Shirlee Sharkey is president and chief executive officer of Saint Elizabeth, a leading national health care organization known for its social innovation, strong financial performance and pioneering practices. As an award-winning and diversified not-for-profit, Saint Elizabeth delivers five million health care visits annually and employs more than 5,000 people providing nursing, rehabilitation, personal support, research and consulting services.
With a century of experience and powerful vision for the future, Saint Elizabeth is committed to empowering clients, families and staff; championing compassion; and pursuing high value and quality. As an organization firmly fixed on honouring human experiences in health care, Saint Elizabeth pursues innovative and exemplary practices to make a wider societal impact.
Shirlee’s commitment to community advancement is evident in her leadership and involvement in many not-for-profit boards, ranging from health to education. She is a past chair of George Brown College in Toronto and a former president of the Canadian Home Care Association. Internationally, she is chair of the World Homecare and Hospice Organization. She is also a past president of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. In 2007, the Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care appointed Shirlee as an expert advisor on staffing and care standards for long-term care homes in the province.
Academically, Shirlee is cross-appointed to the University of Toronto’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation as an adjunct professor. She has presented and published widely on issues related to home and community-based health care and health system transformation.
Her insights and belief in unleashing people’s potential and creativity have generated a host of achievements and accolades. In 2010, Shirlee received the Innovation Award for Healthcare Leadership from the Canadian College of Health Leaders. This same year, she also accepted the National Quality Institute’s Gold Award for Organizational Quality and Healthy Workplace. Additionally, she has been recognized with the University of Toronto’s 2008 Graduate Leadership Award, Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation; Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women, Women’s Executive Network in 2007; Award of Excellence in Nursing Leadership, Ontario Hospital Association in 2005; and a Golden Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.
