Welcome to the August addition of PQI Community Newsletter ☀️

We hope your summer was filled with sunshine, adventure, and maybe even a little quality improvement! Our alum community certainly didn’t take a break - there’s a lot to celebrate in this edition, from exciting new projects to impressive accomplishments and inspiring individuals.

Curious to see what your fellow PQI Alum have been up to? You’re in the right place!
 

Congratulations to Dr. Marie-Claude Grégoire (Cohort 9) who will stepping into a key leadership position as the Interim Head of the Division of Palliative Medicine, UBC & BCCH. She will also serve as Interim Medical Director at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, and the Interim Co-Medical Director of PainCare 360 and Palliative Care at BC Children’s Hospital.

Shoutout to our very own Julia Porter (PQI, Specialist Services Committee (SSC) & Shared Care Initiatives) and Dr. Adele Harrison (PQI Health Authority Sponsor) on their recent publication Low-touch approach empowering clinical teams to improve the medical on-call communication experience. This article outlines the incredible work they've done with developing and running the Good Call Action Series. 

We are excited to share that Dr. Val Stoynova (Cohort 8) will be participating in Health Quality BC's Clinical Fellowship program. Her environmentally sustainable approach will be valued! 

This opportunity allows physicians to develop leadership skills required to deliver large-scale improvements in the quality of care. Learn more about the Clinician Fellowship program here.
 

Mark your Calendars! The Well Planned Action Series is Returning this Fall! 

We'd love to have you participate in is round of the Well Planned Action Series.

Register by September 22, 2025

Join for support to improve the experience for the people creating, clarifying, and communicating medical goals for discharge in your area. Each area has unique challenges and the best people to identify opportunities for improvement are the ones who are doing the work.

Sign up here! 

Register for HQBC Teamwork & Communication Action Series 

A free, interactive virtual opportunity to explore the behaviours required for successful teamwork and introduce the key tools and elements of effective communication. This action series runs from October 2025 to March 2026.

Registration now open! Learn more here.

Quality Forum 2026 Update

As many of you know, Quality Forum 2026 will not be going ahead this year. We know this event has been a highlight for many in our community, and it's disappointing news.

The good news is that there are still meaningful opportunities to share your quality improvement work. Two strong options currently accepting submissions are:

For more options, we’ve compiled a list of other conferences and journals accepting submissions this year. You can explore it here: QI Conference and Journal Tracker .

If you know of any conferences or calls for abstracts that aren’t already included, please let us know so we can add them to the list. PQI@islandhealth.ca
 

The BiRCH Clinic project was recently featured as a Facility Engagement 60-Second Story. The Birth Related Cardiovascular Health (BiRCH) Clinic works to prevent cardiovascular risks and provide resources for new mothers.

Project lead Dr. Jennifer Kask (Cohort 7) launched the BiRCH Clinic in May 2023, in Campbell River and is now spreading the work in Port Alberni. 

Read the full story here!
 

Congratulations to Dr. Chris Harper and Dr. Barbara Lelj Garolla Di Bard (Cohort 9) of Breakwater Pediatrics, who reduced unnecessary developmental referral delays by 60% in just 7 months (see graph). By ensuring children referred to their clinic are also connected with appropriate community services while waiting for pediatric consultation, families now access needed care sooner.

Their success highlights how small system changes can have a big impact. They are keen to share their work and support other clinics interested in improving referral processes. To view their new referral form, click the image below.

This project was co-led as part of the Physician Quality Improvement (PQI) Cohort Training Program.

For more details on the project, check-out their Project Poster; learn more about PQI here. Referral Form linked here.
 

Do you have something you'd like to share?

We are always interested in hearing about the work you're doing and what we can share with our community. If you have a shoutout, story, opportunity, or any comments you'd like to share with the PQI community, please email us at pqi@islandhealth.ca.

Interested in connecting more often with fellow PQI Alums? South Island Alum Champion, Alicia Power has created a WhatsApp group "QuPID"!

Click here to join the Alum group
 

Thank you!

If you have any questions, comments, or ideas for improvement, please email PQI@IslandHealth.ca 

Visit the PQI page on the Medical Staff website