Leah Hollins recognized for outstanding contributions to health care in British Columbia

Leah Hollins recognized for outstanding work in health-care delivery

Leah Hollins, Canadian Blood Services Board Chair, has been named a Member of the Order of Canada by His Excellency Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada.

In her citation, Leah Hollins is recognized for her contributions to health care in British Columbia as a public servant, and for her efforts to improve organ donation in Canada.

"Ms. Hollins is an outstanding example of visionary leadership in health care in Canada," says Dr. Graham Sher, CEO, Canadian Blood Services. "She is a role model with the ability to make tough yet fair decisions and always takes the view that complex health-care delivery and reform must come from the perspective of what is in the best interests of patients and Canadians."

The Order of Canada is one of the country's highest civilian honours, recognizing outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.

On behalf of Canadian Blood Services, Dr. Sher congratulated Ms. Hollins on her appointment. "She has provided a unique focus in health care and has sparked the creation of effective delivery systems that put patients at the centre, both provincially in British Columbia and on a national scale. We are very proud to see her recognized for her work."

Ms. Hollins is a Registered Nurse by training and later became Deputy Minister of Health in British Columbia. Previous to her role with Canadian Blood Services, she served as Chair of the Canadian Council for Donation and Transplantation (CCDT). She is well known for her work in transfusion and transplantation medicine and was instrumental in the amalgamation of CCDT into Canadian Blood Services. Her vision of a truly national organ donation and transplantation network began to take shape in the form of the Canadian Transplant Registry (CTR) in 2012 – a web-based system that allows provincial organ programs to connect and make organ sharing across jurisdictions quicker and easier. This spring, the Canadian Blood Services' highly sensitized patient registry was also launched, facilitating the efficient sharing of kidneys between all provinces and territories using the CTR.