The Canadian College of Health Leaders is proud to announce that Valerie Holmes, CHE, Director of Home and Community Care at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) has been named recipient of the 2025 Robert Zed Young Health Leader award.
Valerie’s transformative impact in pediatric care has made her a standout in the field. With a deep commitment to improving care for children and families, Valerie has consistently demonstrated visionary leadership and a remarkable ability to drive change that results in measurable improvements in the health system.
Under Valerie’s leadership, several innovative initiatives have achieved significant milestones. Her work in creating the “inpatient medicine discharge proof of concept” has led to a 0% re-hospitalization rate, which has been expanded across all inpatient medicine teams at CHEO. Additionally, Valerie’s dedication to ensuring equitable access to healthcare for children with complex needs has been exemplified by the success of a program that enabled children in Eastern Ontario to start school alongside their peers, receiving essential health supports at home. Her ability to collaborate with both healthcare and educational partners has resulted in impactful initiatives, such as the Diabetes at School program, which supports students with Type 1 diabetes across the region.
Valerie’s leadership is defined by her innovative thinking and commitment to fostering collaboration across departments and sectors. She has demonstrated outstanding ability to engage others, create coalitions, and develop visionary strategies that improve patient care and system efficiencies. In addition to her work at CHEO, Valerie has served on the Bruyère Health Board of Directors and as an Investigator at the CHEO Research Institute, where she will lead a project to evaluate and enhance CHEO’s Complex Care program. Her continuous contributions to healthcare, paired with her involvement in the CCHL Mentorship Program, mark her as a future leader in the Canadian healthcare system, and a well-deserving recipient of this year’s award.
The Robert Zed Young Health Leader Award is presented to a Canadian healthcare leader, age 40 or younger, who has demonstrated leadership in the effectiveness and sustainability of Canada’s health system.
The award is sponsored by Brightlight Health, providers of an innovative platform crafted to enhance clinical efficiency and elevate care standards. The Brightlight platform is engineered to maximize clinicians’ time, ensuring a focus on delivering exceptional care.
This award is part of our CCHL National Awards Program and will be presented at the Honouring Health Leadership event on June 15, 2025.
For further information and/or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Christian Coulombe
Vice-President, Marketing & Membership
Canadian College of Health Leaders
613-235-7219, ext. 213
ccoulombe@cchl-ccls.ca
