Wendy Nicklin
R.N., B.N., M.Sc.(A), CHE, FACHE, FISQua, ICD.D
President
International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua)
A valued active partner in discussions about improving the quality of health care, Wendy is a recognized and respected health care leader across Canada and internationally. Obtaining her academic degrees at McGill University, Wendy has extensive experience as a critical care nurse, educator, administrator and has held many leadership positions. She has participated in provincial and national initiatives, such as the National Steering Committee for Patient Safety, and was a founding Board member on the Canadian Patient Safety Institute Board for 8 years, working to contribute to its establishment and success. In 2016, after over 11 years at the helm, Wendy stepped down from the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of Accreditation Canada. She led a significant renewal of the approach to and value of accreditation. Her global leadership about accreditation is well regarded.
In 2017 Wendy became President (Board Chair) of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), preceded by 7 years on the ISQua Board. She is a previous chair of the ISQua Accreditation Council for the International Accreditation Program, member of the Innovation and Systems Change Working Group, an Expert, a Fellow and an ISQua surveyor. In 2018 Wendy was elected as an inaugural member of the International Academy of Quality and Safety in Health Care. In 2018, with the initiation of the ISQua External Evaluation Association (IEEA), Wendy was appointed the IEEA President.
She serves on the board of the Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC), chairing the Claims and Risk Management Committee. Until March 2019, Wendy was a member of the Champlain Local Integration Health Network (LHIN), chairing the Quality Committee. She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) with her ICD.D designation from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. An Emeritus member of CHLNet, she is a member of the Secretariat and co-chairs the CHLNet Health Leadership Exchange and Acceleration Working Group. Most recently she has been appointed to the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools.
A past recipient of two Canadian Nurses Foundation awards, Wendy received the Woman of Distinction Award – Health Services in 1999, the Canadian Nurses Association Centennial Award in 2008, the CCHL Eastern Ontario Chapter Award for Distinguished Service in 2012, the University of Ottawa Telfer School of Management Preceptor award for 2016 and the 2018 Legacy of Leadership Award, a lifetime achievement award from HealthCareCAN.
With a strong commitment to effective governance and focusing on quality, safety, accreditation and leadership, Wendy has numerous publications to her name and has given many presentations nationally and internationally. She has academic appointments to Queen’s University and the University of Ottawa.
