Beyond Services: Designing Systems for Living and Working Well
Health and community organizations are navigating increasing complexity, workforce pressures, and growing expectations for integrated, relationship-based care and services. Meaningful transformation requires more than new initiatives—it requires rethinking the systems, relationships, and ways of working that shape everyday experiences.
This interactive plenary invites leaders to explore a different question: How do we create the conditions that enable people and communities to live well, the workforce to work well, and organizations to continuously learn, adapt, and evolve?
Bringing together perspectives from executive leadership, community services, clinical practice, Human Factors, workforce wellbeing, and applied research, this conversation will explore practical approaches to redesigning work, leadership, partnerships, learning, and as well as care and service delivery.
Participants will leave with new questions, practical ideas, and renewed confidence that meaningful transformation is possible in organizations of every size.
Moderator
Bahar Karimi, RN, MN, MHSc, CHE
Executive Director, Clinical Practice & Centre of Excellence in Healthcare Innovation, Thrive Group
Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct), McMaster University
PhD Candidate, Western University
Bahar Karimi is the Executive Director of Clinical Practice and the Centre of Excellence in Healthcare Innovation at Thrive Group, where she leads initiatives that integrate clinical practice, operational leadership, workforce wellbeing, applied research, education, and cross-sector partnerships to strengthen care and services across long-term care and community support services.
An Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) at McMaster University and PhD Candidate at Western University, Bahar has built partnerships across healthcare, community services, academia, and research to co-create practical solutions to increasingly complex challenges. Her work is grounded in the belief that lasting transformation happens when organizations intentionally connect people, ideas, and evidence to improve both quality of life and the experience of work. She is passionate about creating opportunities for continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation that strengthen people, organizations, and the communities they serve.
Panelists
Lucy Sheehan, BA
Chief Operating Officer, Thrive Group
Lucy Sheehan is the Chief Operating Officer of Thrive Group, bringing more than 35 years of leadership experience across the community and social services sector. Beginning her career as a Personal Attendant, she has progressed through increasingly senior leadership roles, giving her a unique understanding of both frontline realities and executive decision-making.
Today, Lucy provides strategic and operational leadership across Thrive Group's four member organizations, supporting more than 3,000 clients and residents and over 1,500 staff and volunteers. She is recognized for leading complex organizations through change while maintaining a strong focus on quality, accountability, collaboration, and service excellence.
Lucy is passionate about building organizations that support exceptional client and resident experiences while fostering engaged, high-performing teams. She believes meaningful transformation begins with strong relationships, shared purpose, and courageous leadership.
Jeanette O'Leary, MN, NP-PHC
Senior Director of Clinical Practice, Thrive Group
Jeanette O'Leary is the Senior Director of Clinical Practice at Thrive Group and a Nurse Practitioner with nearly 30 years of experience across long-term care, community care, and hospital settings. Throughout her career, she has served in a wide range of clinical and executive leadership roles, including Registered Nurse, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Director of Care, Nurse Practitioner, and Chief Executive Officer.
Known for her coaching-based leadership style, Jeanette is passionate about developing high-performing teams, strengthening clinical practice, and creating environments where both people receiving care and those providing it can thrive. Her work focuses on advancing quality, supporting clinical excellence, and helping individuals, families, and care teams navigate complex clinical and ethical situations with compassion, confidence, and collaboration.
Andrea Evershed
Senior Director, Community Services, Thrive Group
Andrea Evershed is the Senior Director of Community Services at Thrive Group, providing strategic leadership across its community service organizations, AbleLiving Services and Capability Support Services. She oversees a diverse portfolio of programs that support individuals to live safely, independently, and with dignity in their homes and communities through integrated health and social services.
With extensive experience in community services, operational leadership, quality improvement, workforce development, and system collaboration, Andrea is recognized for translating organizational strategy into meaningful day-to-day practice. She is passionate about strengthening partnerships across community organizations, primary care, and the broader health system to improve coordination, continuity of care, and the experience of those receiving services.
Andrea is committed to building responsive, person-centred community services that empower frontline teams, foster innovation, and strengthen the health and wellbeing of the communities Thrive Group serves.
Ashley Fry-O'Rourke, RN, BScN, MN
Nursing Professor, Mohawk College
Ashley Fry-O'Rourke is a Registered Nurse and nursing professor at Mohawk College, where she coordinates the fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in collaboration with McMaster University. Passionate about preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals, she works at the intersection of education, research, and practice to strengthen the future workforce.
In partnership with Thrive Group's Centre of Excellence in Healthcare Innovation, Ashley contributes to applied research and scholarship focused on maximizing RPN scope of practice, advancing medically complex care in non-acute settings, and evaluating the impact of Living and Working Well on organizational culture and outcomes. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario and contributes nationally and internationally to advancing nursing education. Her clinical background in long-term care and mental health continues to shape her commitment to strength-based, evidence-informed approaches to care, learning, and system improvement.
Dr. Amin Yazdani
President & Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Institute for Safety, Wellness and Performance (CISWP)
Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Waterloo
Dr. Amin Yazdani is the Founding President and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Safety, Wellness and Performance (CISWP). He also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo and is a member of the Executive Scientific Committee on Work Disability Prevention and Integration for the International Congress on Occupational Health. Dr. Yazdani is recognized for building and leading large-scale applied research initiatives that translate directly into system-level impacts across Canada.
Dr. Yazdani's work focuses on advancing innovative, evidence-driven solutions to prevent workplace injuries and disabilities at scale. His research is grounded in a field-to-lab-to-field model, integrating anthropometry, exposure assessment, and large-scale field data collection to develop practical, high-impact solutions that enhance workplace safety, performance, and productivity. His work is distinguished by its ability to bridge research, policy, and industry implementation. He has led the development of several Canadian standards and national guidelines that are shaping safer, more inclusive workplaces and currently chairs multiple Canadian Standards technical committees.
