Why Health Workforce Data Matters – and Why It Matters Now
No matter the economic climate, the need for health care is constant – and the pressures on the system continue to grow. We’ve seen significant changes in where and how people work across Canada’s healthcare system over the past few decades. At the same time, the realities facing the health workforce — now and in […]
New Pan‑Canadian Health Workforce Data Strategy
Paving the way to plan for the health workforce Health workers in Canada work hard to care for people in every corner of the country, every day. But across the country, the data collected on the health workforce is fragmented and incomplete, constraining the ability of health system partners to plan effectively and respond to […]
The Workforce Lens – January 2026
Coming Together for Canada’s Health Workforce When people ask me why I came to Health Workforce Canada, I tell them I love to take on sizable, meaningful challenges with a strong team behind me. I joined the team as CEO in December, and at every turn, I am inspired and impressed by the smarts, the […]
Health Workforce Canada announces permanent CEO
After a national search, Health Workforce Canada’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Sean Chilton as Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2025. Sean joins Health Workforce Canada as a seasoned health executive with over three decades of progressive leadership across one of Canada’s largest and most complex health systems. Currently […]
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – 2025
Recognition of Truths Through dialogue and wisdom shared by our partners and Indigenous Strategy Advisor, we acknowledge the following truths: Building Towards Reconciliation As Health Workforce Canada grows, we remain committed to advancing reconciliation through meaningful actions: We will continue to learn and acknowledge truths, becoming better allies in this ongoing journey.
Part 4: Embracing Digital: How AI Innovation Can Transform the Health Workforce
On the final day of the World Health Organization (WHO) conference, a “Sandpit” workshop brought together global leaders to explore how digital health and artificial intelligence (AI) can help solve one of the most pressing challenges of our time: health workforce shortages. Featuring insights from Scotland and Sweden, the session offered a glimpse into what’s […]
Part 3: Looking Beyond Our Usual Horizons: Listening to All Voices and to Industries Beyond Healthcare
At the WHO meeting Looking to the Future: Modelling and Optimizing the Health and Care Workforce (April 27–30), 250 eager faces filled the room. After several days of working together, we were beginning to coalesce around fresh ways of planning for the health workforce. Then, a young woman raised her hand and introduced herself as […]
Part 2: Health Workforce Planning Through Complexity: Tackling Multiple Problems in Tandem Within Complex Adaptive Systems
Health workforce planning is riddled with challenges. When we gather in large-scale meetings, it’s common to spend hours unpacking the many issues we face. But that wasn’t the approach taken at the WHO’s Looking to the Future: Modelling and Optimizing the Health and Care Workforce (April 27–30) in Copenhagen. Instead, we were invited to begin […]
Part 1: Health Workforce Canada Participates in the WHO’s Looking to the Future: Modelling and Optimizing the Health and Care Workforce
Health Workforce Canada was honoured to join in the World Health Organization (WHO) – European Region three-day event (April 28-30, 2025) focused on health workforce planning and policy. Countries from around the world participated in interactive workshops designed to identify common challenges and innovative solutions with respect to data, modelling and planning with an eye […]
CEO Deb Gordon looks at the year ahead for Health Workforce Canada
Deb Gordon, Interim CEO Happy New Year! As I reflect on 2024, I think about the challenges confronting our health care system, the opportunities that lie ahead, and our role in finding meaningful solutions. A significant number of people without access to primary care in their communities, lengthy wait times for services, competing financial pressures, […]