Co-Regional Medical Director - Quality and Safety

Job Summary

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is looking for one Co-Regional Medical Directors, Quality and Safety.

Reporting directly to the Vice President, Medicine and Academic Affairs, the Co-Regional Medical Director, Quality and Safety (RMDs) provide senior medical leadership for clinical quality, patient safety, and related clinical governance across Vancouver Coastal Health. The role is structured as a Co-Regional Medical Director model, with two individuals jointly sharing accountabilities at 0.4 FTE each.

Working in a dyad leadership framework with the Executive Director, Quality, Safety & Patient Experience, the Co-Regional Medical Directors support the advancement of VCH’s enterprise-wide quality and safety strategy by ensuring the integration of evidence-based clinical standards, quality improvement methodologies, accreditation and regulatory standards, use of data and analytics in advancing quality and safety, and patient safety principles within medical practice across the organization. The roles engage medical staff and Credentialed Medical Providers (CMP) and leaders in advancing system-wide quality priorities and strengthening accountability for quality outcomes.

The Co-Regional Medical Directors collaborate closely with the Vice President, Medicine and Academic Affairs, the Vice President, Professional Practice and Chief Clinical Information Officer, Senior Medical Directors, and operational and clinical leaders to ensure alignment between medical staff and CMP practice, interprofessional professional practice standards, and organizational quality and safety priorities. The roles also work collaboratively with other medical leaders responsible for specialized safety domains, including the Regional Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC).

The Co-Regional Medical Director provide medical leadership across key domains including:

• Clinical Quality and Clinical Governance
• Patient Safety
• Quality Improvement and Clinical Performance
• Accreditation and Regulatory Standards
• Data and analytics to advance Quality and Safety
• Patient and Family Experience
• Medical Staff and CMP Engagement in Quality and Safety

Through the dyad leadership model, the Co-Regional Medical Directors ensure that quality and safety initiatives are effectively integrated into medical practice and clinical governance structures, supporting Vancouver Coastal Health’s commitment to high-quality, safe, equitable, and patient-centred care.

Strategic Mandate

The Co-Regional Medical Directors play a key leadership role in the development, implementation, and advancement of VCH’s Quality Plan in collaboration with the Executive Director, Quality, Safety & Patient Experience.

The Co-Regional Medical Directors are accountable for:

• Co-leading enterprise-wide quality and clinical transformation initiatives in partnership with the Executive Director, ensuring alignment between organizational priorities and medical practice.
• Providing leadership for the implementation of the Quality Plan, ensuring quality and patient safety principles are embedded in clinical decision-making and care delivery.
• Leading the integration of evidence-based clinical standards into medical practice across programs and Communities of Care.
• Providing strategic leadership to ensure medical staff and CMP contribute to and align with accreditation and regulatory standards, supporting system readiness, compliance, and continuous quality improvement across the organization
• Leveraging clinical performance data and analytics to drive improvement, reduce unwarranted variation, and strengthen accountability for outcomes.
• Championing provider-led quality improvement and clinical innovation that improves patient outcomes and system performance.
• Strengthening clinical governance, ensuring clear accountability for quality and safety outcomes within medical leadership structures.
• Leading clinical transformation initiatives that improve quality, safety, and patient outcomes across Vancouver Coastal Health.

This work is grounded in VCH’s commitments to Indigenous Cultural Safety, Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Planetary Health.

Key Accountabilities

Medical Quality & Clinical Governance

• Lead medical staff and CMP engagement in clinical quality improvement initiatives across programs and Communities of Care.
• Establish and advance consistent clinical quality standards and best practices in partnership with medical leadership.
• Identify opportunities to improve quality outcomes and reduce practice variation.
• Lead the integration of evidence-based medicine into clinical practice across the organization.
• Advise executive leadership on clinical quality performance and improvement priorities.
• Work collaboratively with the Vice President, Professional Practice and Chief Clinical Information Officer to ensure alignment of medical staff and CMP practice standards with interprofessional professional practice frameworks that support high-quality, safe patient care.

Enterprise Quality, Safety & Patient Experience Strategy

• Co-lead the advancement and implementation of the enterprise Quality Plan from a medical leadership perspective.
• Lead the integration of clinical practice with organizational quality and safety priorities, ensuring alignment across medical staff and CMP programs.
• Drive provider engagement and accountability in achieving measurable improvements in patient outcomes and care quality.
• Lead and champion provider participation in enterprise quality improvement initiatives, ensuring adoption and sustainability across clinical programs.

Accreditation & Regulatory Compliance

• Provide medical leadership in accreditation readiness, ensuring medical staff and CMP understand and uphold standards related to quality, patient safety, and clinical governance.
• Lead and ensure medical staff and CMP participation in accreditation processes, including tracer activities, clinical documentation reviews, and surveyor engagement.
• Ensure medical practice aligns with Accreditation Canada standards, professional practice requirements, and applicable provincial legislation related to quality and patient safety.
• Promote medical staff and CMP accountability for compliance with organizational policies, clinical standards, and regulatory requirements that support safe, high-quality care.
• Advise senior leadership on clinical practice risks or gaps identified through accreditation processes and supports provider-led strategies to address them.

Indigenous Cultural Safety & Equity

• Work with Indigenous Health leadership and medical leadership to advance Indigenous Cultural Safety (ICS) and Indigenous-specific Anti-Racism (ISAR).
• Identify and address systemic barriers impacting Indigenous Peoples and equity-deserving groups.
• Integrate equitable care practices within clinical quality improvement initiatives.

Quality Performance, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Lead the use of clinical quality performance data to drive improvement, identify variation, and strengthen accountability for outcomes.
• Collaborate with Decision Support, Analytics, and Quality partners to interpret performance data and identify improvement opportunities.
• Ensure adoption of quality improvement methodologies among medical staff and CMP and leaders.
• Support provider-led initiatives that improve quality, safety, and system performance.

Patient Safety & Learning Systems

• Lead medical staff and CMP engagement in the Patient Safety Learning System (PSLS) and promotes a culture of safety and reporting. Supports medical staff and CMP participation in safety event reporting and learning processes.
• Lead medical staff and CMP involvement in reviews of significant safety events, critical incidents, and adverse events, ensuring identification of system-level improvements.
• Collaborate with Quality, Risk Management, and operational leaders to identify system-level improvements in care delivery.
• Promote transparency, accountability, and continuous learning within the medical staff and CMP community.
• Collaborate with the Regional Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control to support medical staff and CMP engagement in IPAC practices that improve patient safety and reduce healthcare-associated infections.

Patient Experience

• Support integration of patient experience insights into clinical quality improvement initiatives.
• Engage medical staff and CMP in efforts to improve communication, respect, and patient-centred care practices.
• Promote patient and family partnership in quality improvement initiatives where appropriate.

Medical Staff and CMP Engagement & Leadership

• Serve as a key liaison between the Quality and Safety portfolio and the medical staff and CMP of Vancouver Coastal Health.
• Engage, mentor and support medical staff and CMP in advancing quality and patient safety priorities and initiatives.
• Bolster a culture of accountability, learning, and continuous improvement amongst medical staff and CMP.
• Support the development of medical staff and CMP in clinical quality and patient safety.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• A Medical Degree or Nurse Practitioner Degree and certification or licensure in good standing with the appropriate regulatory College.
• Eligibility for medical staff privileges or CMP within VCH.
• Demonstrated clinical leadership experience in clinical quality improvement and patient safety.
• Experience working within complex healthcare systems and multidisciplinary environments.
• Eligibility for a faculty appointment with the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine or the Simon Fraser University School of Medicine is required.

Leadership Competencies

The successful candidates demonstrate:

• Strong commitment to improving quality of care and patient safety.
• Ability to influence and engage medical staff, CMP, and leaders.
• Expertise in clinical governance and evidence-based practice.
• Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to interpret clinical data and translate insights into improvement initiatives.
• Political and organizational acumen in complex healthcare environments.
• Commitment to Indigenous Cultural Safety, equity, and inclusive care.

Closing Statement

Shared Values

You care for everyone:

• You are compassionate, empathetic, and sensitive to the needs of others.
• You are respectful, treating people as equals, and valuing others’ perspectives and differences.
• You are appreciative of others’ efforts and give them praise when it’s due. 

You are always learning:

• You are open minded, always receptive to different perspectives and ways of doing things.
• You are curious and ask questions to find a deeper understanding.
• You share your expertise and mentor others by sharing your knowledge and experience.

You strive for better results:

• You are accountable, and take responsibility for what you say, what you do, and who you engage in achieving better results.
• You are a solution finder, empowered to solve the challenges we face in healthcare.
• You take ownership for growth and development and personal development, always seek feedback and opportunities to improve how we do things.

At Vancouver Coastal Health, our vision of healthy lives in healthy communities inspires us and our values and pillars guide us. We support equitable practices, diverse teams, and inclusive environments, which are integral to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel supported. We encourage applications from equity-deserving communities, including Indigenous Peoples and members of racialized groups, people with disabilities and people of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation.

Interested applicants please submit a resume and covering letter, including alignment to VCH values and pillars, by December 4. 

Olivia Todd

Manager, Talent Acquisition, Medical Staff

[email protected]