For Gary, volunteering as a Patient Family Advisor (PFA) at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) is a meaningful way to stay engaged and give back to the community.

He first learned about the PFA role through his involvement with the Prostate Cancer Support Group and over time has come to truly appreciate the vital role hospitals play in people’s lives.

Since becoming a PFA in 2021, Gary has made a significant impact at our Hospital. By volunteering his time and sharing his lived experience, he helps improve the patient journey for everyone who walks through our doors.

At TBRHSC, PFAs are essential partners in care. By bringing the patient voice to the table, Gary plays an important role in helping to shape the policies, programs and practices that guide how care is delivered – ensuring it remains patient-centred and grounded in compassion and understanding.

What Gary enjoys most about his role is the opportunity to help others. Whether he is helping to educate staff about our Patient and Family Centred Care philosophy, or supporting patients by promoting clearer communication and enhancing the overall experience, his contributions make a difference. As part of a team of 70 PFAs, Gary values the consistently active and engaging nature of the work, which makes his volunteer experience both rewarding and impactful.

We are grateful for Gary’s ongoing dedication and the positive difference he continues to make in our Hospital.

Clinical placements play a vital role in a health care learner’s journey, bridging academic learning with real-world practice and helping students build confidence, competence, and professional identity. Through hands-on experience, learners develop essential clinical skills, teamwork, and an understanding of patient-centred care.

As an academic health sciences centre, our Hospital is proud to support learners by providing a safe, supportive, and enriching placement environment where future professionals can learn, grow, and contribute meaningfully to patient care.

We want you to meet some of the learners at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) who are currently on that journey — such as Nav Bajwa.

Hometown: Athens, Greece

Program: Medical Radiation Technology, Confederation College

What does an average day during your placement look like?

An average day during my placement starts early, preparing for an 8-hour clinical shift. Throughout the week, I rotate through different areas such as general X-ray, fluoroscopy, the operating room and the fracture clinic. Each day, I work with a different preceptor. We are trained in a hands-on environment where we are encouraged to take initiative while being supervised, helping us build competence as future X-ray technologists. This experience also allows us to build rapport with the team, develop our professional reputation & better understand the hospital environment as we prepare for our future careers.

Is there a mentor or faculty member who has significantly impacted you?

Two faculty members who have enhanced my learning experience are Anne-Marie Hutton and Alexa Chesky. They have created a supportive learning environment where I feel comfortable asking questions and learning from my mistakes. Their positive and encouraging approach, along with constructive feedback, has helped me grow professionally. They’ve been thoughtful in providing exposure to unique and “rarer” cases, which prepares me for the real-world work.

What is one interesting fact others might not know about you?

I’m passionate about fitness and have been strength training since 2023. I currently work at the Confederation College gym and I aim to become a personal trainer in the near future. I am a strong advocate of mental and physical health.

Shared on behalf of the Help Desk

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To help improve meeting room availability and ensure our Outlook calendars remain current, we’re asking all staff to review and clean up stagnant or outdated appointments—especially recurring meetings that may still be linked to users who have since left the organization.

Please take a few moments this week to:

• Delete or cancel meetings that are no longer active or needed.
• Update recurring meetings to remove attendees who are no longer with the organization.
• If a meeting was originally booked by someone who has departed, reassign the booking to the current incumbent or another appropriate team member to maintain control of the room reservation.
• Verify that the room booking status is accurate (available vs. in use).

Maintaining accurate calendars and meeting room schedules ensures fair access to shared spaces and helps avoid booking conflicts.

If you need assistance with transferring meeting ownership or managing room bookings, please contact the Help Desk for support.

Thank you for helping us keep our scheduling system running smoothly and efficiently.

Congratulations Nicole Vanderwey from 3C Neuro, winner of last week’s Accreditation Trivia. Nicole won a $25 gift card to Eat Local Pizza.

Keep an eye on Informed for the weekly Accreditation Trivia question for your chance to win.

In celebration of Diversity Month this April, we’re creating something special—a digital map of all the places Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre (TBRHSC) staff, professional staff, and volunteers have worked around the world.

From hometown roles to international experiences, every location is an important piece of your story. By the end of April, we’ll bring your responses together on a digital map to showcase the incredible global footprint of the TBRHSC team.

How to Participate: You can submit your locations here by Thursday, April 29 at 12:00 p.m.

Thank you for being part of what makes our workplace so diverse.

For more information on Diversity Month, see below:

April is Diversity Month — a time to recognize, celebrate, and honor the wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences that make up our workforce and the communities we serve.

Diversity includes differences across many dimensions, such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability status, religion, sexual orientation, and life experiences — all of which shape who we are.

In health care, embracing diversity is essential to providing respectful, patient centred care. When employees feel respected and included, they are more engaged, collaborative, and better able to provide high-quality care.

How We Can Celebrate Diversity Month

• Take time to learn more about cultures, traditions, and perspectives different from your own.
• Foster respectful dialogue with colleagues and patients, and be mindful of how language, behaviors, and unconscious biases affect others.
• Encourage an environment where everyone feels heard and valued.

Moving Forward Together

Diversity Month reminds us that our differences are not barriers—they are strengths. By embracing diversity and practicing inclusion every day, we create a healthier workplace and provide better care for the communities we serve.

Let this month serve as a starting point for continued learning, compassion, and connection. Together, we can build a culture where everyone — staff and patients alike — feels respected, supported, and valued.

You can learn more about Celebrating Diversity Month here: https://www.stompoutbullying.org/blog/diversity-month

As we prepare to celebrate National Physicians’ Day (May 1), we would like to recognize the invaluable contributions of the professional staff at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) and the meaningful impact they have on patient care, our organization, and the communities we serve. This day offers an opportunity to reflect on the dedication, compassion, and expertise that define our Professional Staff members and to express our sincere appreciation for all that they do.

In honour of this special day, we invite you to help us highlight and celebrate the individuals who make a difference every day. Whether through exceptional patient care, leadership, innovation, mentorship, or acts of kindness, their contributions shape the experience of care at our Hospital and beyond.

If you would like to recognize a member of TBRSHC’s professional staff, we would love to hear from you. Submissions may include brief stories, words of appreciation, memorable experiences, or quotes that capture gratitude and recognition for Professional Staff and they will be featured and displayed during Professional Staff Appreciation Week (April 27 – May 1).

If you are interested in participating, please submit your content to TBRHSC.MedicalAffairs@tbh.net by Friday, April 24, and include your name, role, and department.

Administrative Professionals Day (April 22) is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the vital contributions of administrative assistants, executive assistants, clerks, and other office professionals.

To all of the administrative professionals at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute — thank you for your dedication, expertise, and the essential role you play in keeping our organization running smoothly. Today, we celebrate YOU!

(…and thank you to the staff who submitted photos for today’s Daily Informed Newsletter).

Shared on behalf of Jeannine Verdenik, VP People & Culture and Miranda Lesperance, VP Indigenous Collaboration, Equity & Inclusion

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I am pleased to announce that Marlee Pradal has accepted the newly combined position of Executive Assistant to the Vice Presidents of People & Culture and Indigenous Collaboration, Equity & Inclusion and will begin in this role on May 19, 2026.

Marlee joins us from Noojmawing Sookatagaing Ontario Health Team (OHT), where she provided executive support to the Implementation Lead and the Collaboration Council Co-Facilitators.  Previous to this, Marlee was the Administrative Assistant, Informatics for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, where she acquired experience and knowledge in hospital operations that will serve her well in her new role.

Besides experience and knowledge, Marlee brings a unique perspective of the opportunities and challenges within Indigenous health both on a system level and a health organization level from support provided to the Indigenous Leadership Council of the OHT.  Marlee will be a valuable asset to our team.

Effective May 19, 2026, Marlee can be reached at Marlee.Pradal1@tbh.net and ext. 6225.

For Megan Valente, those small, everyday moments are what define the impact volunteers have at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

It’s the exhausted patient arriving at the front entrance and being helped into a wheelchair to their appointment. The cancer centre patient feeling unwell and being offered a ginger ale. The patient who is visited daily by a Hospital Elder Life volunteer, helping them forget, if only briefly, that they are in the hospital. “These small interactions can make a big difference in a patient’s experience,” says Valente, Coordinator of Volunteer Services at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Valente has been with Volunteer Services at the Health Sciences Centre since 2018. Her interest in the work was originally sparked in a previous role with the Health Sciences Foundation, where volunteers were part of her portfolio. “I saw how selfless volunteers were and the difference they made for patients and families,” she says. “I knew those were the type of people I wanted to work with.” Today, she supports, guides, and oversees the hospital’s volunteer program that touches nearly every part of the hospital, from recruitment, onboarding, and training to placement, recognition, and ongoing support, while working closely with departments to ensure volunteers enhance the patient and family experience.

“No two days are ever exactly the same,” she says. “At the heart of it, my role is really about building relationships and connection.” Through her work, Valente has gained a deeper appreciation for the role community plays in healthcare. While volunteers are not part of clinical care, she says they offer something just as important—compassion, support, and human connection.

“It’s not just about clinical care, it’s also about compassion, dignity, and connection,” she says. “Volunteers bring a human element that can make a meaningful difference.” Over time, the volunteer program has continued to evolve, expanding opportunities across the hospital and placing greater emphasis on meaningful roles, training, and support to ensure volunteers feel confident and valued. That impact is made possible by the dedication volunteers bring to their roles each day. “They show up in snowstorms, on holidays, and even when things are going on in their personal lives, and they do so with a smile,” Valente says. “Volunteers at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre are truly exceptional people.”

“The biggest thing I want to share with volunteers is the most sincere thank you I can. Thank you for showing up week after week for patients and families. Thank you for being an inspiring part of our community,” she says. “People like you are what make our city and community great, and I just hope you know how appreciated you are.”

Shared on behalf of Dr. Adam Exley, Vice President, Medical Affairs

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Following a successful interim period since October 2025, Dr. Caitlin McCallum has been appointed to the role of Medical Director, Inpatient Medicine Services for a three year term, with the position now established as an ongoing leadership role. This appointment reflects the hospital’s commitment to strong, sustained medical leadership in support of our inpatient medical care mandate.

In this role, Dr. McCallum provides strategic and clinical leadership for Inpatient Medicine Services. Working within a shared leadership and program management model, she partners closely with various Administrative Directors, Medical Leaders, and the Vice President, Medical Affairs to advance the organization, cohesion, and delivery of inpatient medical care across multiple services.

Dr. McCallum is responsible for overseeing Inpatient Medicine performance indicators, and she leads and supports strategic planning related to inpatient service design, operating requirements, and quality improvement initiatives aligned with the Hospital’s strategic priorities. In addition, she plays a key role in identifying and addressing barriers to patient flow across inpatient medical services, fostering collaboration between specialty services to enhance patient care and system integration.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. McCallum on her appointment of Medical Director, Inpatient Medicine Services, and in continuing to offer your support as she works with a variety of medical leaders to advance this work.