Barb Wheler is the Interim Director of the Calgary Zone Integrated Home Care program. She is an Occupational Therapist and first came to the Home Care program as a Community Care Coordinator in 1999. Barb lives in Calgary with her husband and daughter and makes frequent visits to her 2 sons now living in BC. Special thanks to Abram Gutscher, Calgary Zone Home Care Program Manager, for his contributions to this blog.
Dr. Mike Spady is the Clinical Department Head for the Department of Family Medicine and the Medical Leader for Community Health in the Calgary Zone. While there are many aspects to the two roles, working together with family physicians, Primary Care Networks, and our acute care system partners to improve the journey of patients through complex systems of care is a major focus of his two portfolios. He also provides clinical care in one of the Calgary area Urgent Care centers with a focus on complex and marginalized patients.
Tracy Wasylak is the Senior Program Officer, Strategic Clinical Networks™ with Alberta Health Services. She has held numerous senior leadership roles within Alberta Health Services and the previous Calgary Health Region. She has an undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Manitoba, Masters Degree in Science (thesis) from McGill University, a graduate of the EXTRA Program and a Certified Health Services Executive. Tracy holds an adjunct professor appointment, with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary.
She is an active collaborator and knowledge user with several research teams and has published work in health systems research and system redesign, patient engagement and several quality improvement initiatives. Tracy was the recipient of the 2015 AHS Presidents Excellence Award in the category of Innovation
Larry Albrecht is Chair of the Prairie Mountain Health Advisory Council, and Co-Chair of the Council of Chairs (Health Advisory Councils, Provincial Advisory Councils and Wisdom Council). Larry has served on a number of committees, councils and boards rurally throughout his 29 year career as a public educator, and through community service. He was Town Councillor of Brooks for 11 years, and is currently a member on the Sheep River Health Trust Fund, and South Health Campus Clinical Ethics Committee.
Sandi Oelhaupl is currently a Patient Family Advisory on the Alberta Health Long Range Planning Committee. Sandi has a long history of involvement in Alberta Health Services as a parent of a child with a complex physical and cognitive disability and has been a Patient Family Advisor for 16 years. Sandi has extensive experience in navigating the health care system both in acute care settings and in the community in meeting the healthcare needs of her daughter, herself and her family. She has been a family member on the original Family Advisory Council at the Alberta Children’s hospital in 2000 and currently plays an active role in the ACH Family Advisory Council today.
Sandi has sat as a volunteer patient family advisor with the Calgary Rockyview Student Health Partnership, both at an operational level and steering level for 10 years prior to it shifting to Regional Collaborative Service Delivery (RCSD). She has provided her perspective in the creation of Keys to Decision Making a document to support Allied Health Services to school age Children. Sandi has been an active volunteer at the Alberta Children’s Hospital supporting families with Family-to-Family Connections, a service that supports families mentoring other families with a similar healthcare journey. Sandi has partnered with ACH staff in creating Bedside Orientations, a peer-to-peer support service that provides support and resources to families at their child’s bedside on the inpatient unit at ACH. Sandi also works in the community as a preschool teacher/ Early Educator supporting children 3 to 5 years of age and their families.
Sandi lives and plays in Calgary with her husband of 26 years, their three teenage children and their golden doodle Dixie.
Dr. Braun is currently the VP and Medical Director for Central and Southern Alberta. Together with Brenda Huband, VP and Chief Health Operations Officer they jointly lead and support the Central, Calgary and South Zones to plan and deliver healthcare services to southern Albertans. He is also the executive lead for Primary Health Care in AHS, and co-chair of the Calgary Zone Long Range Planning Core Committee.
He has held various health care leadership roles in Calgary and area since 1996 including the development of the Palliative and Hospice Care Program, the Chronic Pain Program, the South Health Campus and leadership in the Calgary Zone Rural, Community, Addiction and Mental Health portfolio. He continues to enjoy his work as a palliative care physician in Calgary, providing care to patients in the Intensive Palliative Care Unit at the Foothills Medical Centre and teaching medical students and residents. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor with the Department of Family Medicine, Division of Palliative Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
Lori Anderson is the Senior Operating Officer, South Health Campus, and has a strong commitment to patient and family centred care and wellness. Lori has over 30 years of experience in key leadership roles in urban and rural health settings. Her operational leadership experience includes Acute Care, Primary Care, Public Health, Addiction & Mental Health and Continuing Care.
Dr. Yiu’s previous role at AHS helped oversee the integration and coordination of a diverse, complex, end-to-end health delivery model for the province through accountabilities for five functional areas: Quality & Healthcare Improvement, Strategic Clinical Networks, Clinical Informatics and Clinical Information Systems, Medical Affairs, and partnerships with academic institutions and other physician-led organizations. Read full biography.
