Role
Former Vice-President, Clinical Services
Dr. Velji held the position of Vice President of Clinical Services at Ontario Shores, a Centre of Excellence for Mental Health Care in Whitby, Ontario. Previously she was Integrated Vice President for Patient Care and Quality at St. Joseph’s Health Care and London Health Science Centre in London, Ontario; Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Executive at Baycrest, Toronto; and Vice President of Patient Care and Chief Nursing Executive at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, which is now a program of University Health Network.
Dr. Velji is a sought after consultant for system level projects. She has led the development of patient experience projects for the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and the Local Health Integration Networks in Ontario. She has led external reviews of several organizations including Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, Bruyere Continuing Care and Schlegel Villages.
Dr. Velji’s responsibilities extend to provincial and national leadership. She has held the roles of Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Accreditation Canada and member of Board of Directors or Health Standards Organization (2012-2018), United Way Campaign Chair for London Middlesex (2016) and as President and Chair of the Board of Directors of Canadian Nurses Association (2014-16). She is the current Co-Chair of Health Canada’s Violence Evidence Guidance Action (VEGA) program.
Dr. Velji has cross-appointments to the University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario, University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Nippissing University. She has won several outstanding achievement awards including the Sigma Theta Tau Excellence in Administration award, University of Toronto Distinguished Alumni award, Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) Margaret Comack Award of Excellence in Nursing Leadership, and the Award of Excellence in Teaching (student nominated) from the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at University of Toronto. She is profiled in the boundless banner campaign as an outstanding alumnus of University of Toronto.
At the system/global level, Dr. Velji is a consultant to global sites, including East Africa, the Middle East and Asia, for development of policy, credentialing, training and academic plans.