Item Types: News

Dr. Abi Sriharan, Scientific Director for Schulich’s Krembil Centre for Health Management and Leadership, in collaboration with our industry partners, Sunnybrook Health Centre and SickKids Hospital, have successfully secured funding for two groundbreaking projects under the “Strengthening the Health Workforce for System Transformation” program. The first project focuses on cancer workforce optimization in five provinces, in partnership with Sunnybrook Health Centre. The second project centers on leadership training for pediatric healthcare managers to improve children’s health, in collaboration with SickKids Hospital. Both projects promise to make significant contributions to the Canadian healthcare system. “Cancer has a huge and growing impact on the Canadian population and healthcare system, with nearly half of Canadians expected to receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime,” said Sriharan. “Additionally, Canada ranked 30^th out of 38 peer countries in the UNICEF Innocenti Report Card on overall child well-being, despite having the 15th largest economy. We believe well-functioning health professionals are the cornerstone of effective healthcare systems. We hope these projects reduce burnout rates, improve job satisfaction, and enhance work-life balance for healthcare providers. For patients, we aim to improve access to care, reduce wait times, and enhance the overall quality of healthcare services.” Innovative Partnership with Sunnybrook: Optimizing Cancer Care Workforce through Tailored Health Human Resources Strategies The first project in partnership with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is a 3-phase, 12-month program consisting of four key components: (1) structured education sessions; (2) a centre-specific workforce optimization project; (3) monthly coaching; and (4) a virtual Community of Practice. The approach capitalizes on the inherent strengths of cancer centers in quality improvement, and is centred on fostering the capacity to diagnose, design, and implement context-specific workforce optimization strategies. This is a departure from the conventional, one-size-fits-all, top-down intervention paradigm prevalent in healthcare. SickKids Partnership Launches Simulation-Based Coaching to Boost Pediatric Health Workforce Retention and Wellbeing The second project in partnership with The Hospital for Sick Children introduces a simulation-based coaching leadership intervention to tackle the pressing challenges of pediatric health workforce retention and wellbeing in Canada.  This initiative aims to bolster the sustainability of the pediatric health workforce by understanding the unique experiences of pediatric providers and adapting a managerial coaching intervention accordingly. The project will implement and evaluate CLIMB (Coaching Leaders to Improve Management and Well-Being), an evidence-based leadership intervention designed to combat burnout, and promote a resilient, equitable, diverse, and inclusive pediatric health workforce. The insights generated from this research will equip decision-makers with the necessary evidence to evidence the pediatric healthcare workforce crisis and enhance the healthcare system’s capacity to improve the health and wellbeing of children and youth. “What excites us most about these projects is the chance to collaborate closely with healthcare organizations to make real changes,” said Sriharan. “These projects aim to tackle these workforce challenges by improving organizational functions, working conditions, and overall performance through strategic partnerships. They build on the Krembil Centre for Healthcare Management’s commitment to strengthening healthcare through leadership and management.” Click here to learn more about the “Strengthening the Health Workforce for System Transformation” program.

Amanda Martinez (IMBA ‘99), “one of the great new voices in Spanish language Latin music” (World Music Central), recently released her highly anticipated new album, Recuerdo. Produced by her long-time guitarist Kevin Laliberté and co-produced by her husband, bassist Drew Birston, Recuerdo is a daring departure that incorporates elements of world fusion, Cuban rhythms, and an injection of English pop that is her most adventurous album to date. It is dedicated to the memory of her late father Gustavo who taught her to savour each day, to appreciate nature and to just go for it and live life to the fullest. “Recuerdo is a journey and my reflections of seeing my childhood and carefree times when all I had to focus on was playing and enjoying,” said Martinez. “I guess I was longing for that time of no responsibilities when I wrote some of the material when I wasn’t in a healthy headspace but wanting to force myself to keep going and writing words that would bring me hope.” Martinez has sold out Ottawa’s National Arts Centre and Toronto’s Koerner Hall and Winter Garden Theatres. She has performed internationally including the Dubai International Jazz Festival (with Jesse Cook), at 2010’s FIFA World Cup Festivities in South Africa and the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, and at New York City’s highly esteemed Blue Note Jazz Club. Martinez credits her Schulich IMBA for helping her to look at her business with a critical eye -she still does a SWOT analysis of who she is in the industry and to build on her strengths and add people to her team whose strengths compliment her own. “I feel so grateful for the friendships that I made during my time at Schulich,” she says. “My 601 final project group teammates are still some of my closest friends who come to support my shows and who I rely on to bounce off ideas. It helps that they are not in the business so I can get outside advice and ideas. I also remember my professors well who were caring, and their practical advice and feedback gave me encouragement. I feel like the Schulich Community and alumni association have been very supportive to me over the years and remember feeling honoured to perform for Schulich’s 50th.” For current Schulich students who have an artistic flair, Martinez has the following advice: “You have an asset with your business to find ways to make your artistic endeavours sustainable, realizing that no dream is too big.  However, it may require the day-to-day work that many of us shy away from. Never underestimate yourself; your creative skills bring fresh perspectives to organizations. I recently heard a quote that I love: it’s not our individual skills that help us excel but our unique combinations. It also greatly helps if you enjoy what you do, as then it never feels like work!” Martinez is currently working on a new series called “Ingredients for a Good Life” where she will be interviewing people about the things – or rituals – they actively do in their life to bring them joy, whether that is taking time for an afternoon tea or watching the morning sunrise. Also an actor, Martinez has two movies coming out – a lead role in “Legend of Cloudy Falls” and “The Deceitful Son”.

The Schulich community gathered recently for an engaging alumni forum – CONNECT ‘2024: Navigating in a Dynamic World. The full day event included interactive panel discussions, professional development workshops and networking opportunities. “CONNECT ’24 was a highly successful alumni engagement event that provided numerous networking opportunities and brought together 280 participants from the Schulich community,” said Dean Detlev Zwick. “The alumni forum explored some of the big issues and challenges confronting business today, while also looking at some of the exciting new opportunities that are emerging in a dynamic world of change.” The event kicked off with a fireside chat featuring Dean Zwick and Eva and Allen Lau, founders of Wattpad, one of Canada’s most successful tech companies. Now entrepreneurial investors, co-leading Two Small Fish, the Laus shared perspectives on technology innovation, funding, and the challenges and opportunities facing Canadian entrepreneurs. Throughout the day, attendees were able to participate in the Coach’s Corner where nine coaches offered 1:1 professional coaching sessions. New this year, Facilitated Networking sessions were held in the Marketplace for attendees that wanted to meet with like-minded individuals to discuss Finance, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Real Estate, Consulting and Management as well as one general networking session. A special closing fireside chat that provided an economic outlook featured Aaron Bennett, Chief Investment Officer, University Pension Plan (UPP) and was moderated by Joseph Ogilvie, Director, Real Assets Leadership Institute. Schulich thanks Pam Laycock (MBA ’89) and Roshni Wijayasinha (MBA ’09), this year’s Co-Chairs as well as the 44 speakers/moderators, most of whom were Schulich alumni. “Building on this momentum, CONNECT ’24 reaffirmed our commitment to creating a more vibrant and engaged global alumni community,” said Christina Niederwanger, Executive Director, Advancement and Alumni Engagement. “The widespread participation of alumni, including their attendance at pre-event Reunions, highlighted the Schulich Annual Alumni Forum’s role as a key platform for networking, reconnecting with the School, and exploring alumni benefits.”

As part of the Dean’s Signature Lecture Series, Andrew Wu (MBA ’89), LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) Group Greater China President, recently presented, “An Update on China’s Fashion Transformation”. More than 330 students, alumni, faculty, and staff registered for the event in the Robert McEwen Auditorium at Schulich. Wu’s lecture was informative, with statistics and visuals, including entertaining Hollywood movie titles for his slides in the order of Speed, Forever Young, Catch Me If You Can, Risky Business and Tomorrow Never Dies. “Fashion is not just what fashion models represent,” said Wu. “Fashion has become everybody’s business and people in China, young people in particular, have become more and more fashionable.” Wu discussed behavioural shifts that impact how we market, for example, in e-commerce, highlighting the accessibility of international items through online shopping. Wu also mentioned China’s strong cross-border connections, active “daigou” activities, and progressive fashion influences from Hong Kong, Japan, North America, Europe, and K-pop over the last few decades. He also shared interesting facts about the rise in Chinese pet ownership, with a recent surge of registered pets creating a booming market for import pet products. During the Question-and-Answer period, Wu engaged with students, responding to questions on his Schulich experience as well as addressing his perspective on business development and consumer trends in China. Born and raised in Shanghai, Wu is a leading authority on Chinese consumer trends and a globally influential professional in the luxury goods industry for the region. After living in Canada from 1980-1993, he returned to head the Dior cosmetics operation in China for LVMH, pioneering local luxury marketing and retailing between 1993-2000. He then joined Sony Music Entertainment between 2000-2005 to help with the commercialization of Chinese artists in Greater China; and then re-joined LVMH in 2005 as Group Head of Greater China, overseeing the rapid business development of LVMH’s multi-brand portfolio in the Chinese marketplace over the past 19 years. Wu has also become a well-respected promoter of Chinese culture and heritage, gaining a high degree of social recognition in China. The Dean’s Signature Series Lecture was created to showcase and celebrate some of the School’s most accomplished alumni, members of Schulich’s Global Alumni Network with over 35,000 alumni strong in more than 90 countries.