Who We Are
For more than 30 years, the Regional Geriatric Program of Southwestern Ontario (RGP SWO) has been a leader in geriatric care, research and education across the region. Led by St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s), our team includes specialized geriatric health care providers, faculty from Western University, scientists from Lawson Health Research Institute and partners from health organizations serving Sarnia-Lambton, Chatham-Kent, Windsor-Essex, London-Middlesex, Grey-Bruce, Oxford, Elgin and Huron-Perth counties.
Leadership
Our innovative leadership model provides strategic and operational leadership to advance integrated care for older adults with complex health needs. Under the leadership of dedicated directors for planning, research & evaluation, education and clinical services, the RGP SWO provides a powerful infrastructure to generate, test and integrate new knowledge and emerging models relevant to the care of older adults.
Tri-Directorate
Dr. SheriLynn Kane – Medical Director
As a geriatrician who provides care for older adults in inpatient, outreach, rehabilitation and clinic settings, Dr. Kane is committed to improving the health care system for older adults experiencing frailty. Including her role as the medical director for the Regional Geriatric Program of Southwestern Ontario, Dr. Kane is the acting Chair for the Division of Geriatric Medicine and chair of the PGLO Steering Committee.
Erin Watson, Director of Operations
Erin is a registered nurse with over 20 years of front line clinical and clinical operational leadership in geriatric medicine. In her role as the Director of Operations, Erin provides operational and strategic leadership in developing, implementing and evaluating short and long-term goals and objectives aligned with the RGP SWO strategic plan. She ensures there is successful delivery of programs and services of the RGP and Specialized Geriatric Services (SGS) for St. Joseph’s Health Care London. Her leadership translates the RGP SWO strategy into program and service level activity and ensures there is translation, communication and alignment of the RGP SWO mission, vision and values across program services areas.
Dr. Jacobi Elliot, Director of Research and Strategy
Jacobi is a Scientist with Lawsons Research Institute and holds Adjunct Assistant Professor appointments at Western University and the University of Waterloo. As the Director of Research and Strategy, she provides operational and strategic leadership in developing, implementing and evaluating initiatives aligned with the RGP SWO strategic plan. She oversees the research and strategy team in the core role of facilitating the implementation, monitoring and reporting of strategic priorities in support of the mandate of the RGP SWO and brings innovation to life across Southwestern Ontario. This role acts as a collaborative system thinker and influential thought leader in the care of aging adults. She leads the team in supporting partnerships with key stakeholders and system leaders to help drive system transformation.
Research and Strategy Team
The RGP SWO has a dedicated team that supports regional initiatives through quality improvement and knowledge translation specialists. The team consists of six Quality Improvement and Facilitation Consultants that come from various clinical backgrounds, including Registered Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Social Work. Rounding out the team are three evaluation consultants who are PhD research scientists.
Team Roles and Functions
- Design, Implement, evaluate and sustain improvements based on best practices
- Lead quality improvement initiatives and processes
- Lead system coordination and planning
- Provide change management support
- Monitor and report data
- Collect and collate best practices and evidence
- Support standardization and best practice adoption
- Conduct environmental scans
- Support knowledge translation and capacity building
- Carry out and support innovative research
- Support advocacy in collaboration with partner organizations and PGLO
With research and evaluation expertise embedded in the RGP SWO, we will act as a catalyst for research and evaluation activities across the region. The teams mandate will extend beyond internal projects to include support for external researchers, the advancement of quality improvement initiatives and the implementation and evaluation of innovative care models, all guided by a common evaluation framework. The team will also collaborate with regional partners to enhance educational opportunities.
The evaluation framework is central to measuring progress in improved health outcomes and in enhancing patients, care providers and caregivers. Our evaluation framework is designed to address both individual and system level outcomes. Provincial Geriatric Leadership Ontario, which brings together the RGPs across the province, has established key indicators to guide this work.
Governance
The governance of the RGP SWO is provided through the Regional Executive Steering Committee and the Regional Operations Council, comprising strategic and operational cross-sectoral membership from across Southwestern Ontario. The wide range of perspectives include those from primary care, long-term care, rehabilitation, home and community care, mental health, acute care and community support services sector. This structure enables system-wide leadership to set strategic directions, guide the annual work plan, and strengthen the collaboration essential to delivering integrated care for older adults.