Jan Byrd, CHE, Director of Health Policy at Healthcare Excellence Canada, has built a career dedicated to improving patient safety, quality, and health policy through collaboration, empathy, and innovation. Based in Winnipeg, she works remotely with healthcare leaders across all provinces and territories, driving national initiatives that strengthen Canada’s healthcare systems.
Jan’s career began after completing a double major in sociology and music. A professional singer with a passion for healthcare, she chose to keep music as a lifelong pursuit while focusing her career on understanding how power, equity, and social dynamics shape health outcomes. After earning her Master’s in Sociology with a specialization in Health and Illness, she began her healthcare journey in 1999 as a Youth Health Educator at Klinic Community Health Centre in Winnipeg, delivering education on topics such as teen health, relationships, and decision-making.
Her curiosity about system-level change led her to policy and leadership roles across Manitoba’s health sector, including positions in community mental health and government. A key milestone came when she joined the newly established Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety, where she learned to build an organization and support its inaugural Board of Directors. Later, as Patient Safety and Quality Manager at St. Boniface Hospital, she merged patient experience and quality improvement, ensuring that feedback from patients directly informed organizational learning.
In her current role with Healthcare Excellence Canada, Jan continues to lead at the intersection of patient safety and policy. Inspired by the UK’s Policy Lab model, she introduced “policy labs” to Canada: collaborative spaces where patients, leaders, regulators, and policymakers co-design solutions to complex healthcare issues. One of her proudest achievements has been helping to shape Canada’s “Essential Care Partner Policy” during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring patients were not left alone during care by allowing one essential support person to remain by their side.
Beyond her national leadership, Jan has made a lasting impact within the Canadian College of Health Leaders. As Chair of the Manitoba Chapter, she revitalized the group after COVID-19, creating opportunities for connection and peer support among local leaders. Her energy and dedication brought people back together, demonstrating the power of community in leadership. She encourages emerging leaders to seek mentorship, noting that most experienced professionals are eager to share their journeys and insights.
“What I love most about the College is that it brings people together; great thinkers who support one another, exchange ideas, and remind us that leadership comes from many different paths and backgrounds.”
- Jan reflects on the value of connection and shared learning within the healthcare community.
Outside of work, Jan finds balance through daily walks with her dog, yoga, time in nature, and music. She continues to perform in a professional touring choir, where teamwork, creativity, and joy remind her of the same values she brings to leadership in healthcare.
Jan Byrd has been recognized by the Manitoba Chapter in 2025 for her leadership in revitalizing local engagement and strengthening connections among health leaders. She describes chapter involvement as the heart of the College, providing an opportunity to reconnect with local colleagues, share regional insights with leaders across the country, and stay attuned to what’s happening in healthcare.
