We are Women’s offers the WCH community a chance to get to know each other and share our stories.
Name: Soumia Meiyappan
Pronouns: She/her
Title & Department: Manager, Learning Health System, Academics
On the WCH team for: Since late Oct. 2022 (<one month!)
1. What does your typical workday look like?
In these early days, my goal has been around relationship building and making connections across different areas of the institution. I have been enjoying getting to know people (fellow Academics staff, researchers, clinicians, etc.), through learning about their history and experiences at WCH, and getting a sense of the overall culture and readiness for a Learning Health System at WCH. I am definitely learning a lot and know that there is more to be uncovered in the days and months to come!
2. What excites you the most about working at WCH?
The sense I am getting early on is that WCH is a place of possibility and innovation. I was particularly excited about this opportunity because I am returning to WCH after 15 years, back when I was a summer student at the WCRI! I worked on a research study that explored the effects of sleep on mood in women’s daily lives. It was a fascinating project that demonstrated the collaborative and multidisciplinary nature of women’s health.
This hospital has been and continues to revolutionize the future of healthcare and health equity for women and I am proud to be part of this team!
3. How does your work contribute to creating a positive patient experience?
I work closely with the VP of Academics to lead the strategic planning around the enterprise vision of a Learning Health System (LHS) at WCH. The goal is to evolve WCH into a place whereby all staff, physicians, trainees, and patients are engaged in continued improvement activities to impact better patient outcomes and experience. In other words, how do we learn from every patient we see and efficiently and effectively embed those learnings into daily clinical practice to improve their care?
This vision cannot be put in place until we have a fully thought-out plan that has incorporated a wide range of inputs. The idea is to effect a viral change, that is a synchronicity of top-down communications and bottom-up activity.
4. Tell us one to three things that your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you!
- I was a contestant on Jeopardy back in 2016! It fulfilled a life-long dream, not only of being able to play my favourite game in the world, but to meet the Canadian icon and national treasure that was Alex Trebek.
- I recently stepped out of my comfort zone and booked a solo trip to Lisbon, Portugal a mere five days before my departure! My itinerary was planned as I went, taking recommendations from the friendly locals and fellow travelers. I had an unforgettable time sampling their world-famous cuisine, visiting the WORLD’S oldest bookstore, enjoying gorgeous views, lively patios, timeless artworks, and meeting some wonderful new friends. It just goes to show that good things can happen when you try new things and make your world a little smaller 😊
- I am an avid reader and generally read about six books each month. I like to mix things up with an assortment of historical fiction, memoirs, and non-fiction, in a variety of formats (hardcovers, paperbacks, eBooks, and audiobooks). My favourite reads from this year alone are Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo, And They Called It Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis by Stephanie Thornton, and Finding Me by Viola Davis. I regularly share my latest reads and ratings on Instagram: @booksnthecityto, an account that was recognized by CBC Books as one of their favourite “Bookstagrams”!