Long before becoming a leader in interprofessional education, Darlene Hubley’s interest in health care first took root at Holland Bloorview. As a volunteer during the 1980s, she was inspired by watching an occupational therapist teach a young client how to access a computer, an experience that sparked her passion to pursue a career in rehabilitation.
Darlene later returned to the hospital as an occupational therapist, honing her skills alongside other exceptional health-care professionals.
In 2007, she was invited to combine her passion for mentoring occupational therapy students with creating broader collaborative learning environments that are informed by clients’ and families’ lived experiences. A landmark provincial report outlining a blueprint for interprofessional care in Ontario and a successful IPE program at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute led to leaders noticing Holland Bloorview as an ideal place to pilot an interprofessional education (IPE) program – a pivotal moment and career-changing opportunity for Darlene. “Given our incredible team approach to care and excellence in partnership with kids, youth and families, it made sense to offer IPE here,” she recalls.
Darlene reflects on the past three decades of her career and the impact she continues to make in transforming care through teaching and learning and interprofessional education:
Explain what you do as an interprofessional education leader.
As a member of the Teaching and Learning Institute, I lead and support education initiatives across the hospital and with academic partners, co-creating and co-facilitating IPE curriculum activities for students and supporting continuing professional development for staff. For example, I have been working with the collaborative practice team and clinical scholars to develop and deliver an IPE series for new staff.
In my newly appointed role as associate director of workplace learning at the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE), I frequently collaborate with colleagues at the University of Toronto, CACHE and the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN).
I also engage with our team to offer faculty development initiatives, including co-chairing the Teaching and Learning Day Planning Committee with my colleague, Kim Jones-Galley.
What are you most passionate about?
I am inspired by youth and family leaders who want to contribute to system change through teaching and learning. I am enthusiastic about partnering with them to build our education community and ensure that collaborative learning is meaningful and relevant. If people with lived experience are going to participate in education, then they should have support to develop their teaching and facilitation skills. At Holland Bloorview, Family as Faculty leaders are welcome in our faculty development spaces (e.g. teaching skills workshops, Teaching and Learning Day) and over the past several years I have partnered with the client and family integrated care team to develop and deliver a teaching and facilitation program that is uniquely tailored to the needs and interests of people with lived experience.
What are some of your proudest achievements?
For many years now, nearly all our IPE sessions have been co-designed and co-facilitated in partnership with people with lived experience.
This is quite exceptional in workplace-based health-care education. Several years ago, at a large international conference, the keynote speaker gave Holland Bloorview a shout-out for being the only organization with an abstract that included the voice of people with lived experience and encouraged others to follow our example. That was an encouraging moment.
I would also like to express my gratitude to my colleagues and to CACHE in being honoured with the 2024 Ivy Oandasan Leadership Award for advancing teaching and innovation in education across the University of Toronto and TAHSN community.
What would you like to do more of in this role?
I would like to mentor others who want to bring an interprofessional education lens to their work. We have many talented staff who role model outstanding collaborative practice every day, and there is so much opportunity to continue to elevate the competencies for advancing collaboration by making them more visible and intentional.
What is one thing that your colleagues might not know about you?
In the mid-to-late 1990s, I was seconded by Queen’s University to support the development of community-based rehabilitation in the former Yugoslavia following the Balkans War. The principles of community-based rehabilitation, along with the experience of building partnerships in such a complex and challenging environment continue to stay with me to this day.
What are some activities that help you ‘fill your cup’ and re-energize?
Honestly, I am happiest spending time with my family and being in nature. A hike with my husband Howard, and daughters, Elyse and Jackie, is part of a perfect day. If only our little cat, Rosie, was more of a hiker. She is, however, a great companion after a hike when I curl up with a book and a cup of tea.
Learn more about interprofessional education at Holland Bloorview’s Teaching and Learning Institute.
