Julia Hanigsberg, the President & CEO of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (Toronto, Ontario), was announced the winner of the Healthcare IT Trailblazer of the Year Medigy Award, during the Healthcare and IT Marketing Community’s HITMC 2022 Conference in Foxborough, MA.
This award recognizes individuals for their leadership, mentorship and innovative contributions to the field of healthcare and health IT. Honorees are considered “disruptors” or even “disturbers,” as they forge a new path forward for our industry.
Hanigsberg leads the largest children's rehabilitation hospital in Canada, and is known as an outspoken advocate for disabled youth, cultural transformation, diversity, and business excellence. She has long championed Holland Bloorview’s flagship fundraiser, Capes for Kids, which in 2022 collected $1 million to benefit patient programs. Hanigsberg was named one of Canada’s most powerful CEOs by the Women's Executive Network (WXN) for the past five years, and in 2021 was also an inductee to their Hall of Fame.
Social media is an important tool for Hanigsberg’s community outreach and advocacy. On Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, she engages as both a friend and an educator — on topics ranging from COVID-19 safety to supporting LGBT+ youth and people of color, to positive happenings in her own life. For Nurses Week, Hanigsberg took the time to shadow and speak with ambulatory clinicians at Holland Bloorview. She praised them on social for their skilled, compassionate work with patients and families.
“Julia Hanigsberg is a transformational leader who demonstrates that empathy and innovation in healthcare must go hand-in-hand,” said MEDITECH’s Executive Vice President & COO Helen Waters. “I am so impressed with what Julia and Holland Bloorview have achieved to improve the lives of children with disabilities, as well as bring public awareness to the challenges their patients face.”
HITMC’s Community Manager Colin Hung agreed: “Julia Hanigsberg is a shining example of what the Medigy HITMC Awards are all about. We honor creative and dedicated people who achieve great things when they lean into their work and passions. As a Torontonian myself, I am so happy that Julia won. Holland Bloorview is truly a pioneering organization, and her leadership is an inspiration to many.”
Hear from Julia herself as she chats with AVP Christine Parent on our most recent episode of MEDITECH Podcasts. For a full list of Winners and Honorees for the 2022 Medigy HITMC Awards, please visit the official awards page.
Video duration: 1 min. 02 sec.
