We are Women’s offers the WCH community a chance to get to know each other and share our stories.
Name: Sam Pender
Pronouns: She/her
Title & Department: Communications Coordinator, Strategic Communications
On the WCH team for: A year and a half
1. What does your typical workday look like?
My workdays vary based on the day. Fridays and Mondays are spent putting together WCH’s internal newsletter, Connect, which involves writing and editing articles, making graphics, putting content on the external website, and keeping on top of events and news. The rest of the week is always different – between media monitoring, leading awareness month campaigns (Heart Month, IWD, Pharmacy month, etc.), creating internal content and communications, and assisting other departments with tasks, it’s always busy and always different.
2. What excites you the most about working at WCH?
I really value the equity, diversity, and inclusion work WCH prioritizes. Having worked at more conservative organizations in the past, it means a lot to me to work for a hospital that values equity and inclusion and actively works towards making the healthcare system better for people at all intersections. From ground-breaking research, opening the first publicly funded hospital-based Transition-Related Surgery (TRS) program and creating the Centre for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health (CWP-IH) to actively increasing access to care for equity-deserving and historically marginalized groups, I’m always proud to say I work at Women’s.
3. How does your work contribute to creating a positive patient experience?
While I don’t often interact directly with patients, I contribute to patient safety campaigns and patient communications around the hospital. I also contribute to patient-centred initiatives and events. A strong communications team always impacts patient experiences and WCH has an amazing Strategic Communications department that’s always prioritizing access to healthcare, transparent communications, and using our platforms to elevate diverse voices and portfolios.
4. Tell us one to three things that your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you!
- I have a 10-year-old, 15-lb Pomeranian named Roxanne (who occasionally joins meetings)
- Last year I listened to 106,071 minutes of music on Spotify
- I won a spelling bee in grade five and have been riding that high ever since