New – An ambassador program for MUSCO
Presentation of objectives and members
As part of the review of MUSCO’s 2023-2025 strategic plan, an ambassador program was launched this year. This program brings together a number of employees with varied profiles, all driven by the desire to contribute to the Initiative’s influence and the sustainability of its approach. The main objective of this cohort is to strengthen MUSCO’s role and influence with healthcare players, promote its activities and impact, and highlight its collaborative model. In short, the ambassadors’ mandate will be to convey MUSCO’s values and mission.
Why create a cohort of ambassadors?
Between now and the summer of 2025, the focus will be on developing MUSCO’s power of influence, with the priority of highlighting its actions and impact, both with professionals and families. With a view to perpetuating the knowledge and skills acquired, the ambassadors will also be responsible for clarifying the Initiative’s mandate, supporting the spirit of inter-center collaboration and raising team awareness of the importance of families’ experiential knowledge. They will also help to disseminate the results of the twenty or so projects carried out by staff across the centers, to support the continuity of the efforts made.
Meetings were organized in the fall of 2024 to build up this cohort and enable each of the amabassadors to identify their own outreach objectives for MUSCO, which they will be able to implement over the coming weeks and months. The MUSCO coordination team will support them with appropriate tools and relevant information, depending on the outreach opportunities identified.
Who are the ambassadors?
The members of this first cohort were selected on the basis of several criteria, such as their commitment to collaborative practices, their confidence in the Initiative and their belief in the importance of families’ experiential knowledge. In all, more than a dozen people working in the Initiative’s partner establishments answered the call:
CHU SAINTE-JUSTINE
Éliane Rioux-Trottier has been a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in the Orthopedic Service of the Department of Surgery at CHU Sainte-Justine since 2020, and has contributed to the following MUSCO projects as a working group member and/or speaker: MUSCO Event and Training plan – Medical Component.
Gwenaëlle Trottet is clinical-administrative coordinator for the trauma and burn trajectory and ambulatory sectors at CHU Sainte-Justine. She has been involved with the Initiative since 2020, mainly in the following MUSCO projects: Patient Trajectory, Inter-Establishment Navigator and Immersive Environment.
MARIE ENFANT REHABILITATION CENTER
Julie Letendre is department manager for the musculoskeletal impairment (MSA) program, the positioning program, the assistive communication program (SACOE) and the technical aids department at the Marie Enfant Rehabilitation Center. Julie held the position of Inter-Establishment Navigator between 2019 and 2022. Since then, she has been working on the AMS Pathway Review.
Vanessa Tessier is a specialized educator in the Language Impairment Program (PDL) at the Marie Enfant rehabilitation Center and works at Joseph-Charbonneau School, a school specializing in motor impairment. Involved with the Initiative since 2019, she has participated in the MUSCO Event project as a speaker and is currently a member of the Educational Technology project working group.
MONTREAL’S CHILDREN HOSPITAL
Cindy McCartney is Associate Director of Nursing for the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the Women’s Health Mission of the MUHC. Cindy has been part of MUSCO’s governance since 2021, notably representing Children’s Senior Management on the Executive Committee. She has also been involved in various projects such as Patient Trajectory and Inter-Establishment Navigator.
Krystalanne Pacheco Cabral is a Child Life Specialist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. She has been involved in MUSCO’s Educational Technology project since 2022.
Laura Gagnon is a care coordinator in the Coordination and Navigation of Intermediate Complexity (CONCI) department at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. She participated in the Relay project in 2024 as a speaker.
SHRINERS HOSPITAL FOR CHILDRENS – CANADA
Kelly Thorstad has been part of Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada for over 22 years and has assumed the role of Director of Nursing and Patient Services since 2017. Involved with MUSCO since the early days of the Initiative, she mainly participates in the Patient Trajectory and Inter-Establishment Navigator project.
Jacques Boissonneault has been CEO of Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada since 2017. A signatory member of the initial agreement for the Initiative, he has accompanied MUSCO since its inception in 2018 by sitting on the governance on the Executive Committee.
Louis-Nicolas Veilleux is Principal Investigator, Center for Movement Analysis at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada. Involved with MUSCO since 2022, he co-leads the Movement Lab project.
The diversity of the ambassadors’ profiles, and the commitment and dedication they have shown since their involvement in MUSCO projects, will undoubtedly raise the profile of our collective work. Thank you to them for carrying the colors of collaboration higher and stronger across the centers!