This September, Choosing Wisely Canada and the Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (CQuIPS) welcomed the newest cohort of Healthcare Improvement Fellows. Now entering its third year of offering a Choosing Wisely Canada stream, the Healthcare Improvement Fellowship provides in-depth training to fellows with a strong academic interest in resource stewardship.

Over the year-long program, fellows will receive mentorship from leading experts while deepening their knowledge of quality improvement and de-implementation research. Fellows will develop and refine their projects with the goal of sharing findings through publications and presentations.

Meet the 2024-2025 Choosing Wisely Canada Fellows:

• Chandan Bal is a pediatric hospital medicine physician at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary. Dr. Bal’s fellowship will focus on applying quality improvement methods to provide high-value care to hospitalized children.
• Elaine Bland is a family doctor in Calgary, Alberta. Dr. Bland’s fellowship project will focus on developing a framework to integrate Choosing Wisely based quality improvement into primary care networks. This will involve multidisciplinary teams and patient partners, aiming to address patient needs, reduce unnecessary tests, and support deprescribing.
• Mikha Alegria is the Quality Improvement Specialist for the Sprott Centre for Quality and Safety at the University Health Network (UHN). Her fellowship project will focus on expanding patient blood management initiatives within the perioperative department and critical care, aligning with Choosing Wisely Canada’s best practices.

Dr. Andrea Patey, Co-Director of the Healthcare Improvement Fellowship, with Choosing Wisely Canada and CQUIPs fellows.

Dr. Andrea Patey, Co-Director of the Healthcare Improvement Fellowship, is excited about the program’s progress in contributing to the future network of resource stewardship leaders. “It’s always inspiring to see each cohort’s enthusiasm for learning through the fellowship and dedication to Choosing Wisely Canada’s goals of reducing overuse and low-value care,” she says. “This year, the scope and quality of projects really highlights the strong momentum and interest in both quality improvement and de-implementation research.”

Are you interested in becoming a Choosing Wisely Canada fellow? Visit the CQuIPs website for more information on the next round of applications.