Q&A with Candidates for Board of Directors
Date: Tuesday 2nd May, 2023
Time: 0900 PT, 1000 MT/SK, 1100 CT, 1200 ET, 1300 AT, 1330 NL
Duration: 1 Hour
THIS WEBINAR IS FOR IPAC CANADA MEMBERS ONLY
CONTINUING EDUCATION CERTIFICATE WILL NOT BE PROVIDED FOR THIS WEBINAR
Description
The Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors of Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC Canada) and members of IPAC Canada have put forth the following candidates for positions open as of May 31, 2023.
President-elect
Julie Weir BN, RN, MN, GNC(C), LTC-CIP
(Two year term followed by two-year term as President)
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Secretary/Membership Director
Dione Kolodka MS, CIC
(Three year term)
Calgary, Alberta
Director (Chapters and Interest Groups)
Stefania Cloutier BES, BASc, CPHI(c), CIC
(Three year term)
Burlington, Ontario
Director (Education)
Natalie Bruce RN, BScN, MScN, CIC, FAPIC
(Three year term)
Ottawa, Ontario
JULIE WEIR has 19 years’ experience in nursing and infection prevention and control. Currently, she is the CEO of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes. NBANH is an employer association representing all 71 licensed nursing homes in NB. NBANH supports the homes through several pathways, one of which is advocacy with provincial and federal government bodies. With the vision of “Leading excellence in Long Term Care”, NBANH encourages and enables the sharing of best practices through the community of practice model of networking and supporting one another. Julie also holds the position of President, Board of Directors, New Brunswick Nurses Association. A graduate of the IPAC Canada Essentials in Infection Prevention and Control (2020), Julie successfully completed the LTC-CIP® certification in the first cohort of candidates for the new designation. She has a Master in Nursing Education, and C.N.A. certification in Gerontological Nursing. She has held positions as Infecting Prevention and Control and Infomatics lead with the New Brunswick Department of Social Development, was ICP-Manager at The Moncton Hospital, and Staff Nurse/Educator, Intensive Care, The Moncton Hospital. Julie serves as President-elect, IPAC New Brunswick/PEI. She is an active member of the IPAC Canada LTC Interest Group and has served on the CSA sub-committee to develop the new LTC standards.
PHILOSOPHY: My philosophy toward this opportunity to apply for President-Elect is to seize every opportunity to learn and grow my leadership skills. This type of role is not for every ICP, and that is ok. We all have different leadership skills and leadership dreams. What has often been referred to big L leadership is just this type of opportunity. Big L leadership is stepping up and stepping out in front in a manner that is professional, well prepared and supportive to the needs of the membership. While I would not have put my name forward 15 years ago, with experience I have become much more comfortable with moving outside of my areas of comfort and ease. I now seek out opportunities to be challenged and to find new learnings. I sincerely do believe that we as professionals need to encourage and support one another to fill leadership roles such as this. I have always believed that in order to encourage others to step up, I need to be willing to take the first step. For all of these reasons, I believe that I would be a good candidate for the position of President-Elect for IPAC Canada.
DIONE KOLODKA has 10 years’ experience in infection prevention and control with the Alberta Health Services, Calgary. Her current portfolio includes community health care in the settings of urgent cares, diagnostic imaging, labs, addictions and mental health, safe works / vulnerable persons, several urban health care buildings and, correctional facilities’ healthcare. Dione obtained a Masters in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the University of Calgary, and holds the CIC certification. Dione graduated from the IPAC Canada Novice Infection Prevention and Control Course in 2013. She is a member of IPAC Southern Alberta, serves as the IPAC Canada Chapter Council Western Region Representative, and is a member of several interest groups.
PHILOSOPHY: My philosophy for the role encompasses attention to details to ensure effective communication. I find this is the one piece of any organization that can make the difference with regards to its members as well as its impact to the general public. For instance, I have been concerned about the ways in which data can be presented which can lead to bias. Data often would benefit from scaling as well as from presentation in more approachable ways. Looking at previous Annual Reports, it can be noted that membership data has not yet been scaled for population or healthcare catchment population. It would be beneficial to see this data in a more locally understandable way. I look forward to the possibility to incorporate this and perhaps even infographics to the annual report.
STEFANIA CLOUTIER is seeking her second term as Director (Chapters and Interest Groups). Stefania has been an Infection Control Professional for more than 12 years. She began her career at Halton Region Public Health Department as a Health Inspector on the Enteric and Vectorborne Diseases Team. She transitioned to hospital and worked at various hospitals across the GTA.
She is currently an Infection Control Professional with Halton Healthcare. In addition to the CIC designation, she has received a Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety from Ryerson University; a Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Health and Safety (Ryerson University), a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Honours), and a Diploma in Environmental Assessment (Biology Minor, University of Waterloo). Stefania has served the IPAC Canada Board of Directors as Director Chapters and Interest Groups since May 2020.
PHILOSOPHY: I believe in IPAC Canada's members! The group of professionals who contribute to this great organization are highly skilled in different areas across healthcare and beyond. The diverse expertise of our members enriches IPAC Canada through networking, education and collaboration. I hope to contribute to this position my continued dedication to each Chapter and Interest group. I offer my ongoing support to these groups often helping to revitalize and encourage new leaders to step forward and continue their incredible work.
NATALIE BRUCE has worked in infection prevention and control for over 22 years and is currently the Associate Director of the Antimicrobial Resistance Division at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). In this role she leads PHAC Healthcare Associated Infection Prevention and Control (HAIPC) Team who provide national leadership in IPAC guideline development and respond to new and emerging infection control threats. Natalie previously worked as the IPAC manager at The Ottawa Hospital, a 1200 bed multi-site acute care facility from 2006 until 2021. Natalie has gained IPAC expertise in community and congregate settings as the Manager of the Provincial IPAC Champlain Hub from September 2020 until November 2021. Natalie earned a Baccalaureate of Nursing degree and Masters of Nursing from the University of Ottawa. Natalie has been an active member of IPAC Canada since 2000. She is presently serving as the President for IPAC Canada Ottawa Region Chapter. Natalie has been certified in infection prevention and control (CIC) since 1996, and in 2022 she earned the Fellow of APIC designation.
