National award for Winnipeg-based Canadian Virtual Hospice

WINNIPEG, Nov. 16, 2017 /CNW/ - The Executive Director of the Canadian Virtual Hospice, Shelly Cory, was recognized as one of Canada's 10 Women Leaders in Digital Health by Digital Health Canada (formerly Canadian Health Informatics Association). This new award celebrates the top ten female visionaries who are harnessing the power of IT to transform health and healthcare in Canada today. 

"I'm incredibly fortunate to work with a talented and committed group of people who don't run in the other direction when I say "I've got an idea," said Cory who has led the organization since 2007.  She acknowledged the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer's funding of her brainchild, MyGrief.ca, as one of the most gratifying points of her career.

"Leveraging IT to help meet the unmet need of grief support is something I've wanted to do since I joined Canadian Virtual Hospice. Personal experience can be a strong motivator," she said.

This leadership recognition is the fifth national award received in the past five months by the Canadian Virtual Hospice for its excellence in digital health.

Other awards are:

• Dr. Mike Harlos, Canadian Virtual Hospice's Clinical Lead and Medical Director of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Palliative Care Program received the Pediatric Palliative Care Award of Excellence from the Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association in September.
• Two Innovation awards were received for the Ask a Professional feature and the new MyGrief.ca from the Canadian Foundation for Health Care Improvement in June.
• MyGrief.ca was also recognized with a Patient Innovation Award by the Canadian Health Informatics Association in June.

The organization was also recognized recently as one of the 50 social media influencers in the health field as part of Digital Health Week's #OnesToFollow list.

Next week, Canadian Virtual Hospice will be in Ottawa launching their new KidsGrief.ca / DeuilDesEnfants.ca portal.

Canadian Virtual Hospice is a not-for-profit and the world's most comprehensive online portal for information and support on palliative and end-of-life care, loss and grief. It serves the information and support needs of people living with life-limiting illness, families and caregivers, health providers, researchers and educators. It operates: virtualhospice.ca, portailpalliatif.ca, MyGrief.ca, LivingMyCulture.ca, Methadone4Pain.ca, KidsGrief.ca, DeuilDesEnfants.ca and numerous social media platforms.

SOURCE Canadian Virtual Hospice

Marissa Ambalina, Communications Specialist, [email protected]