Physician burnout and workforce attrition threaten the sustainability of rural healthcare. Hybrid care models, where virtual physicians support on-site teams in real time, reduce workload and improve professional well-being. Drawing on preliminary evidence from partnered hospitals and 2024 national provider survey results, findings show improved morale, work-life balance, and coverage stability. These results establish a foundation for ongoing evaluation with updated data to be included at next year’s conference.

Presented by:

Katherine Atkinson, Director, Health System Partnerships

Katherine Atkinson brings over 12 years of experience in health technology commercialization and a background in public health and epidemiology. Katherine has led multimillion-dollar partnerships with organizations, including the Gates Foundation, Pfizer, Sanofi, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Known for her strategic leadership, she has played a key role in developing business strategies, launching first-to-market products, and shaping conversations at global healthcare conferences. As Director of Health System Partnerships at Teladoc Health Canada, she collaborates with healthcare leaders across Canada to advance virtual care and improve access through innovative partnerships.

Dr. Tracey Parnell, MD, Chair for Primary Care and Rural Medicine

Dr. Tracey Parnell is a rural Canadian physician and researcher with a passion for medicine that empowers patients and providers. She is currently the Teladoc Health Canada Chair for Primary Care and Rural Medicine, while still maintaining an active and diverse clinical practice. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia and was previously the Research Evaluation and Quality Improvement Sector Lead for the Rural Coordination Centre of BC, which works on behalf of the Joint Standing Committee, an entity that advises the BC government and the Doctors of BC.

She has a heart for providing care for underserved communities, especially those in war torn environments; she has been honoured to care for the most injured and vulnerable on the front lines of Ukraine multiple times since 2022. Believing strongly that patients deserve answers to their question of what is wrong and how can it be fixed, her clinical and research work includes restorative reproductive health, particularly PCOS and endometriosis, focusing on addressing underlying issues contributing to fertility.

Jennifer Brunet, Clinical Operations Supervisor, Teladoc Health

Jennifer Brunet is a Canadian Registered Nurse with over a decade of experience in high‑acuity clinical environments, including intensive care units and emergency departments across Canada and the United States, as well as public health practice in Jamaica. She currently serves as the Clinical Operations Supervisor at Teladoc Health, where she provides operational and clinical leadership to the patient flow team supporting virtual acute care programs nationwide. In this role, Jennifer also plays a key role in the planning and execution of new hybrid care program launches across Canada, bridging frontline clinical expertise with scalable, innovative care delivery models.

Earn One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) for attending this webinar. 

Webinar Wednesday attendance is one of the benefits of Digital Health Canada Membership. Not a member yet? Join Digital Health Canada to enjoy Webinar Wednesdays and other benefits of membership. 

For over 35 years, HealthPartners has brought workplaces, health charities and the communities of people with lived experience they serve together under one shared purpose – to improve the lives of those affected by illness. 

The HealthPartners Health Advisory Network is an online community initiative by HealthPartners designed to elevate the voice of people with lived experience in shaping Canada’s healthcare future. Grounded in the belief that better outcomes start with listening to patients and caregivers, the Network connects individuals who have experienced illness—or cared for someone who has—with learnings poised to influence donors and decision makers to help build a healthier Canada for us all.

Through this initiative, HealthPartners created a structured and accessible way for Canadians to contribute their perspectives virtually— ensuring that those most affected by healthcare decisions are meaningfully involved in shaping them. By bridging the gap between people with lived experiences and the health ecosystem, the Health Advisory Network offers a scalable model for embedding patient insight into system design and evaluation.

Our presentation will highlight how the Network operationalizes patient engagement at scale and share early learnings from our recent findings - highlighting the experiences of over 400 individuals who are part of this network. It will also explore the impact of integrating patient voices into decision-making — from improving the relevance of solutions to building greater trust and accountability across the healthcare system.

Presented by:

Shauna Almas, Chief Purpose Officer 

Shauna Almas is the Chief Impact Officer at HealthPartners, a purpose-motivated leader passionate about improving the health and well-being of Canadians. With an intentionally unconventional career spanning commercial, public, and not-for-profit sectors, she brings a unique blend of business acumen and mission-driven leadership. 

Shauna began her career in the life sciences industry, gaining cross-functional expertise in regulatory affairs, sales, and marketing. In the latter half of her career, she has applied that experience to the not-for-profit health sector to drive revenue growth and strategic partnerships nationally. 

She also finds deep fulfillment in serving her community – currently volunteering as a leader with her daughter’s Girl Guides unit and serving on the Board of Directors for her local hospital foundation. 

With a consultative, collaborative style, she lives by the African proverb: "Alone, we go faster. Together, we go further."

Earn One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) for attending this webinar. 

Webinar Wednesday attendance is one of the benefits of Digital Health Canada Membership. Not a member yet? Join Digital Health Canada to enjoy Webinar Wednesdays and other benefits of membership. 

This webinar will address the growing cybersecurity risks in Canadian healthcare by providing an overview of user benefits from a national training program co-developed with clinicians and experts. Designed to build resilience, the program equips healthcare professionals with essential knowledge and practical skills to protect sensitive health information. Evaluation results show strong improvements in awareness, confidence, and applied practices, highlighting the program’s effectiveness in fostering a culture of cybersecurity and shared accountability across clinical environments.

Presented by:

Dr. Ajantha Jayabarathan

A highly accomplished Family Physician, educator, and healthcare innovator, Ajantha Jayabarathan brings over three decades of clinical, academic, and leadership experience to the field of family medicine. As Director of Coral Shared-Care Health Center and Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University, Jayabarathan has pioneered digitally supported, collaborative care models, integrating multidisciplinary teams and advanced digital health solutions to enhance patient outcomes. 

Rajaei Qubrosi, Manager, Security 

Rajaei is an experienced Cybersecurity professional with a history of working in the banking and healthcare industries. With expertise in Cybersecurity Education, Security Operations, Threat & Vulnerability Management, and Policy Development, he currently leads the Security Program at Amplify Care. Rajaei effectively conveys complex security concepts to diverse audiences, facilitating cooperation and understanding among cross-functional teams and healthcare organizations across Canada. His leadership style is rooted in collaboration and empowerment, fostering an environment where security is ingrained in organizational culture

Samantha Bordage, Co-Lead

Samantha Bordage is a Marketing and Communications Specialist at Amplify Care, where she supports national digital health initiatives with a focus on engagement, awareness, and impact. She plays a key role in promoting Shield, a cybersecurity and privacy training program designed to strengthen knowledge and build confidence across the healthcare system.

With a background in Health Administration, Samantha is passionate about making complex digital health topics accessible and relevant to diverse audiences. Her work focuses on driving adoption, increasing participation, and supporting a more secure and resilient healthcare environment through education and communication.

Earn One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) for attending this webinar. 

Webinar Wednesday attendance is one of the benefits of Digital Health Canada Membership. Not a member yet? Join Digital Health Canada to enjoy Webinar Wednesdays and other benefits of membership. 

Launched in March 2024, the Government of Canada’s National Vaccine Catalogue (NVC) is a bilingual repository of all vaccines authorized for use in Canada, linking product specific information to standardized SNOMED CT terminology. It supports registry and EMR integration through a FHIR API and Excel outputs. Early findings show strong registry adoption but limited EMR uptake. Wider EMR adoption is essential to achieve interoperability, strengthen clinician point-of-care decision making, and enhance immunization data quality.

Presented by:

Dr. Etran Bouchouar

Dr. Etran Bouchouar is the lead for the National Vaccine Catalogue at the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Jessica MacDougall

Jessica MacDougall is the Program Lead, Continuous Improvement at the Department of Health and Wellness Nova Scotia.

Earn One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) for attending this webinar. 

Webinar Wednesday attendance is one of the benefits of Digital Health Canada Membership. Not a member yet? Join Digital Health Canada to enjoy Webinar Wednesdays and other benefits of membership. 

The topic will explore the future of healthcare in Canada through the lens of a dual-track model, where direct-to-consumer healthcare pathways complement rather than replace the public system. It contrasts Western healthcare models, which are largely provider-driven and reactive, with many Asian healthcare ecosystems that place greater emphasis on prevention, consumer access, and parallel care options. 

The core challenge is that physician-centric systems face long wait times, delayed diagnosis, resource bottlenecks, and insurance models that no longer fully match modern health needs. Drawing on examples from China and Japan, the presentation shows how preventative healthcare can shift the system from late-stage treatment to continuous health management. 

Presented by:

Sirena You, HealthByte Technology Inc.

Sirena You is a Vancouver-based serial entrepreneur, investor, and the founder of HealthByte Technology Inc., a platform advancing consumer-driven, preventative healthcare. She has founded and co-founded multiple companies across technology and innovation sectors, with ventures reaching billion-RMB scale and serving large global user bases.

Her career began in the ultra-high-net-worth market, including 10+ years of selling private jets,  where she developed a deep understanding of access, service models, and premium ecosystems. A pivotal turning point came during her time with Human Longevity Inc., a pioneer in genome-based precision healthcare, where she recognized that many of the most advanced health technologies remained accessible only to the wealthy.

This realization reshaped her mission. Today, Sirena is strong advocate for the democratization of healthcare in North America, focused on building and investing in direct-to-consumer (DTC) healthcare platforms that enable individuals to access preventative, data-driven health tools. Her work centers on empowering people to take control of their own health, while contributing to a more sustainable and accessible healthcare system.

Earn One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) for attending this webinar. 

Webinar Wednesday attendance is one of the benefits of Digital Health Canada Membership. Not a member yet? Join Digital Health Canada to enjoy Webinar Wednesdays and other benefits of membership. 

Join us for a reception following the conclusion of e-Health 2026 and to kick off the CHIEF Executive Forum Spring26 events. Reserve your spot by registering today or send an email confirming your attendance to chief@digitalhealthcanada.com.

Your CHIEF Membership includes registration at both the Spring and Fall Symposia and Receptions, however, to reserve your place and ensure everyone will be comfortably accommodated, separate confirmation is required for each of the events.

Join us for this knowledge-sharing, learning, and networking event with public and private sector digital health leaders from across Canada. Reserve your seat at the table where important digital health conversations happen.

All CHIEF Executive Forum members are invited to attend the CHIEF Executive Forum Spring26 Symposium, taking place in Halifax. We will kick things off with a reception following the conclusion of e-Health 2026 on June 16 and continue the conversation at the Spring26 Symposium on June 17.

Site Visits are part of the CHIEF Executive Forum Symposium experience. Continue the conversations started at the Symposium with a small group of industry leaders and decision-makers during the popular health-delivery organization site visits. 

Space is limited so we request only one representative from each organization register.