International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on March 8, honors the achievements of women across all aspects of life – social, economic, cultural, and political. In honour of International Women’s Day we at Hospice Palliative Care Ontario want to celebrate and highlight a few of the champions of hospice palliative care in Ontario, including:
- Dr. Valerie Fiset, RN, Director, Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Program
- Dipti Purbhoo, MHSc, RN, Executive Director, Dorothy Ley Hospice
- Susan Blacker, MSW, RSW, Senior Director, Community Partnerships and Cancer and Palliative Program Performance at Sinai Health System and provincial clinical co-lead for the Ontario Palliative Care Network
- Jennifer Wilson, AALP, ICD.D, Board Chair, Hospice Palliative Care Ontario
Dr. Valerie Fiset, RN
“Compassion is at the heart of who I am, and I have found having palliative care at the heart of my practice, regardless the role I am in, helps me to make a meaningful difference. Palliative care plays a vital role in improving the quality of life of those living with and dying from serious illness. Additionally, it is essential that those who provide palliative care feel valued and cared for and that they receive support to continue their vital work. I am committed to both the people who benefit from this care and the professionals who make it possible.”
Val is the Director of the Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Program. Prior to taking on this role Val worked in the post-secondary nursing education sector in both Professor and Academic Administrator roles. Val completed her BScN at Queen’s University, and MScN and PhD at the University of Ottawa. Val worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, palliative care, in Ottawa and Montreal, and has worked in a variety of other roles and settings during her over 30-year nursing career. Val is an avid Ottawa Charge and Redblacks fan and loves to canoe camp with her husband JP and her dog Bayley.
Dipti Purbhoo, MHSc, RN
“I feel fortunate to work in Hospice Palliative Care because it aligns with my belief that everyone deserves dignity at the end of life. This care is all about compassion, ensuring individuals and their families have comfort and support during this time. I am committed to finding new ways to make hospice services available to everyone who needs them. Hospice care enhances quality of life, fosters connections, and honors each person’s unique journey. It represents the care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones at the end of life.”
Executive Director of the Dorothy Ley Hospice, Dipti Purbhoo has a long tenure in healthcare and integrated care delivery. A registered nurse with over 20 years of experience in home and community healthcare, encompassing several roles. Dipti’s passion for quality care is at the cornerstone of her work.
Her expertise in healthcare is built on an accumulation of experiences in bedside care and administration. Dipti held the position of Chief Operating Officer at the former Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) – currently referred to Home and Community Care Support Services – for six years where she was responsible for the delivery of high-quality home and community care services.
Dipti has also worked to improve homecare and palliative care services for many years at the provincial, regional and community level. She is a creative and innovative leader who has implemented new models of care to improve the experiences of clients and caregivers alike. Most notably, she co-led the development and implementation of the Toronto Central Integrated Palliative Care program that won the Health Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Quality and Safety in 2014.
She is currently co-leading the Integrated Palliative Care Strategy with the Mississauga Ontario Health Team (OHT), a professional group working to implement a new integrated palliative care model for Mississauga.
Dipti holds a Master’s of Health Administration degree from the University of Toronto and a Master’s of Health Science degree in Nursing from McGill University.
Susan Blacker, MSW, RSW
“I am inspired daily by the holistic and compassionate care provided by hospice and palliative care teams. Palliative care providers are skillfully able to bear witness to fear, hope, courage, vulnerability, sadness, joy, loss and gratitude – sometimes all in the span of one conversation. What they do, and how they do it, makes all the difference.”
Susan is the Senior Director, Community Partnerships and Cancer and Palliative Program Performance at Sinai Health System in Toronto and has more than two decades of experience as a direct practice social worker, an educator and a program leader. She is also the provincial clinical co-lead for the Ontario Palliative Care Network.
Susan is internationally recognized for her work in advancing social work in palliative care and is dedicated to supporting the next generation of health care professionals in developing their knowledge and skills in providing palliative care. Susan holds an academic appointment at the University of Toronto as Adjunct Professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and as Lecturer (status only) in the Division of Palliative Care, Department of Family and Community Medicine.
Jennifer Wilson, AALP, ICD.D
“A window over the entrance of our local hospital looks into the room where my grandmother died.
I look at that window and remember her death. She was a nurse who had with an abiding love for her family and her fellow nurses
Her death could have been better, the people who cared for her were kind but apologetic, they didn’t have time to do more for a fellow nurse.
One day I looked at that window and knew death is not a one time event, death has an echo.
Making death better helps everyone – the family and the providers.”
Jennifer Wilson is the current Board Chair of Hospice Palliative Care Ontario and a past director of Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation. She was the founding Board Chair for Chatham-Kent Hospice during their successful campaign to establish their 10-bed residential hospice. Jennifer was also inaugural Tri Board Chair at the Chatham Kent Health Alliance for a public hospital, a faith-based hospital, and a small rural hospital collaborative. Jennifer has served on over a dozen charitable Boards and held Chair roles for Regional Council Region 5 of the Ontario Hospital Association, YMCA across Southwestern Ontario, and the Tri-County Literacy Network. She also served on the YMCA Canada Board for two terms. Jennifer has received numerous awards for her community service including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. She has completed University of Toronto Rotman School of Management’s Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) Education Program and successfully achieved ICD.D designation.
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