Women’s Executive Network (WXN) has named KBHN Board Member Julia Hanigsberg one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019 in the Most Powerful CEOs category.

Hanigsberg has been the President and CEO of Toronto’s Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital since 2015, and this is her third time taking home the 100 Most Powerful Women Award.

The WXN Award honours 100 women in Canada who demonstrate high achievement in their field and can empower and inspire others. Many well-known Canadian women representing a range of areas have been past award winners, including astronaut Dr. Roberta Bondar and former governor-general Michaëlle Jean.

As CEO of Canada’s largest paediatric rehabilitation hospital, Hanigsberg has helped make  Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, a world leader in paediatric health. In doing so, it improved the lives of kids and youth living with disabilities. Hanigsberg has led the Dear Everybody campaign to advocate for better representation of people with disabilities in the media. She also co-founded the Kids Health Alliance with two other major paediatric hospitals to improve patient care and led the hospital’s growth through new funding and partnerships, including a significant research institute expansion.

KBNH had the opportunity to ask Hanigsberg to explain in her own words what this award means to her and what her proudest accomplishments have been so far.

What does being named as one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women mean to you?

It is an incredible honour, and it’s a recognition of the work of the entire Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital team. I hope that it also means that women will look at my career path and our organization and take inspiration. Ultimately, my power is in empowering children with disabilities and medical complexity to create their most meaningful and healthy futures.

What are some of the achievements you are most proud of?

For a children’s hospital and academic health sciences centre, there is nothing more important than safety. We received 100% in two successive surveys by Accreditation Canada – truly a tribute to the quality of care and services provided by this team. For the last two years, our research institute has been ranked first in research intensity among Canadian hospitals (in the under $400M category). This is an extraordinary accomplishment for a young research institute like ours.

This summer, we completed the first phase of our Grow Holland Bloorview Research plan, opening the most accessible, customizable and child-friendly research MRI in Canada. In thinking about the past several months, I’m incredibly proud of partnership and co-design with family leaders even under the exigent circumstances of the pandemic. Listening to and partnering with family leaders makes us better decision-makers.

How did you first get involved with KBHN?

Our research institute is generating important new knowledge in all areas impacting childhood disability, including cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder. Scientists such as Dr. Jessica Brian and Dr. Darcy Fehlings have been funded by KBHN so I knew the network and its value. I was asked to join the Board of Directors by Dr. Sheila Laredo, the past Chair of the Board. She saw the value in having a children’s hospital CEO who could provide insight into the opportunities and barriers for implementation of new discoveries into care, programs and services.

I participated in the KBHN strategic plan task force and am very proud of the focus on the translation of research findings into access to new care, programs and resources for children with disabilities and their families.

What would you say to young women hoping to work in the field of paediatric health?

There is nothing more impactful than changing the life of a child—investments in children’s health and well-being today will mean a healthier and more meaningful future. I have seen with my own eyes a child with physical barriers to speech and use of typical technology, who now can communicate fluently in not one but three languages because of technology developed by researchers at Holland Bloorview. But for that science, she would have faced insurmountable barriers to education and social connection.

Paediatrics is a tough field with challenging issues and, as in all fields, women and Black and Indeginous People of Colour still need to push hard to find their place. However, children and families are an endless source of joy and motivation. It’s an amazing field and I’m so fortunate to be part of it.

The KBHN Board of Directors and Administrative would like to formally congratulate Julia on this memorable achievement. We are forever grateful for her important contributions to the KBHN mandate.

Interview by: Cherise Seucharan (Freelance Writer)