Rodney Burns Joins the Association of Ontario Health Centres as New Chief Information Officer

TORONTO, October 26, 2011 – Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC) Executive Director Adrianna Tetley announced today that Rodney Burns will join the AOHC as Chief Information Officer effective December 1, 2011.

Mr. Burns comes to the AOHC from his role as Chief Information Officer and eHealth Lead at the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), where he was responsible for implementing eHealth Ontario data and service integration strategies for more than 78 health service providers. He also led the development of Care Connections, a ten-year information and communications technology/eHealth Ontario strategy to realize an integrated health service delivery and community support system across the region. The plan involved more 140 health service providers and is in its first year of implementation.

He has extensive information technology experience in the health care sector, having led or managed IT departments and projects at the Humber River Regional Hospital, Sarnia General Hospital and St. Joseph’s Health Centre, and the Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket. As Project Director of the Diagnostic Imaging/Picture Archiving and Communication System Repository Project at the Toronto East Network, Mr. Burns led the implementation of the largest, most complex diagnostic imaging data repository project funded by Canada Health Infoway. The system was implemented at 23 hospitals in Ontario.

“We’re very pleased Rodney is joining the AOHC to lead our Information Management Strategy,” said Ms. Tetley. “He brings exceptional skills in strategic information system planning, integration and innovation, and has a strong record consulting with and engaging stakeholders. He will play a pivotal role in helping our member organizations become leaders in the use of information technology for client care, planning and service delivery.”

The Information Management Strategy (IMS) is focused on alignment with provincial and national healthcare strategies and the strategic use of information technology at Ontario’s Community Health Centres (CHCs) and other AOHC member organizations. On behalf of the sector, the AOHC is in the midst of one of the largest procurements of an electronic medical record (EMR) system in Canada.

“Speaking on behalf of the sector, we’re thrilled Rodney will bring his vision and expertise to build on our recent accomplishments,” said Michelle Hurtubise, chair of the AOHC Information Management Committee. “We already knew him as a strong supporter of our sector, and look forward to working with him as a member of our team.”

A Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) with Canadian supplemental designations, Mr. Burns is past president and a senior executive of the Ontario chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. A Certified Health Executive (CHE) through the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL), as a member of the CCHL certification program he helped rewrite the college’s CHE exam to support alignment with the LEADS leadership framework for health organizations.

Mr. Burns received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology from the University of Western Ontario, and a Masters of Health Administration from the University of Ottawa.

The result of a national search, the hiring is part of a three-year plan to build capacity to implement the Information Management Strategy on behalf of member organizations. Ian Brunskill, who has been Acting Chief Information Officer for the last year, will continue with the organization in an advisory role.

The Association of Ontario Health Centres is Ontario’s voice for community-governed primary health care. The AOHC represents more than 120 community-governed primary health care organizations. Members include Community Health Centres, Aboriginal Health Access Centres and Community Family Health Teams.