Today’s guest is President and CEO of University Health Network, Canada’s largest academic health sciences centre. Kevin Smith pursued his education in Canada, the U.S. and Great Britain, studying psychology, science, public policy and medicine.

If Kevin’s had a frustrating day, one of his best experiences is talking to young people who are enthusiastic and filled with hope. He says the system is in good hands with the generation in training today.

Open forums and site visits are a regular part of Kevin’s life at UHN, and he sees the challenging questions he gets as a sign of a healthy culture. In fact, when he feels the news is too positive, he’ll precipitate a tougher conversation, asking people to tell him what they are scared of, and what’s not going as well as it should.

Quotables

“I actually think this is the challenge of our generation in healthcare – adequate health human resources with appropriate quality of work life not only in Toronto or Ontario but around the world.” – KS

“Our workforce should look like those we serve.” – KS

“We’re looking at what can we do to support nurses who are early in their career trajectory. A large portion of that is making additional investments in mentorship.” – KS

“We are seeing students now with a massive social conscience who are much more aware of population health and well-being.” – KS

“We have really embraced the model that says integrated care is about invisible points of transition, both for patients but also for providers.” – KS

“We have a responsibility to help our political and policy makers better understand that research is the lifeblood of the future economy, it is the lifeblood of building a civil society, and at the moment we are falling behind.” – KS

“I see people embracing that AI working with humans can dramatically improve the healthcare and science experience and result.” – KS

“The question now is how will we balance the needs of our patients and not make those people who provide that care ill from overwork.” – KS

“We all have something to learn, we all have something to teach, but nobody has all the answers.” - KS

Mentioned in this episode:

University Hospital Network

The Michener Institute for education at UHN

Inspire: UHN Nursing Strategy 2023-2028

Rotman School of Management

DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster

Canadian Institute for Health Information

Mayo Clinic Platform_Connect

The Match King by Frank Partnoy