June 2021 – July 2022: Manager, Virtual Care, LHSC
- November 2019 – June 2021: Project Lead, Virtual Care, LHSC & St. Joseph’s
- 2021 – Present: Board of Directors, CMHA, Thames Valley Addiction & Mental Health Services
- 2016-2021: Board of Directors & Vice Chair, Addiction Services of Thames Valley.
- 2019 – Present: Member of Canadian College of Health Leaders
- 2023: Completion of Certified Health Executive designation
Please tell us why you feel Digital Health Canada members should vote for you.
With my knowledge & experience, I can offer Digital Health Canada dynamic and valuable perspectives to drive meaningful change through digital health technologies. I feel strongly that my personal experience, codesign approach, professional knowledge & experience in this space coupled with strengths in strategic digital health transformation position me to assist Digital Health Canada in realizing the full potential of your strategic priorities.
Do you currently hold the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems – Canada (CPHIMS-CA) credential?
No
What is your educational background? Please list all degrees and designations.
- UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR. Master of Arts, Sociology
- UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO. Bachelor of Arts, Honours, Sociology
- Certified Health Executive (CHE)
- LEAN Yellow Belt
