Six months into this role, I’m thrilled to share what I’ve learned from travelling coast to coast to coast. I’ve spent the spring and early summer crisscrossing Canada, visiting our chapters and engaging directly with members at AGMs and other educational events. Our members have afforded me the gift of their time – I’ve led 30 focus groups, held 16 one-on-one interviews, and gathered input from a survey with 339 respondents. We’ve just returned from a very successful CCHL National Conference – spending time with nearly 500 participants and celebrating with our Award winners was inspirational – and informational. The takeaway? We have an enthusiastic, engaged community that truly cares about the College and about each other.
When I took on this role, I provided some reflections – sharing with you that our programs continue to grow. For example, over the past five years CHE enrolments grew 180%. These statistics underline a simple fact: when we come together, our impact multiplies. In every conversation I’ve had, one theme has come through loud and clear – our members value the College most for its networking and community. It has been said that “Networking is often touted as one of the most significant advantages of being part of a professional association”. Our members agree. They love learning side by side with peers, sharing stories from the front lines, and supporting each other beyond any single event.
What We Heard from You
At the same time, we heard practical realities: many leaders feel stretched for time. Healthcare is fast-paced and unpredictable, and carving out days for long workshops is hard. Members described the environment as emergent and dynamic, and you are urging us to be nimble. It is increasingly important that we lean into leading practices and that is as the healthcare environment becomes more complex, new educational formats – particularly microlearning – are emerging to meet evolving needs. In our conversations, members have asked for learning that keeps pace with change including:
- Networking and community activities remain our greatest draw. Members consistently told us that meeting other leaders – at conferences, chapter events, or even virtually – is their top reason for being part of CCHL. These connections become long-term, mutually supportive relationships that fuel professional growth.
- Flexible microlearning opportunities. We heard a strong call for bite-sized learning that fits into busy schedules. Healthcare professionals are on the go, so they want short, focused modules that can be undertaken asynchronously. One member said it well: even ten minutes on a commute can make a difference to the learning experience.
- Microcredentials and custom pathways. Members expressed interest in earning small certificates or digital badges for skills or topics (a concept known as microcredentialing). Personalized “learning passports” aligned to career goals came up over and over again. Research supports this trend – as microcredentials (or digital badges) are an emerging strategy for incentivizing and verifying knowledge and skill acquisition.
- Hybrid and asynchronous formats. To accommodate time pressures, members asked for a blend of live and on-demand options. Hybrid events and asynchronous modules (self-paced content) allow learning to happen even when schedules clash. Members gently reminded us that they wear many hats – leaders, parents, spouses and community members – and we need to build this into our programming.
In short, our members told us they want the community feeling of College events but delivered in new ways that respect busy lives and an ever-changing health system. Our members also reinforced the importance of honouring our commitments to Indigenous and Francophone communities. We not only agree – we are committed to it.
Evolving Our Approach
We are taking this feedback to heart. As stewards of the College’s Mission, CCHL’s Board of Directors will be integrating this feedback into the current Strategic Planning process. While the new Strategic Plan will be unveiled in 2026, there will be more opportunities for our members to share their insights and feedback. For now, we can all agree: flexible, personalized learning is the future. It will make leadership development more accessible and deepen our community bonds by providing the tools to allow us to learn together and co-create an inspired future.
Gratitude and Next Steps
I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone for your warm welcome! Special thanks to our partners – so many of you have reached out to ‘the new kid on the block’ and have made room for me at your tables and on your committees – I promise to pay that forward.
I’m energized by what I’ve seen and heard. Together, we will continue to build the College as the professional home of choice for Canadian health leaders.
Sincerely,
Sue Owen, CHE
President & CEO
Canadian College of Health Leaders
P.S. I hope to see as many of you as possible at our Canada West Health Leaders Conference October 28-30 in Victoria.
P.P.S. Hope to see our C-Suite members and colleagues at our CXO Forum scheduled for October 2 and 3 in Halifax.
