In this episode, Dr. Shira Brown shares her perspectives on health leadership as a source and function of renewal when making a difference in someone's life. She talks about the value of team, the role of leadership to serve said team, her special work family, and she is reminded of the human condition through the power of why and an inquiry towards how you are living. Dr. Brown discusses the pandemic's impact on health teams along with the key findings from the EMBA project she conducted pinpointing communication, strategy and emotional intelligence as key leadership qualities. Shira taps into the importance of community based research in the community, the intersection of medicine and the social determinants of health, and her vision for healthcare to include access to the right people at the right time and to the best access possible.

Dr. Shira Brown completed residency at the University of Toronto at North York General Hospital in 2003 where she remained for several years.  In 2009, she joined Niagara Health as an Emergency Medicine specialist.  She has served as a Deputy Chief of Emergency Medicine for South Niagara from 2011 to 2022 where she developed a proven track record in physician change management and financial governance.  During her tenure as Deputy Chief, Dr. Brown led important interdisciplinary initiatives such as Niagara Health’s nationally recognized Difficult Airway program.  In partnership with McMaster University, she organized the funding and governance to create the Emergency Medicine Researchers of Niagara, a rapidly expanding research incubator in our region.  Dr. Brown is currently beginning a new role at Niagara Health as the Physician Lead for the new South Niagara Hospital project which will involve preparing the 469 bed hospital for operational readiness.

Most recently, Dr. Brown graduated from the joint global executive MBA program with Brown University in Rhode Island, and IE Business School in Spain.  Her approach to knowledge acquisition, adoption and practice, while serving patients and leading a team of physicians during the pandemic led her to be recognized as one of the top 102 “Best & Brightest” Executive MBA graduates from across the world.   Dr. Brown continues to provide leadership and frontline care to patients and their families while balancing a career and life as a wife and mother of three children.