Spotlight Series
Bringing together diverse perspectives from across Canada to share what’s working, learn from progress and explore practical opportunities to improve healthcare.
- Topics
- Value-based care
- Technology
- Primary and community care
- Audience
Community organization
Healthcare leader
Person with lived/living experience
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About the Spotlight Series
Across Canada, people and organizations are working together to move care forward, making it safer, higher-quality, more equitable and accessible.
Healthcare Excellence Canada’s Spotlight Series brings together people and diverse perspectives from across the country to build on that momentum by sharing what’s working, what we’re learning and where there are opportunities to move further, faster.
Each conversation connects people, evidence and action to highlight promising approaches, share practical insights and explore how we can build on progress together.
What to expect
Spotlight Series conversations explore timely and emerging issues shaping healthcare across Canada. They bring together patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, leaders, communities and partners to share perspectives, experiences and lessons from across the health system.
Through our work with partners across the country, we also see emerging insights and promising approaches about what it takes to enable better care. The Spotlight Series creates a space to connect that learning with the expertise and experiences of others, and turn discussion into practical ideas, resources and opportunities for action.
Recent webinars
Explore recent Spotlight Series conversations on priority issues shaping healthcare improvement across Canada. Hear diverse perspectives, learn from promising approaches and discover practical insights you can apply in your own work.
October 27, 2026
Speakers:
Andrée Paul, Indigenous Patient and Family Navigator, CHU de Québec-Université Laval
Caroline Wong, Strategic Advisor, Centre of Excellence on Partnership with Patients and the Public
Antoine Désilets, Executive Director, Société Santé en français
Bruno Petrucci, Former CEO, CISSS de la Montérégie-Est
Host:
Chantale Leclerc, Healthcare Excellence Canada coach
Join us for this special edition of the Spotlight Series, guided by Canadian Patient Safety Week 2026’s theme, What Shapes Safer Care? This webinar will explore how factors such as language, cultural safety and people’s social realities can influence both the experience and safety of care.
Safer care can look different depending on where you experience the health system. People receiving care, delivering it and making decisions about how it is organized can each see risks, barriers and opportunities that others may not.
Everyone can contribute to shaping safer care. Looking at safety from different perspectives can help uncover factors that might otherwise be overlooked, including those that affect how people access, experience and participate in their care. It can also help identify where systems and practices need to change.
Our panelists of health system leaders, people working at the point of care and people with lived experience will share examples of initiatives addressing these factors and the lessons they offer for improving care.
Past webinars
Catch up on previous Spotlight Series conversations and explore the ideas, experiences and resources shared by participants from across the country.
October 28, 2025
Speakers:
Dr. Nancy Humber, Lillooet, British Columbia
Lorraine Thomas, Manager, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity Accessibility and Anti-Racism (IDEAA), Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Christie Ruff, Executive Director Culture & Wellbeing, Horizon Health Network
Harjeet Kaur, Patient Partner and Advocate
Host:
Andrea Piché, Senior Program Lead, Healthcare Excellence Canada
Join us for this special edition Spotlight Series, guided by Canadian Patient Safety Week 2025 theme, All Voices for Safer Care. This webinar will explore how safety is shaped not only by systems and policies but also by the voices of those delivering, receiving and supporting care.
Our panel will explore how we can strengthen safety, build trust and drive meaningful change by making space for all voices. Learn how to move from knowledge to action and how we can, together, make healthcare safer for everyone.
Please note that we hosted two Spotlight Series webinars for Canadian Patient Safety Week. The October 28 webinar was English-first with French simultaneous interpretation, and the October 30 webinar was French-first with English simultaneous interpretation. The speakers for each webinar will be different.
October 30, 2025
Speakers:
Tanya MacDonald, Director, Senior Living and Community Programs, Perley Health
Casandra Poitras, founder of Conseils Zèbre Politique and patient partner
Isabelle Savard, Regional Director Quebec, Accreditation Canada
Host:
Jérôme Ouellet, Director, Leadership Programs, Healthcare Excellence Canada
Join us for this special edition Spotlight Series, guided by Canadian Patient Safety Week 2025 theme, All Voices for Safer Care. This webinar will explore how safety is shaped not only by systems and policies but also by the voices of those delivering, receiving and supporting care.
Our panel will explore how we can strengthen safety, build trust and drive meaningful change by making space for all voices. Learn how to move from knowledge to action and how we can, together, make healthcare safer for everyone.
Please note that we hosted two Spotlight Series webinars for Canadian Patient Safety Week. The October 28 webinar was English-first with French simultaneous interpretation, and the October 30 webinar was French-first with English simultaneous interpretation. The speakers for each webinar will be different.
June 4, 2025
Speakers
Angela J. Sereda (she/her), ACP/CP, Senior Operations Manager, Mobile Integrated Health Program, Medavie Health Services West
Erin Ballah (she/her), Director, Primary Health Care, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Eastern Urban Zone, NL Health Services
Ron Beleno (he/him), Lived Experience Family Caregiver Advocate
Host
Colleen Ferris (she/her), Director, Innovations & Strategic Development
Discover how improving access to primary and community care can reduce pressures on emergency visits. We’ll examine strategies through various pathways, including primary care improvements, integrating care and workforce considerations, while working with and for patients.
The webinar will cover the impact of these approaches on emergency department visits, identify ways to enhance access to primary and community care, and share real-world examples and actionable insights.
February 6, 2025
Speakers:
OmiSoore Dryden, PhD, D., James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University; Co-lead, Co-founder of Black Health Education Collaborative (BHEC)
Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh, Executive Director of the Black Health Education Collaborative, Assistant Professor in the Clinical Public Health Division, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Host:
Carol Fancott, Director, Patient Safety, Equity, & Engagement, Healthcare Excellence Canada
In this webinar, we’ll discuss the historical and ongoing presence of anti-Black racism in medicine and healthcare, including its impact on patient safety and equity for Black people and communities. Participants will explore actionable strategies that healthcare leaders, organizations, and the broader system can implement to create safer, more equitable healthcare environments. Topics explored in this session will include successful initiatives that have effectively addressed anti-Black racism and practical steps to apply these lessons within health and care settings. Join us in this important conversation to ensure that all patients receive care that is safe, respectful and equitable.
Resources:
Check out the Black Health Primer online course (accredited) from Black Health Collaborative.
Explore ways to dismantle systemic inequities that impact the safety and quality of care through HEC’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Virtual Learning Exchange.
Learn more about the EXTRA™: Executive Training Program, HEC’s team-based, bilingual leadership development program.
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