Shari Dworkin joins TFRI and the DHDP from Ontario Health and previously Cancer Care Ontario where she was director of enterprise data and analytic services. She began her duties as CDO for the DHDP on March 17.
“Being part of the Terry Fox Research Institute and working with Imagia as Chief Data Officer, I am proud to play a role in accelerating the use of trusted data in innovative and collaborative research and discovery leading to improvements in the health of Canadians,” says Dworkin, a data expert and innovator based in Toronto.
A seasoned management professional with 20 years’ experience, she has a solid track record of leading teams in the development and delivery of data and analytic strategies, digital health assets, data and information management capabilities and health information standards.
Her work with other pan-Canadian organizations has involved applying a collaborative and consensus-based approach to decision-making and building electronic health record (EHR) data standards.
Earlier in her career, Dworkin held progressive positions with Canada Health Infoway and the Canadian Institute for Health Information that involved the delivery of digital health initiatives, the first pan-Canadian Standards EHR governance structure, and managing teams, partners and relationships within and across corporate services, clinical and business programs, organizations and regions. A key achievement while at Cancer Care Ontario was the development of a Data and Analytics Strategy that focused on modernizing the data and analytic capabilities of the organization.
Dworkin holds a Master of Environmental Studies from York University in Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Community and Public Affairs from Concordia University in Montreal. As a woman in IT she was part of the group that won the Team of the Year Award for their work in furthering data and analytics for the Provincial Cancer Agency.
Like many Canadians, Terry Fox has always been an inspiration to her. “He makes me believe that courage, determination, compassion and hope can cure cancer. Each September, as we prepare for the Terry Fox Run, I remind my children that one young man united a country to make a difference in the lives of so many diagnosed with cancer and their loved ones,” she remarks.
Dworkin is passionate about using data and digital assets to improve the health care system and deliver the best care for patients.