Jos de Blok is the founder and CEO of Buurtzorg (neighborhood nursing), a Dutch organization with more than 10,000 employees, offering community based (home) care services to more than 70,000 patients a year. Founded in 2006 with one team of four nurses, Buurtzorg has transformed home-based health care and it has created an innovative method for nursing care at home.

For more information about Burrtzorg, watch this video.

As a community based and client centered organization, Buurtzorg connects highly qualified licensed nurses and clients to create positive and proactive solutions that are effective, holistic, and sustainable. Organized in small autonomous teams of up to 12 nurses within a neighborhood-sized care area, Buurtzorg nurses bring groundbreaking synergy and expertise in a direct and connected relationship between care-giver and client.

Buurtzorg operates without a hierarchical management structure, meaning there are no bosses over subordinates. All team members set the direction and priorities, analyze problems, make plans, evaluate people’s performance and make tough decisions when needed. The teams are self-governing and self-organizing with support from a coach (who is unable to make any decisions for the team) and the direction and vision set by Jos de Blok.

Buurtzorg has succeeded in reducing administrative burden for nurses, improving quality of care and raising work satisfaction for their employees (Buurtzorg was awarded employer of the year in the Netherlands three times). Buurtzorg is supported by an innovative IT system that enables nurses to communicate with and learn from each other. Internationalization started by launching in Sweden, US, Belgium, Japan, China, South Korea, India, Germany, Scotland and UK.

Jos de Blok is a nurse by education and considered a change agent in the Netherlands when it comes to the organization of community based (home) care. Before he established Buurtzorg he had several senior management positions in home care organizations including director Innovations for medical services.

Dr. Colleen Varcoe is a leader in research on violence and inequity, with emphasis on women’s and Indigenous people’s health. Her research is currently focused on interventions to mitigate the health effects of violence for women who have experienced partner violence, and interventions to help health care settings, such as Emergency Departments, promote equity. She is a leader in implementing and studying equity-promoting health care, including trauma- and violence-informed approaches, cultural safety and harm reduction. She is committed to creating more just and ethical health care.

She is the recipient of many awards including the 2013 Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International Award in Education and the 2006 College of Registered Nurses of BC Award of Excellence in Nursing Research. She is is a Fellow of both the Canadian Academy of Nursing (FCAN) the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS).

Douglas is a member of the Kasabonika Lake First Nation in Northern Ontario but currently lives in Thunder Bay Ontario.

As with many of his peers he experienced the Federal Government’s residential school’s policy but has refused to be a victim of it and instead has chosen to be victor. The energy of this choice has been dedicated to First Nation community development and advancement.

Douglas Semple was a member of the first senior management group of the Sioux Lookout MenoYaWin Health Centre as Vice-President of Corporate Services and Communications. He also held the position of CEO of the organization for a time and continues to be involved with MenoYawin as senior advisor to the Board and the CEO of SLMHC.

In other areas of his career, Douglas is widely recognized for his collaborative approach in bringing together landmark agreements between First Nations, private industry, and federal and provincial governments. In these diverse interest environments, he has always been able to keep the integrity of the First Nations interests while finding ways to craft successful working relationships.

Douglas has a BA in Political Science, a Masters in Public Administration and an MBA. He is the winner of the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Emile Nakogee Award for Leadership and the OHA’s Small, Rural and Northern Award of Excellence in 2007.

Cindy is the Regional Chief Information Officer for the Northwestern Ontario hospitals, recently returning to her hometown of Thunder Bay. She is currently driving the advancement of digital health here.

Previously, as the Executive Chief Digital and Information Officer at her last hospital, she was responsible for bringing the hospital from one of the lowest ranking to a top 10 digital hospital in England, implementing both a full-scale electronic patient record and an AI-driven command centre. She was also responsible for setting up the regional radiology reporting service and for digital transformation for the region.

She has been a frequent speaker at many international conferences on transformation through digital health. Cindy also oversaw one of the first implementations of online medication ordering in Canada during her time at Mount Sinai.

Steve Moore has worked for the NHS for most of the last 30 years and have had the great privilege of holding the position of Chief Executive in Hywel Dda since January 2015.

Much of his senior career has involved working in rural areas including leading the Primary Care Trust in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly and, for a short period, being the area director for Devon and Cornwall in NHS England.

Steve is a strong believer in the need to make his organization the best it can be by supporting staff to learn, develop and grow. By doing this, he knows his staff will be able to go on providing the great care and support that patients and their families need.

Hywel Dda is frequently referenced by the Advisory Board for its best practices in patient care, strategic planning and overall innovation.

On Feb. 1, 2021, Dr. Chris Simpson was appointed as Ontario Health’s Executive Vice-President, Medical. In this role, he provides medical leadership and clinical expertise to Ontario Health’s Clinical Institutes and Quality Programs Portfolio, and more broadly across Ontario Health. He defines, develops and evaluates programs and models of care consistent with Ontario Health’s mandate and priorities. He advises the CEO on current and emerging health system and medical matters and co-leads Ontario Health’s Clinical Advisory Committee.

Dr. Simpson’s achievements and previous roles are numerous and include founding the Heart Rhythm Program at Kingston General Hospital, establishing catheter ablation and implantable defibrillator programs, Professor and Head of Cardiology at Queen’s University, Medical Director of the Cardiac Programs at Kingston General Hospital/Hotel Dieu Hospital, Vice-Dean (Clinical) and Medical Director of the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization (SEAMO) in the Queen’s School of Medicine, Affiliate Scientist with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES-Queen’s), member of the Queen’s School of Policy Studies Health Policy Council, President of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), during which he championed seniors’ care and helped to guide the profession on the issues of medical aid in dying (MAID) and medical marijuana and was elected as President of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences also serving on their Board of Directors.

Dr. Simpson’s primary non-clinical professional interest is health policy – particularly access to care, seniors’ care, wait times and medical fitness to drive. He served as the chair of the Wait Time Alliance (WTA) – a federation of 17 medical specialty societies and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) – and is a past chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s (CCS) Standing Committee on Health Policy and Advocacy. He serves on the Cardiac Care Network of Ontario Board of Directors, is a past member of the CCS executive and a former governor of the American College of Cardiology. He served as the Canadian representative to the World Medical Association (WMA) between 2017-2019.

Shirlee is the President and CEO of Saint Elizabeth Health (SE Health), a national social enterprise that shares its knowledge, provides the best care, and helps each client to realize their most meaningful goals for health and wellbeing. Under Shirlee’s leadership, the not-for-profit charitable organization has enjoyed exponential growth and expansion, and facilitated transformative solutions in areas such as Indigenous health, end of life care, and family caregiver wellness. Today, SE Health provides care for more than 20,000 Canadians in their homes and communities daily through its national care team of over 8,000 health professionals.

Shirlee has dedicated her career to the advancement of health leadership, championing social issues and finding new ways to tackle age-old challenges. A registered nurse by profession, Shirlee holds her Bachelor of Science from the University of Windsor and her Masters of Health Administration from the University of Toronto. The recipient of numerous awards, a published author and a sought-after speaker, Shirlee’s energy and passion is well known and respected in the health, business and innovation communities.