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Trent Alumna Part of International Award Winning Portfolio Management Office

Laura Bright among team recognized for excellence in project management governance at Canada Health Infoway

Trent Alumna Part of International Award Winning Portfolio Management Office
Trent Alumna Part of International Award Winning Portfolio Management Office

Since graduating from Trent with a degree in Anthropology in 2001, alumna Laura Bright is quickly making her mark as a member of an award-winning team with the Portfolio Management Office (PMO) for Canada Health Infoway (Infoway).

In November 2013, Infoway became the first Canadian company and first government-funded organization in the world to be awarded the acclaimed Project Management Institute's PMO of the Year Award. Ms. Bright, a solutions manager of the Project Portfolio Management system, shared the high honour with her colleagues.

Regarding the award Ms. Bright said, “It is a tremendous honour to be part of this winning team.  We were very excited to get the news. For an operational department, this is like winning a gold medal in the Olympics.”

Infoway is a federally-funded; not-for-profit organization that invests in projects to implement digital health information systems for Canadians throughout the country. The prestigious accolade recognizing Infoway’s work in providing accountability for taxpayer dollars was awarded by the Project Management Institute which is the largest not-for-profit membership association for project management professionals.    

Federal Health Minister, Rona Ambrose, offered her congratulations to the organization in a news release shortly after the award was announced, stating: "Our Government is committed to fostering research and innovation that will help make health care more efficient and more effective. Congratulations to Mr. Alvarez (Infoway's CEO and president) and the entire team at Canada Health Infoway for receiving this award."

Since joining Infoway in December 2005 as a project coordinator, Ms. Bright’s career has taken off. Now as a manager, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the Project Portfolio Management system. She creates innovative business solutions and uses her passion for problem solving to bridge the gap between business and technology. Her job is to deliver solutions on time and on budget.  In her spare time she also enjoys mentoring young professionals who are interested in learning about project management.

Her dedication paid off in 2011 as she received the CEO employee of the year award for the organization. Her work is challenging and her colleagues are as passionate and hard-working as she is.

A personal passion combined with the critical thinking and problem solving skills she developed at Trent forges the connection between seemingly two disparate worlds.

Of her experience at Trent, Ms. Bright says, “Trent encouraged a lot of curiosity in students which I feel has led me to where I am today. I learned a life lesson at Trent to always take a closer look at things. It’s a skill that I rely on every day in my role.”

Significantly, the undertaking to digitally manage Canadian health care is a cause that is also very personal to Ms. Bright. Shortly following graduation from Trent, her mother passed away from cancer.  The tragic ordeal helped fuel her desire to work in her current field.

In describing the trials faced by her mother, Ms. Bright says, “My mom ended up having a lot of complications when she was ill with cancer, and she was sent from one specialist to another to another.  Every time she had to repeat her history, including all the medications she was taking, the results from lab tests and various dates. She collected every piece of paper work, and asked for photocopies of every result and carried it with her in a folder. By the time she passed away the folder was three-inches thick.”

Ms. Bright says she is looking forward to the day when she can access her own digital personal health care record and know that her medical history including diagnostic images, lab results, medications and previous diagnoses is complete and accurate. She states, “I do not want to have to carry around a large stack of papers.” 

From anthropology to health care, it is clear Ms. Bright is putting her critical analysis skills to the test.  She is proud to be part of an organization whose mandate is to invest in projects to implement digital health information systems needed to manage Canadians' health and health care information.

Posted on Friday, January 31, 2014.

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