Nursing Leader Susan VanDeVelde-Coke Joins CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses as Executive Director
For Immediate Release
Toronto, January 19, 2016
The board of directors and staff of CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) are pleased to announce that Susan VanDeVelde-Coke, RN, MA, MBA, PhD, has been appointed Executive Director of the organization. Dr. VanDeVelde-Coke is a registered nurse with advanced academic qualifications who has held several senior positions in a variety of nursing sectors. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and is on the board of directors of the Canadian Nurses Foundation.
“It’s very exciting to be joining CARE Centre at the start of the organization’s 15th anniversary year, a great time to celebrate past successes and launch strategic new directions,” said Dr. VanDeVelde-Coke. “One of the major Canadian healthcare challenges is the recruitment and retention of all levels of healthcare workers, as well as managing the multicultural and multigenerational workforce. IENs and their domestically educated colleagues are the face of nursing in Ontario and throughout the country. CARE Centre has shown the way in maximizing their contributions.”
Dr. VanDeVelde-Coke’s experience spans executive positions in acute academic hospitals, a national community care organization, complex community and long-term care institutions in central and western Canada. She is a respected and collaborative leader in the nursing profession who has built and implemented inter-professional and academic models of care. She was most recently the Director of Health Policy Analysis & Knowledge Transfer at McMaster University’s Health & Social Services Utilization Research Unit, worked with a variety of healthcare organizations as a consultant, and served as Executive Vice-President and Chief Nurse/Health Professional Executive at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Dr. VanDeVelde-Coke also worked as Vice President Strategic Planning/Operations for the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) and held progressively senior positions with the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre. She holds a Master of Arts (M.A.) from the University of Washington, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from McMaster University, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from McGill University.
Saleem Hall, Chair of CARE Centre’s Board of Directors said, “Susan comes to CARE Centre with a wide breadth of experience and expertise. She has demonstrated success in creating and implementing strategic plans and improving operational performance in prominent healthcare organizations. We look forward to continued collaborations with all our stakeholders and partners in supporting our shared clients and communities as we move into 2016 and beyond.”
CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses has supported over 1,700 nurses from more than 140 countries to become registered in the province since 2001. CARE Centre is a not-for-profit professional organization funded by the Ontario Government and the Government of Canada. CARE Centre provides IENs with one-on-one case management, language and communication skills, exam preparation, professional development, mentoring and networking to be successful in the nursing profession. CARE Centre recognizes the value of nurses with diverse education and experience and is committed to advocating for their full contribution to Ontario’s healthcare system. CARE Centre for IENs is a registered charity (Charitable Number 84420 5948 RR0001). To learn more about CARE Centre and its work, please visit www.care4nurses.org.
For more information please contact:
Tina Novotny, BA, BJ, MA
Communications Specialist
CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses
tnovotny@care4nurses.org