Dr. Vera Etches: What It Means to Be More Than a Hospital

May 13, 2026

Dr. Vera Etches asks herself, “How do we make sure we’re supporting children to have a good start in life and the best lives they can live?”, to help guide her work as President and CEO of Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). 

This question is Vera’s north star when leading initiatives such as CHEO’s Integrated Treatment Centre. Set to open in 2028, this new building will join different teams and programs to support children and families in meeting their goals.

With this guiding principle, Vera and her team have also successfully reduced Emergency Department (ED) wait times at CHEO over the past year. 

On this episode, we hear about what Vera has learned so far in her role, the value of fostering partnerships, and details around CHEO’s Integrated Treatment Centre and ED flow.

Quotables:

• “Coming into a new sector, the hospital sector, it definitely felt like I needed to do a lot of listening to really build my own understanding and hear directly from people… what is their experience like, what are they seeing?” – V.E
• “We are here for the children, the youth, and their families, and people are so motivated.” – V.E
•  “Because it’s about children, it’s extremely special work that can make a difference for the population’s health long-term for the future generations. I’m happy to be able to focus on this.” – V.E
• “There’s a whole journey before the ED so it’s about trying to make sure parents can find information, videos, accessible tools and tips about when to come into the ER.” – V.E
• “The people we need to hear from are those who have the greatest barriers to access, who are going to show up later, presenting with more worrisome situations.” – V.E
• “If the system is working better for people who are living in poverty, it will be working better for everyone.”  - V.E
• “Be patient, give yourself grace, lay those foundations of relationships.” – V.E

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) 
• Dr. Penny Sutcliff
• Dr. Isra Levy
• Children’s Healthcare Canada
• Hindia Mohamoud
• Tommy Douglas 

Access More Interviews with Healthcare Leaders at HIROC.com/podcast

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