Matthew Anderson
President and CEO, William Osler Health System
Headquarters: Brampton/Etobicoke in Ontario, Canada
Education: BA, University of New Brunswick; Masters of Health Sciences, University of Toronto
What I’m Reading: My Story by Bobby Orr
Best Advice: “If things seem under control, you are not moving fast enough” – Mario Andretti
Guiding our decisions and actions
As a large community hospital serving one of the fastest growing and most diverse regions in Canada, diversity is part of our DNA. It’s embedded in our values and guides our decisions and the actions we take every day. Our commitment to our vision of patient-inspired health care without boundaries is supported by a culturally-diverse atmosphere that allows Osler staff, patients, and volunteers to better understand and appreciate the unique beliefs and values of one another, as well as those of patients and their families.
It has been a great year for diversity and equity at Osler. In February, Osler was named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for the second consecutive year. This award recognizes us for our exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs, and demonstrates our progress in our journey to provide an equitable environment for everyone who comes through our doors.
In June 2013, Osler also received a Diversity in Governance Award, recognizing the organization as a leader in the Greater Toronto Area for embracing diversity in board governance and making it a priority to recruit board members from diverse backgrounds.
At Osler, we see three very important components in managing a diverse workforce: Fair and equitable policies/practices for retention, promotion and staff satisfaction; respect for each other and our colleagues; and creating an inclusive environment so that no employee feels excluded or isolated.
With over 6,700 staff, physicians and volunteers, we know this won’t always be easy. To ensure that Osler continues to live its vision and values related to diversity and equity, we continue to incorporate these practices in our diversity and equity strategies, and ensure our leadership team is involved at every step of the way.
I am passionate about data, demographics, and metrics to help direct our strategies and drive improvement. Osler’s leadership team continues to strengthen its application of our Diversity Strategy to better understand our patients, their potential inequities, and the diverse needs of our staff, physicians, and volunteers for a healthier internal community.
I am very proud of the Osler team and of all that we have accomplished over the past year along our journey toward equity and inclusion. We continue to make tremendous strides because of the commitment of our staff, physicians, and volunteers who come together each and every day to help create an inclusive and respectful workplace that we can be proud of.