HHS welcomes new VP HITS and CIO

HAMILTON, ON – Michelle Leafloor (pictured) is the new VP, health information technology services (HITS) and chief information officer (CIO) at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS), effective June 3rd, 2020. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Michelle and her family have moved to Southern Ontario to take on a new challenge at Hamilton Health Sciences.

Throughout her career, Michelle created and led high-performing teams through large digital transformation initiatives. At HHS, she will play a leading role in advancing the Digital Health Plan, including the implementation of a new hospital information system (HIS).

“I’m thrilled to join this fantastic organization, which has an excellent reputation for innovation and leading the way on several important healthcare technology solutions,” says Michelle, who has over 20 years of experience in IT work.

Recently, Michelle led the implementation of Epic – an HIS used by several hospitals throughout North America. Her team helped launch it across a six-organization voluntary partnership in Eastern Ontario, including The Ottawa Hospital where she joins us from.

Her experience in this area is key to her role as we embark on our own Transformation journey, particularly with the work currently being done on our Digital Health Plan and the HIS project. A readiness assessment for a new HIS is nearing completion.

“Michelle’s leadership experience and her demonstrated ability to implement innovative and complex initiatives are significant,” says Dave McCaig, EVP corporate affairs and chief financial officer. “She is a strong believer in the supportive role of technology to transform healthcare.”

Michelle is married with two sons, both of whom also entered the healthcare sector. Jordan is an avid football player who works at a local Ottawa hospital, and Cameron is just finishing his first year of residency in emergency medicine.

“It’s becoming a proud family tradition to be part of this important field,” said Michelle, who also enjoys training in the gym or competing on the football field.