The Innovation Centre Welcomes Health Informatics Development Manager

June 11, 2007: The Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) announces the appointment of Michelle Courneene as Health Informatics Development Manager. Michelle will develop and manage strategic projects, foster partnerships and undertake feasibility studies within the health informatics sector. She will also work with community and provincial partners to drive sector growth.

“We are pleased to welcome Michelle to our team to focus on the growing health informatics sector,” said Tom Vair, Executive Director, SSMIC. “This is an area of strength for our community and Michelle brings great experience to help us achieve our goals.”

Michelle holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Windsor and a Bachelor of Arts in Information Technology from Algoma University College and returns to her hometown of Sault Ste. Marie after extensive work internationally in the fields of health informatics and information technology.

Michelle has worked as the Assistant Health Information Systems Project Manager and Informatics Specialist for the Ministry of Health and Social Security in the Commonwealth of Dominica, located in the Caribbean. In addition, Michelle has been a consultant for the Pan American Health Organization (Caribbean Program Coordination) as an expert in national health information systems and developing HIS assessment tools, as well as the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), in the field of IT for the sub-regional HIV/AIDS project.

“Health informatics is about finding how information, the management of information, and information and communication technologies can add value to health,” said Michelle. “The field of health informatics is developing at a rapid pace”. She adds, “I am very excited to return to Sault Ste. Marie with the vision of bringing more attention to Algoma’s already successful health-related IT projects and to further promote and develop current and new health informatics opportunities for the region.”



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