Supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in health care

This week on Health Matters, PhD candidate Sayed Azher is one of this year’s winners of the Fiera Capital Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Health Care and shares how the award will help further his research. Nancy Perry Dossous explains the importance of an award to give researchers from underrepresented groups the support they need. Professor Martin Olivier describes a new RI-MUHC study that was selected as one of Quebec’s top scientific discoveries of 2022. And the MUHC Foundation has been named one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures; Julie Quenneville discusses the significance. 

Cette semaine à Questions de santé, le candidat au doctorat Sayed Azher, l’un des gagnants pour cette année du Prix Fiera Capital pour la diversité, l’équité et l’inclusion dans les soins de santé, explique comment ce prix l’aidera à poursuivre ses recherches. Nancy Perry Dossous explique l’importance d’un prix pour offrir aux chercheurs issus de groupes sous‑représentés le soutien dont ils et elles ont besoin. Le professeur Martin Olivier présente une nouvelle étude de l’IR-CUSM qui figure parmi les principales découvertes scientifiques au Québec en 2022. Et la Fondation du CUSM a été choisie parmi les cultures d’entreprise les plus admirées du Canada; Julie Quenneville discute de l’importance de cette reconnaissance.

Transcript

Tarah Schwartz: 0:00

Hello there. Thank you for joining us. I'm Tarah Schwartz and this is Health Matters on CJAD 800. On this week show, a study from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre was named one of Quebec's top scientific discoveries of 2022. It could make important progress in helping researchers find new ways to fight drug resistance in parasitic infections and this could be applied to other drug resistant conditions as well. To begin with though, under-representation in health and medical research funding is a real issue in today's world. To address this continued lack of diversity, the assets management firm Fiera Capital, and the MUHC Foundation launched the Fiera Capital Awards for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Health Care. Fiera Capital has committed $120,000 for the next three years, Sayed Azher is a doctoral student in experimental surgery, and is one of this year's five winners, thank you so much for joining us, Sayed.

Sayed Azher: 1:04

Thank you. Very nice to meet you.

Tarah Schwartz: 1:07

Nice to meet you as well. Now experimental surgery is your area of study; help us to understand what that is.

Sayed Azher: 1:16

Absolutely. Experimental surgery is essentially a field in medicine where there are different streams. Experimental surgery is an umbrella term that encompasses those streams. So there are things such as medical education where we look at how we can better medical education. There's another stream which is globalization, where it's just an overarching perspective on medicine. And then we even have streams such as surgical integration, where we're looking at ways in which we can innovate in medicine and improve and advance that field as a whole.

Tarah Schwartz: 1:52

And why did this area of research call to you?

Sayed Azher: 1:56

That's a very good question. Experimental surgery is one of the programs that really stood out to me when I was searching for a graduate program, I always wanted to become a doctor as a kid. And when I realized that I'd be pursuing a graduate degree prior to applying to medical school, I wanted something that would not only be related to medicine, but also allow me to explore my passions. Aside from the obvious passion of medicine and helping others, technology was always something that I loved from a very young age. And because of the experimental surgery offering a multitude of streams, I was able to find a professor who really took both of my research interests, which was medicine and technology and combined them. It was just a perfect fit for me.

Tarah Schwartz: 2:40

Okay, so tell us a little bit more about that combination and what is going to come from that? What comes from the combination of your medical interest and your interest in AI and technology?

Sayed Azher: 2:49

My interests are very broad. But there's a lot of innovation that's happening in this field of medicine and technology. One of my basic missions in my doctoral degree is looking at virtual simulation technology. So made using technology to train medical professionals and seeing how we can enhance current training, whether that's through supplementing it with a traditional training; how we can make doctors, better physicians, better nurses, and overall, just better health care providers using technology.

Tarah Schwartz: 3:24

When I think of technology, I think, Okay, are you using it to train them; for example, in how to do surgery better? How are you seeing it? I'm trying to see a little bit of what's inside your head. That's how I say it when I think you're training doctors. I think, oh, you're using it to help them learn how to be surgeons, but it's not just that, is it?

Sayed Azher: 3:43

Surgery is definitely part of it and it is a big part of it. But there are also other things. So when we talk about breaking bad news to a patient, procedural skills, how to put in an IV, what to do in certain cases of contamination, and what are the procedures that one must follow. There's such a broad spectrum of things that we can use technology for. This is where my work in virtual simulations is so key and imperative because virtual simulations are so broad. There's different types of simulations for all different types of physicians, nurses and health care providers. And surgery is one of the focuses that I'm also looking at where we're looking at how we can train orthopedic surgeons and performing specific procedures. So it is really just a very broad and beautiful innovation that we're looking at where we can tackle a bunch of different things.

Tarah Schwartz: 4:35

It sounds so fascinating, Sayed. We're speaking with Sayed Azher who is one of five winners of the Fiera Capital Awards for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for his research. I want you to give me even like a closer look at what your research is going to do. So you say, we're going to help them put in IVs, which is something I think everyone can relate to. You get a needle and they're about to go in. You're thinking oh, gosh, I hope you get the vein the first time right. That's what most of us are thinking. So how do you use technology and AI to help them do that? I think it's maybe an example that we can all relate to.

Sayed Azher: 5:09

As you mentioned, IVs is just a simple example and there's a lot more complex things in terms of procedures that you can train physicians on using technology. One of the things with virtual simulation and my work is we're looking at how we can best inform different health care institutes and figuring out what works best when it comes to teaching health care learners using virtual simulation technology. And of that, there's specific things that we can consider. One is, there's the headset-based virtual reality where you're wearing a headset, you're fully immersed using technology in your medical simulation. Or you can do it on a screen using a mouse and a keyboard, just figuring out what works best. Is performance better on one? Maybe some physicians find using the headset way better than using the screen. So my work looks at what is the best way to utilize this technology in medicine.

Tarah Schwartz: 6:06

In a way is it, Sayed, helping them practice?

Sayed Azher: 6:10

Yeah, absolutely. That's one of the beautiful things about technology is that it allows a lot more flexibility in medical practice and medical training. So we're not, you know, replacing the traditional training that doctors go through. But we can use technology to supplement that training, which I think is really wonderful. Because it allows that flexibility to come in where physicians, doctors, nurses, specialists, and other health care providers can learn at their own pace, and at their own time, which is really wonderful.

Tarah Schwartz: 6:43

It really is. And I think you explained it really well. It sounds like a really, really exciting field and it sounds like you're very passionate about it. I want to talk to you about the Fiera Capital Awards for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Health Care. You're one of five winners. You're the first one that we're speaking to. We will be speaking to all five. I want to know what it means to you to win this Fiera Capital award in its inaugural year.

Sayed Azher: 7:05

I'm actually beyond grateful to have won the award this year, not only because of what the award represents, but because of what it allows me to do in terms of my research. So for those who don't know, the Fiera Capital Award is rooted in the belief that diversity of thought and perspective is what really fuels the innovation in medicine. And to that extent, the word really contributes to breaking systematic barriers and racial inequalities in research. And to me, that signifies, a large stride towards inclusiveness and equity in the research space that I'm in. And I think that's wonderful. So I'm absolutely delighted to not only win the award, but to also know that this award will exist for the next few years for other deserving applicants that are dedicated to advancing medical research.

Tarah Schwartz: 7:49

Mm hmm. What are your thoughts on the need, you touched on it briefly, but on the need for this kind of award? Making sure that researchers are seen and given the resources they need, who are more underrepresented than other researchers? Because the gap is there- we've said it, you've addressed it as well. What is your thought on the need for this kind of award?

Sayed Azher: 8:15

I think it's very much needed, because a part of research and a part of medicine in general; medicine is not only science, but it is an art. There's different perspectives that other people have. I think underrepresented individuals aren't really able to bring those perspectives forward in their work because of these barriers. I think this award does a really great job in bringing those perspectives in and allows for a more inclusive space where we can recognize those perspectives and perhaps make changes based on those perspectives as well. So I think it's very important.

Tarah Schwartz: 8:51

And what has been the response among you and your colleagues in terms of showcasing the work of researchers who fall into that underrepresented category? What has been the reaction to this kind of award?

Sayed Azher: 9:06

The reaction is actually very receptive. I was quite shocked. I was with my supervisor when they told me about the award. I was taken aback I didn't really know that awards like this actually existed and I found it very wonderful. My colleagues as well. They also applied for the award and they were very grateful that they were able to apply for an award that was tailored towards them; being also underrepresented and racialized groups. They felt a sense of appreciation which I think was very important. I think it's very empowering that Fiera Capital is able to do this and I think they appreciate it. And I think it's a really good thing.

Tarah Schwartz: 9:48

It is a good thing and I want to I want to congratulate you, Sayed, on your win. Your research sounds incredibly exciting and I hope as you further it along, you come back and you tell us how going.

Sayed Azher: 10:00

Thank you very much.

Tarah Schwartz: 10:01

Thank you so much. Next up on Health Matters why it's important to support underrepresented or racialized groups in health and medical research. We continue the conversation. I'm Tarah Schwartz, welcome back to Health Matters on CJAD 800. Moments ago, we spoke with Sayed Azher who is a PhD candidate, and one of the awardees of the Fiera Capital Awards for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Health Care. This scholarship aims to recognize excellence in research and to close the gap between the lack of funding for racialized researchers compared with their white counterparts. There are five students who have won the Fiera Award this year, and we'll be speaking with each and every one of them on Health Matters. But we wanted to learn more about the award in general. Nancy Perry Dossous is the Director of Development at the MUHC Foundation and was instrumental in working with Fiera Capital on the award and bringing it to light. And she joins us now. Hi, Nancy.

Nancy Perry Dossous: 10:57

Hi Tarah.

Tarah Schwartz: 10:59

Now, people might not know what a director of development does. So let's start there with you explaining a little bit about your role at the MUHC Foundation.

Nancy Perry Dossous: 11:09

For sure, as a Director of Development, if you really wanted to boil it down to its simplest terms, I'm a fundraiser. You can look at the development team as the chief ambassadors for the foundation's mission. So for the MUHC Foundation, our mission is to change the course of lives and medicine. So we sort of live, breathe, eat, this concept. And we're working relentlessly to sort of connect innovative causes with people that want to help build a healthier community. You've heard some people say fundraisers are obsessed with money. We're not; we're obsessed with the mission that we believe in.

Tarah Schwartz: 11:45

Oh, I love that. And I know that everyone on the development team at the Foundation does as you say, eats, sleeps, breathes it. Now what inspired you to get into this line of work?

Nancy Perry Dossous: 11:56

I've always been married to working in non-profits. I've worked in different sectors. But I learned early on that I wanted to work in an organization whose mission and vision would outlast me. I didn't really want to work in a band-aid dispensary where the mission is just putting a patch on the problem. And that's why I was attracted to health care and more specifically the MUHC Foundation. Because I know even the tiny, miniscule, crumb of a role that I play in this giant medical innovation chasm is truly going to transform health care for the future for everyone.

Tarah Schwartz: 12:32

How do you define that? When you're trying to explain to somebody that this is going to last me; that what we're doing, the money that we're raising for the MUHC Foundation is having such an impact? How do you describe it to people? How do you get them inspired?

Nancy Perry Dossous: 12:48

It's no secret -we're the top hospital network in the province, one of the top ranking in the whole country. So we're working closely with disciplined innovators, bold thinkers, people that are pushing the needle forward, truly transforming health care. And they have to adhere to that. The research that's happening at MUHC, it can't just be simply based on new discoveries and knowledge gaps. It has to be translational, which means there has to be a focus on research that's actually going to transform the patient experience. It's all very measurable. It's all impact-based. Whether it's cardiology or respiratory or cancer, how are we changing the patient outcomes, the patient experience, making things more efficient, et cetera.

Tarah Schwartz: 13:41

We're speaking with Nancy Perry Dossous, who is the Director of Development at the MUHC Foundation. And she helped develop the Fiera Capital Awards for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Health Care. So Nancy, what was it like to work with Fiera Capital on creating this idea, this award?

Nancy Perry Dossous: 14:01

I'm super excited about this award because we know that historically, scientific funding hasn't always been equitable. We know for sure that there's been certain groups that have been underfunded and overlooked, which is unfortunate. It's not just a problem for these racialized communities; this is a shortfall for everyone. If we want world class research, it depends on the unique perspective that diverse minds bring to it. Studies show that underrepresented students actually innovate at higher rates than their majority counterparts. I was super excited to be brought into this. It was a big project between our former Board Chair Norm Steinberg and my colleague on development Edith, and working with Fiera to create this innovative award.

Tarah Schwartz: 14:51

Now, it was interesting because this award had a huge number of applications; more than the average award. What does that tell you?

Nancy Perry Dossous: 15:00

Wow, that was eye opening for everyone; including leadership at the Research Institute, to realize how important this was to the researchers. This is an advantage for everyone because scientific progress, it depends on novel ideas. And that's what these young trainees from all these underrepresented communities are bringing to the table. Anything less than that; any research that is not representative of our community; it fails everyone.

Tarah Schwartz: 15:32

The awardees have been chosen for this year. We just heard in our previous interview how enthusiastic Sayed Azher is, how this award is going to impact his work. How does it make you feel to know that you are part of the team that helped provide that opportunity for him and for the other four winners?

Nancy Perry Dossous: 15:49

I'm an idealist. I don't look at things how they are; I see the world how it could be right. And that's what really drove me to get into philanthropy. I see myself as a co-curator with other people that want to build a better community. But the cool thing about this; in regards to your question, is it shows me how philanthropy is a powerful tool to dismantle systems of oppression that create these gaps in care, and it shows just how powerful philanthropy can be.

Tarah Schwartz: 16:23

I know that you are going to have a sit down with the winners and Fiera so that the awardees, the ones who won this word can explain the research to Fiera Capital so that they can see what could be the impact of their donation. Are you excited to hear about all the different research projects? These five research projects that rose to the top in this year of this award?

Nancy Perry Dossous: 16:48

Absolutely. I'm excited as well for Fiera to see it. Fiera was really driven by impact. So they'll get to see it and hear firsthand the impact of their sport.

Tarah Schwartz: 17:00

Nancy Perry Dossous is the Director of Development of the MUHC Foundation. We're talking about an award, the Fiera Capital Awards for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Health Care, there were five winners this year. But Nancy, there are two years left for this award. So tell us how it works year over year.

Nancy Perry Dossous: 17:15

What we're going to do after this first year, we'll have a debrief with both the Research Institute, the MUHC Foundation and Fiera Capital, to look at our key learnings look at what was effective. Because obviously, we want to maximize the goal of this award and drive even more impact. So it's possible next year, we considered racial diversity, that's fine. But there's various forms of diversity. So we'll probably go back to the drawing board to figure out different ways to make sure we're staying true to our goal to create medical innovation.

Tarah Schwartz: 17:49

What do you like most about your job, Nancy?

Nancy Perry Dossous: 17:54

I have fierce empathy. But I think empathy alone is really impotent. It's just a feeling and it can kind of bring you down. But philanthropy is a belief in action. And I get to work in this really special place where I'm seeing all these needs. I'm seeing these diseases that need cures, these patients that are seeking the best possible treatments. But I'm also privileged to be in an area where there's a lot of wealth around us. There's a lot of generous individuals and foundations that really want to make an impact. So it's amazing to be a catalyst and that relationship.

Tarah Schwartz: 18:36

I always say to you, Nancy, that you speak so authentically and so passionately about what you do. I feel privileged to work alongside someone like you who reminds me of these important things every single time we speak. So thank you for that. And thank you for joining us on Health Matters.

Nancy Perry Dossous: 18:51

Thanks Tarah and same to you.

Tarah Schwartz: 18:52

Next up on the show, a study from the Research Institute of the MUHC was selected as one of the provinces biggest discoveries. I'm Tarah Schwartz, and this is Health Matters. There are many parasites that have a deadly impact on the world's population. We are fortunate to have incredible researchers and scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre who are working to better find solutions and treatments for the infections that parasites can cause. One of these studies has found an important lead that could be used for combating drug resistance in not just this parasitic infection, but in other diseases too. And it was named one of Quebec Science's Top 10 discoveries of 2022. I'm excited to tell you about it. Professor Martin Olivier is co-principal investigator of the study and a scientist in the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program at the Research Institute of the MUHC. Thank you so much for joining us.

Professor Martin Olivier: 19:50

Thank you for the invitation.

Tarah Schwartz: 19:53

Now I know it is not easy to take complicated scientific discoveries and make them easy to understand, Professor Olivier. But perhaps if we take it step by step, so your discovery focused on one specific parasite, I'm thinking maybe we start there.

Professor Martin Olivier: 20:07

Okay, yeah, that's great. In fact, I've worked on this project for over 30 years. The thing is the Leishmania. It's a protozoan parasite that is transmitted by the bite of an infected female sand-fly. The vector is the sand-fly and that will translate the parasite and then those parasites will invade our immune cells and will divide inside them. What they will cause at some point in human, they can cause cutaneous leishmaniasis, which is mainly a lesion at the skin level. Or if you have the deadly one, which is caused by Leishmania donovani, that its name. It's is going to cause visceral leishmaniasis. At that point, you have liver and spleen enlargement and bone marrow infections. If you're not treated within eight months to two years, you will die of the infection.

Tarah Schwartz: 20:55

Oh my goodness.

Professor Martin Olivier: 20:55

And about treatments, there are some existing but there is a problem of drug resistance developing.

Tarah Schwartz: 21:02

Okay, let me ask you this Professor Olivier, you said that it's transferred by the bite of a sand-fly. So where are the sandflies? Who gets infected by this?

Professor Martin Olivier: 21:14

The sandflies are found in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. We don't have it yet in North America, maybe one day with global warming. But the thing is that right now, around the Mediterranean, you have some sandflies, even in southern France. But it's mainly tropical, subtropical areas of the world.

Tarah Schwartz: 21:32

And how many people around the world are impacted by infections caused by this particular parasite?

Professor Martin Olivier: 21:38

Per year, there's 1.5 million people get leishmaniasis. And it's mainly the cutaneous form and mutual cutaneous form which is found in South America. But I mean, from the visceral leishmaniasis, which is more in North-east Africa and India, you have around 50,000 people will die every year.

Tarah Schwartz: 21:59

So there is something to that. That's a lot of people. Alright, so Professor Olivier, is it becoming more difficult to treat these infections because of what we've been hearing more and more about over the years- drug resistance?

Professor Martin Olivier: 22:15

Exactly, drug resistance is a big problem, not only in leishmaniasis, but many other infectious diseases. But leishmaniasis has a big problem as well. And the thing is that any drug you will develop; even the old ones, the parasites all at some point become resistant to the treatments. So it's a big problem.

Tarah Schwartz: 22:32

So tell us a little bit about the discovery that you made. A discovery that is being named when a Quebec Science's top 10 scientific discoveries of 2022.

Professor Martin Olivier: 22:43

The big thing we found is... People have worked on the mechanisms whereby drug resistance develops in the pathogen at large. They have done this for many, many years. There's a very specific way to fully describe the scheme of how this happens. But what we found is very interesting. I work in my lab for 15 years on more on the extracellular vesicles, those are little lipid bubbles that all eukaryotes cells; like the cells of the Leishmania parasite that release outside of the body. And we found that when you have a drug resistant parasite, the resistance is due to a piece of DNA that contains the resistant gene. And the thing is that we found in the drug resistant parasite; in the little droplet bubble of name, extracellular vesicles. They can be enriched by those cells so you can find the amplicon or that DNA fragment in there. And when the cells interact with a parasite that never saw the drug, they can transfer the drug resistant gene to that parasite and it will become resistant to the drug treatment. So it's a new mechanism we found that happen in the development of drug resistance in the leishmaniasis.

Tarah Schwartz: 24:02

Now, how can this discovery that you made help with combating drug resistance in the future?

Professor Martin Olivier: 24:10

It is going to be difficult because to try to find new drugs that block the formation of those vesicles. If you can do it in a certain time frame... but it's currently not part of a regular nonstop treatment. I think if we can find a way to block these vesicles from being formed it could be a way to reduce drug resistant development at some point. But what is the most interesting is to look at those mechanisms because drug resistance is also a problem in cancer. When people get therapy against cancer; chemotherapy, sometimes they are cured, and then the cancer comes back. And when the cancer comes back, the cells are now drug resistant. So we think that in this case it may be a similar type of transfer of the drug resistance in the context of cancer. That's something in the future we'd like to research. And there, it would be interesting to develop new drugs to block formation of those vesicles that may contain those amplicon-like or DNA-like thing that can be transferred, to then start a new cancer somewhere else in the body.

Tarah Schwartz: 25:30

Professor Martin Olivier is a scientist at the RI-MUHC and we're talking about a discovery that was named a top 10 Quebec scientific discovery of 2022. What was it like for you for that study to be named in such high honor?

Professor Martin Olivier: 25:46

It's very exciting. And also reflects that we are doing fundamental research that have an impact overall. And this is very exciting. We did this great project with my young collaborators. They are the ones that decided to try and see if we are eligible to get that honor. And now we are waiting to see if we're going to get the ultimate discovery of the year.

Tarah Schwartz: 26:15

Well, I hope that you do. So what is next for you then Professor Olivier. You've received this honor, you've made this discovery, what happens now?

Professor Martin Olivier: 26:22

Right now, we go on with our research now. In conjunction with the extracellular vesicles research that Dr. Janusz Rak is doing at the Research Institute, in cancer in his case. I'm developing on my side, new ways to develop vaccines against different types of infectious agents, mainly parasitic one, like schistosomiasis or leishmaniasis. Those vesicles are not infectious, but they can be used to stimulate the immune response and then can provide a new way to make vaccine against different types of infectious agents.

Tarah Schwartz: 27:02

What excites you or inspires you most about the work that you do?

Professor Martin Olivier: 27:09

It's all the discoveries. To observe something that no one has observed before. In the lab, the team is working hard to answer a specific question. And then when intuition leads to a discovery of something that we suspected and then we are right, that's very exciting. And what that discovery holds for the future. As fundamental investigators, at some point, you hope there will be a translation to treat patients with different type of diseases. And in my case, to treat more patients with infectious diseases.

Tarah Schwartz: 27:51

Professor Martin Olivier, I want to congratulate you on a very distinguished award. And I want to thank you for taking the time to join us on the show today.

Professor Martin Olivier: 27:59

It's my pleasure. Thank you very much.

Tarah Schwartz: 28:01

Thank you coming up on Health Matters, a significant recognition for the MUHC Foundation. I'm Tarah Schwartz and you're listening to Health Matters. It is with great pride that we share that the MUHC Foundation was selected as one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures for 2022. This national honor recognizes the foundation's commitment to creating a work environment that is open, transparent, and values respect and communication. While the whole team has worked diligently to ensure that we have a welcoming culture, there is one person in particular who consistently strives for excellence in this regard. That is the president and CEO of the MUHC foundation. Julie Quenneville, thank you so much for being with us, Julie.

Julie Quenneville: 28:46

Thank you for the invitation, Tarah.

Tarah Schwartz: 28:49

How special is it to you to receive this recognition for the MUHC Foundation team?

Julie Quenneville: 28:55

It's an absolutely wonderful honor because it's external recognition for what we already know internally. This recognition is 100 percent, Tarah, for the team. They are the ones who have built the culture from ground up and have really determined together what kind of work environment they want to work in. And in making sure that every day we live by our values that we recruit people who also respect the same values that we've decided to build for our organization. So I kind of feel like a mom, looking at our family and my kids and so incredibly proud of what they've accomplished.

Tarah Schwartz: 29:36

It really is a wonderful group and I say that with great pride myself. Now why was it important to you to build this diverse and inclusive team for the MUHC Foundation? What difference does that make?

Julie Quenneville: 29:47

It makes absolutely all the difference because let's just look at any issue, any file, any project that we're doing. I come in working on a project like that with my own perspective, with my own view based on my own experience, my social network, my life. But when you bring everybody around the table that comes from a different diverse background or experience or knowledge, we see it when we have a group that is mixed from men and women. We are so much more efficient and creative and understanding. Our role in philanthropy is to build partnerships and build relationships with members of the community, patients, physicians scientists. If our team represents the community that we live in, we are going to be much more understanding and empathetic to the community we're trying to serve.

Tarah Schwartz: 30:40

We're speaking with Julie Quenneville, President and CEO of the MUHC Foundation, and we're talking about the foundation being named one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures for 2022. Now Julie, I've seen it myself; the team has evolved and grown significantly since you took over the leadership, what is it like for you to watch the

Julie Quenneville: 30:59

The most important part of my job is to evolution? recruit and retain top talent. And so I feel very, very proud. You can see it every time you bring in an extraordinary leader. I only want to be surrounded by people who are passionate and want to give back to the community. When you bring back a wonderful leader, they hire wonderful people around them that strive to do more and help the community and help our physicians and scientists.

Tarah Schwartz: 31:33

Now some of the team, including you, is heading to Toronto this week to accept the award in person. What do you hope that experience brings to the 10 people or so that are going down to accept this?

Julie Quenneville: 31:47

For us, it was also an opportunity to say thank you to a portion of the team. Unfortunately, I wish we could bring the entire team because each and every person deserves that recognition. But it was important to me. And it was important to our organization, to say thank you to the staff, to the managers, to the leaders, who have allowed us to create this incredible work environment, and say thank you to them. At the same time, of course, exchange with other leaders in other sectors, and learn from them. Because we can't just sit back and say we won this award; we're great and it ends there. We want to continue to learn, we want to continue to improve. And we want to continue to bring in more extraordinary people who want to share our values and who want to get back to the community.

Tarah Schwartz: 32:32

And what has been the reaction when you announced this to you know, 30-plus people who have been working together as a team, who all care deeply about the mission. When you announce this incredible award, what was the reaction of the team and what continues to be the reaction?

Julie Quenneville: 32:47

I think it was an immense sense of pride. We work so hard, not every organization invests this much into building corporate culture. You look back over the years, we launched a bi-annual survey to make sure that we're moving in the right direction. We have multiple committees within the group, a social committee, a Diversity Committee. We've launched a culture code that we've defined ourselves. It was about a year of work; hard work by the team on top of the responsibilities that each and every one of them have. And so this honor is a great recognition that all of their work has paid off, and that we have built the most extraordinary team. I always say Tarah and I truly mean it that we have the best team in philanthropy in this province and I have no doubt at one of the best in the country.

Tarah Schwartz: 33:40

What are you looking forward to in the future for the MUHC foundation and its team?

Julie Quenneville: 33:46

You know, the MUHC Foundation is a very young foundation we were only created in 1998, when the MUHC was created. The consolidation of all of the McGill teaching hospitals. So our community has grown immensely since those days, it's 25 years now. It's wonderful. We are hoping to really build additional partnerships. We have about 700,000 patient visits each year just at the Glen site. What I'm hoping for is that we can build partnerships with many, many hundreds and 1000s of those patients, so that we can really advance medicine and improve the quality of care for us, for our parents, for our children. And we can only achieve that if we work together.

Tarah Schwartz: 34:32

A beautiful note to end on Julie Quenneville, President and CEO of the MUHC Foundation. Congratulations to you and the entire team for this incredible award. And thank you for joining us on the show.

Julie Quenneville: 34:42

Thank you Tarah.

Tarah Schwartz: 34:44

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