In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, host Dr. Katharine Smart is joined by Rochelle Reid, Senior Lead and Strategic Advisor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Hamilton Health Sciences Centre. Rochelle shares insights from the development of the organization’s first five-year EDI plan and emphasizes the importance of community partnerships, equitable policies, and data governance to right-size services for children and families. Don't miss the launch of Children's Healthcare Canada's new National Child Health Equity Practice Network aimed at fostering collaboration across the country.

In this episode of SPARK Conversations, host, Dr. Katharine Smart, and guest Fabiana Bacchini explore the impact of Family Partnership on children’s healthcare across the country. Fabiana shares her perspective on family engagement in right-sizing the system for children and their families in Canada through involvement in education, research, advocacy.

Fabiana Bacchini is the Executive Director of the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation (CPBF), a journalist, and an author.

Her journey as an advocate began in the NICU with her surviving twin, born extremely preterm. During this time, she participated in the Family Integrated Care (FiCare) study, a model that empowers parents to be active partners in their baby’s care. Inspired by its impact, Fabiana became a dedicated volunteer at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and an ambassador for FiCare, sharing her story across Canada and internationally to promote more inclusive, family-centered neonatal care.

Following her son’s diagnosis with cerebral palsy, Fabiana’s advocacy deepened. She has worked to ensure that families are not only heard but are meaningfully involved in research and healthcare decision-making. Through her leadership, she has fostered collaborations with hospitals, researchers, and global organizations, advancing parent-led initiatives and driving systemic change in maternal and newborn health.

In this episode of SPARK Conversations, host, Dr. Katharine Smart, and her guests explore the impact of the recent Canadian federal election results on children’s health and healthcare across the country. Podcast guests, Danielle Flieler, Manager, Federal Government Affairs at Santis Health, and Jim Armour, Managing Partner with Summa Strategies Canada, share their perspectives on the cabinet composition and government priorities in relation to healthcare, especially for children and their families in Canada. 

What does it really take to right-size Canada’s children’s healthcare systems? In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the powerful role of philanthropy in shaping accessible, equitable, and innovative care for kids. Featuring inspiring stories and expert insights, our guests unpack how donor dollars fuel breakthroughs, fill critical gaps, and help build a healthier future—one bold investment at a time.

In this episode of SPARK Conversations, we explore right-sizing children’s healthcare systems from the perspective of Community Hospitals that serve children, youth, and their families. Our guest for this episode, ‘Remi Ejiwunmi, Vice President, Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children, with Trillium Health Partners, shares her perspectives regarding the role and impact of community hospitals play within the Canadian healthcare system to ensure every child, youth and family can feel supported, no matter where they receive their healthcare. 

Special Guest:

‘Remi Ejiwunmi is the Vice President of the Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children at Trillium Health Partners (THP). ‘Remi’s leadership and expertise will help shape the development of the future Shah Family Hospital, a first-of-its-kind facility designed to transform care for women, children and families. ‘Remi’ has been a visionary leader in the field of midwifery through her three decades of service. She joined THP in 1996, becoming Head Midwife in 2001 and the inaugural Division Head of Midwifery in 2013. She has also played an instrumental role in advancing quality at THP through the development of the Perinatal Quality, Safety and Risk Council. Her influence extends beyond THP as she has held leadership roles at the Association of Ontario Midwives, the Health Insurance Reciprocal for Canada (HIROC), the Provincial Council for Maternal Child Health (PCMCH) and the Better Outcomes Registry and Network (BORN). She has a deep commitment to equity, inclusion and anti-racism through training and work within the health system to help shape policies to improve reproductive health and reduce health care inequities including within the Black community. 

‘Remi holds a Master of Science in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety from the University of Toronto, an appointment as an investigator at the Institute for Better Health, is an Adjunct Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and an Adjunct Scientist at McMaster University Midwifery Research Centre.

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the role of Ronald McDonald House Charities. Kate Horton, Chief Executive Officer at Ronald McDonald House Charities and Karima Karmali, President and Chair of the Board of Directors at Ronald McDonald House Charities discuss the role Ronald McDonald House Charities plays within the Canadian healthcare system to ensure that every child, youth, and family can feel supported both during and after treatment.

Speakers:

Kate Horton

As President & CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada, Kate Horton leads the national foundation of support for RMHC, championing and enabling an essential mission that provides families with sick and injured children with the support and resources they need to focus on what matters most – caring for their sick child. 

RMHC is the only national organization enabling access to Canada’s paediatric healthcare system through the 35 program locations across the country. Since inception in 1981, RMHC across Canada has proudly supported more than 468,000 families during their child’s medical treatment journey.

Kate is a seasoned senior executive with over 20 years’ experience in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors. She is a passionate advocate for building strong communities and a better future by investing in children, youth and families. Over her career she has worked provincially and nationally to deliver meaningful social impact. Having been recognized for achieving excellence in fundraising and nonprofit leadership, Kate is known as a strategic and collaborative people-first leader who inspires high-performance and an inclusive culture.

Karima Karmali

Karima Karmali is a seasoned health care leader with over 35 years of expertise in clinical operations, inter-professional practice, patient experience, and health equity. Recently retired from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), she held the pioneering role of Director of the Centre for Innovation & Excellence in Child- and Family-Centred Care. In this capacity, Karima provided strategic and operational leadership, driving the design and delivery of patient and family-centric paediatric healthcare and advancing clinical practice, education and research in this critical field.

Karima has spearheaded numerous large-scale, multi-million dollar initiatives, fostering transformational change in healthcare. Her work has been published extensively, and she is a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences. Additionally, she has contributed her expertise to global task forces, including collaborations with the World Health Organization.

Prior to her tenure at SickKids, Karima held significant leadership positions at the University Health Network in Toronto and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario.

A dedicated advocate for volunteerism, Karima devotes her time to various causes locally, nationally, and internationally. She is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors for Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada, where she has served on the Board for seven years. Passionate about international development, Karima serves as the Senior Advisor to the Aga Khan Leaders International Forum on global poverty issues, currently supporting poverty alleviation initiatives in 22 countries across Africa, Central and South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. She also recently completed a four-year term as the Vice-President of the Aga Khan Council for Canada.

Karima holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from McGill University and an MBA from Queen's University.

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the role of home healthcare. Maureen Charlebois, Chief of Nursing & Clinical Officer at Bayshore HealthCare, discussing the importance of home healthcare within the Canadian healthcare system to ensure that every child, youth, and family can feel supported both inside and outside hospitals.

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the role of primary care teams or healthcare professionals in right-sizing children’s healthcare systems. Dr. Tara Kiran discusses the revolutionary OurCare study, its findings, and implications for addressing the current primary care crisis and ensure that every child, youth, and family is assigned and has timely access to a primary care team or provider. Through this webinar we will also explore how other countries have ensured access to primary care for citizens; what this means for children, youth and their families and the healthcare systems that serve them; and how this could be reflected in Canada. 

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the collaborative efforts shaping the future of child and youth mental health care in Ontario. The Children’s Health Coalition, a powerful partnership between Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Ontario’s 5 children’s hospitals, and other key organizations, is working to ensure kids and families get the care they need—when and where they need it most. 

Join us as we dive into how this groundbreaking coalition is transforming the mental health system, overcoming challenges, and paving the way for a more integrated and effective approach to care. We’ll discuss the Coalition’s achievements, the barriers they’ve tackled, and the lessons learned in creating a system that works for children and youth across Ontario. 

Children's Healthcare Canada, its members, and strategic partners have highlighted the need to and catalyzed collective action to right-size health systems for children. Recommendations in the Beyond Bandaids report include a call for the expansion of localized capacity and innovative models for children's healthcare in rural, remote, and Northern communities. Recognizing that it is not feasible to have comprehensive sub-specialized children's healthcare in every community, this podcast will discuss creative strategies/models to deliver better care for kids living far away from urban centres (including, virtual care, rapid transport, and service partnerships).