Dale Kalina

In 2019, infectious diseases physician Dr. Dale Kalina accepted a new role at a hospital. The position included developing a virtual outpatient clinic. Simultaneously, he was finishing his DeGroote EMBA in Digital Transformation, which aligned well with the task. While Dale foresaw a year-long launch process, COVID-19 changed everything. Rather than 12 months, the virtual clinic opened just three months into the process.  

“In the program, I learned to think creatively and critically about the challenges that face us,” says Dale. “Gaining a design thinking approach has allowed me to enrich how I provide patient care and improve the system to aid in patient care.”  

Dale credits DeGroote’s flexibility with ensuring he received education relevant to his field. He says he was vocal about needing the program’s business teachings to translate into a healthcare context. Faculty was responsive. 

“That support helped to broaden my knowledge and opened my eyes to what I can contribute to my field,” he says. 

While COVID-19 forced Dale to focus less on digital transformation and more on his physician duties, he is now getting the opportunity to advance virtual care again. As the Chief Medical Information Officer at Brant Community Healthcare System, Dale is developing the organization’s digital health strategy and preparing to launch a new healthcare information system. 

“The way virtual care was rolled out in Canada was very pandemic-based,” he says. “We were providing it in lieu of being able to see patients in person. The pendulum swung so far that people saw the negatives, so COVID greased the wheels to advance virtual care in a chaotic way.  

“Now, we have the challenge and opportunity of rolling out complete solutions by slowing down and asking, ‘What problems does digital transformation solve?’ Having gained the ability to find solutions that encompass everything from understanding finances to iteration and present them in a digestible way is not something I could have done before the program.”