Quality, Safety and Information
The Quality, Safety and Information portfolio is responsible for Academics and Learning, Clinical Standards, Patient and Client Experience, Quality and Safety, Clinical Quality Improvement, Population Health, Privacy and Health Information Management, and Digital Health.
Leadership Team
Michelle Mula - Vice President, Quality, Safety & Chief Information Officer
Michelle Mula is coming from her role as Acting Vice President, Infrastructure, Information and Support, and prior to that, as the executive director of Digital Health for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
Michelle is an accomplished transformation leader with extensive experience in the health sector. Through her experience with the provincial SHA, eHealth Saskatchewan and former Health Authority, she has focused her efforts on supporting innovation in areas of Analytics, Acute Care, Community and Primary Health Care, Public Health, Provincial Services and integrated Electronic Health Records.
As Executive Director of Digital Health, Michele received a national award recognizing her as one of the 2021 Women Leaders in Digital Health. The award celebrates the top female visionaries who are harnessing the power of IT to transform health and health-care in Canada.
In her role as acting Vice President for Infrastructure, Information and Support, Michelle was responsible for a number of provincial services across the Saskatchewan Health Authority including Infrastructure Management, Digital Health, Privacy and Health Information Management, Environmental Services and Food and Nutrition Services.
Dr. Brandy Winquist - Executive Director, Academics & Learning
As Executive Director of Academics & Learning, Dr. Brandy Winquist will provide leadership for the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s academic mandate, research and ethics. Brandy completed her doctorate in Community and Population Health Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, and now holds an adjunct faculty position within the College of Medicine. She has extensive experience in leading research in the areas of maternal and child health, health services and population health.
As the Director of Decision Support in the former Cypress Health Region, Brandy has cultivated expertise in applied research, medical ethics, analytics and health information systems. Collaborating with the Saskatchewan Health Quality Council and the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effects Studies, she has led the Saskatchewan component of four multi-province studies investigating prescription medication use during pregnancy. Much of her career has been dedicated to informing, evaluating and improving health service delivery in Saskatchewan. She currently serves as Chairperson for the Ethics Committee in Swift Current and for the Saskatchewan Epidemiology Association.
Brandy has worked closely with health system partners throughout her career, and is committed to continuing and building new relationships in her role as Executive Director of Academics & Learning.
Gaylene Molnar - Executive Director, Clinical Standards & PCN
As the Executive Director of Clinical Standards for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), Gaylene Molnar will provide leadership for interprofessional practice, clinical standards development and maintenance, clinical pathway development and appropriateness of care.
Gaylene brings many years of healthcare experience in a variety of settings and comes to this role from the former Saskatoon Health Region where she was the Director of Nursing Practice and Education. She has held various direct care and leadership roles throughout her career including Nurses Aide, Direct Care Nurse, Clinical Nurse Educator, Clinical Instructor, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Program Manager of Geriatric Evaluation and Management Services.
Gaylene holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Nursing from the University of Saskatchewan. As a Registered Nurse, she is licensed with the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association, a member of the Academy of Canadian Executive Nurses, holds a Certification in Gerontological Nursing with the Canadian Nurses Association and is lean leader certified.
Gaylene is passionate about providing safe, client centered care through Interdisciplinary collaboration and coordination. She brings a collaborative leadership style to the teams she leads. Gaylene is excited about the opportunity to engage clients and professionals in the development of care standards that will ensure improved health outcomes for the residents of Saskatchewan through excellence in care and service delivery.
Felecia Watson - Executive Director, Patient & Client Experience
Felecia has more than 20 years of experience working in health care. She led the coordination of four Accreditation Canada surveys for three different organizations. She has worked as an Epidemiologist, Research Officer, Provincial Lead for Early Detection and in a variety of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Roles. Felecia developed and implemented a plan for Patient and Family Centred Care in the former Sun Country Health Region and led the formation of their first Patient and Family Advisory Council. Felecia is a certified Lean Leader, LEADS facilitator and holds a Masters degree in Community Health and Epidemiology as well as a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a Health Care Administration major.
Felecia has been fortunate to have worked with many Patient and Family Partners as either members of the Patient and Family Advisory Committee or as ad hoc Partners on a variety of improvement events. She looks forward to enhancing partnerships with patients, clients and providers to improve care and services for the people of Saskatchewan.
Angela Muzyka - Executive Director, Quality and Safety
Angela Muzyka is the Executive Director, Quality and Safety for the Saskatchewan Health Authority and is located in Swift Current. She is passionate about continuous improvement with her most recent experience as the Director of Quality and Safety Rural.
Angela has worked in health care for over 25 years starting her career in therapy services. She has served as an Accreditation & Patient Safety Coordinator, Quality Improvement Specialist, and Director of the Kaizen Promotion Office within the former Cypress Health Region. She is a certified Lean Leader with extensive training in Kaizen coaching and 3P. She has much experience coaching teams on Quality Improvement initiatives from small local improvement projects to the design and flow for capital builds.
Angela is a committed leader with a commitment to quality improvement and safety.
Dr. Gary Groot - Medical Director of Clinical Quality Improvement
Dr. Groot brings years of experience in the Saskatchewan healthcare system together with his academic position, work with the Ministry of Health in Appropriateness of Care and faculty experience with the provincial Clinical Quality Improvement training program (CQIP) to this new role within the SHA.
Dr. Groot is dedicated to the creation of a culture and organizational structure that will result in "the right care, provided by the right providers, to the right patient, in the right place, at the right time, resulting in optimal care."
Dr. Groot is a Professor in the College of Medicine with a joint appointment in the Departments of Community Health and Epidemiology and Surgery. Based out of Saskatoon, Dr. Groot provides general surgical oncology care to patients in Saskatchewan. Gary has served as the Department Head for the former Saskatoon Health Region and is currently the Director of Surgical Oncology and Interim Director of Quality Improvement for the Department of Surgery. He has served as the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer's Equity Advisory Committee Chair and on the Quality Committee for the American Head and Neck Society. Gary has been faculty for the provincial CQIP training program that he helped establish from its inception, a program modelled after the highly regarded Intermountain Health mini-advanced training program.
Pat Stuart - Executive Director, Privacy and Health Information Management Services
Lara Murphy - Interim Executive Director, Population Health
Lara Murphy began her career as an epidemiologist with former Saskatoon Health Region’s Public Health Observatory immediately after receiving her MSc in Community Health and Epidemiology from the University of Saskatchewan in 2001. She has played many roles over the years most recently as manager of Population Health surveillance and reporting. In this role Lara has co-lead the development of health network geographies, health network profiles and the alignment and standardization of public health surveillance, monitoring and reporting across the province.
Lara is passionate about the work of population health and has spent almost two decades advancing health equity in our health system. She was a part of a team that advanced this work when few people outside of Population and Public Health were aware of these concepts. It has been slow and challenging work, but also incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. Lara is committed to using whatever influence and power she has to improve the health of the population, address the structural and social determinants of health and reduce inequities.
Erica Pederson - Executive Director, Digital Health
Erica Pederson, the Executive Director of Digital Health at the Saskatchewan Health Authority, possesses a rich background in nursing spanning nearly 20 years, complemented by a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Saskatchewan. Her career has spanned acute and long-term care, infection prevention and control, and nursing regulation. Notably, Erica launched Saskatchewan's first Accountable Care Unit and was instrumental during the province's COVID-19 pandemic initiatives.
Currently, she leads strategic and operational initiatives that fuse technology with health care, enhancing both patient and provider experiences within the SHA. Her leadership is rooted in partnership, collaboration and celebrating shared achievements. Erica also holds a Master in Nursing from Athabasca University.
Dr. Jenny Basran - Senior Medical Information Officer
Jenny Basran, MD FRCPC is an associate professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. She is Royal College certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine and has practiced for over 15 years in both acute care and community care.
Dr. Basran’s research interests include incorporating geriatric principles into care across the continuum, computer modeling of the health care system and the use of technology to help older adults age successfully. She has been involved in initiatives for older adults at the local, national and international level and has served several roles on the executive of the Canadian Geriatric Society and as a consultant to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health and eHealth Saskatchewan.
Dr. Basran was one of the physician co-leads for Saskatchewan’s initiative to reduce wait times in ER and improve patient flow, which led to the development of the Connected Care Strategy. Through this work, she introduced and demonstrated dynamic computer modelling as a tool for evidence-based, data driven health system decision making; led the development of Alternate Level of Care data collection and utilization; and was a key driver for the introduction of interprofessional care teams. Dr. Basran is currently co-leading the implementation of the community based component of the Connected Care Strategy with the development of the Community Health Center at Market Mall.