Welcoming the 2025 CQuIPS Fellows in Healthcare Improvement
Each year, The Centre for Quality Improvement (CQuIPS) x Choosing Wisely Canada (CWC) Fellowship brings together a group of exceptional clinicians and researchers committed to advancing quality improvement and patient safety. This intensive, year-long program combines mentorship, coursework, and hands-on projects to equip fellows with the skills and networks needed to lead meaningful change across healthcare systems.
As we look ahead to the 2025 cohort, we are excited to introduce the newest fellows who will be joining this vibrant community of healthcare improvers. Their diverse backgrounds and shared passion for driving better care will strengthen the collective impact of the fellowship — and we can’t wait to see the work they accomplish.
Samuel Boudreault (CWC)Â MD, MSc, FCFP
Samuel Boudreault has been a family physician in Quebec, Canada, since 2011. His strong interest in evidence-based medicine took him to the University of Oxford in England, where he earned a Master’s degree in Evidence-Based Health Care in 2016. He is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Université Laval and has served as the Family Medicine Program Director since 2021. Since 2020, he has also been a member of the steering committee for Choosing Wisely Quebec.
Romson Dela Cruz (CWC) BScPharm, CRE, APA
Romson Dela Cruz is a Clinical Pharmacist and Program Manager based in Calgary, currently pursuing an Executive MBA. With a deep passion for primary care and a strong entrepreneurial spirit, he brings a uniquely diverse professional background that spans rural and urban settings across Manitoba and Alberta, including community, hospital, and primary care practice.
Romson is driven by a vision to bridge the gap between the business side of pharmacy and the broad clinical expertise pharmacists possess. He is passionate about exploring and supporting innovative approaches that elevate the value-added services healthcare professionals provide—both within pharmacy and across the broader healthcare system.
Paige Gehrke (CQuIPS) RN, MSc
Paige Gehrke is a qualitative research coordinator and registered nurse, with a variety of clinical and research experience. Through her work, Paige endeavors to optimize health system processes to foster safe and positive experiences for clinicians, patients, and families. Paige holds a BScN from Western University, a Critical Care Nursing certificate from Niagara College, and an MScN from McMaster University. Paige has collaborated on and led several research projects focused on building maternal health surveillance systems and community hospital research programs, as well as work in the areas of critical care, moral distress, and qualitative research methods. She has over nine years of clinical experience practicing in a diverse range of settings, mostly situated within intensive care.
Zoe Lau (CQuIPS)
MD, FRCPC, MSc QIPS
Zoe Lau is a General Internal Medicine (GIM) physician at the University Health Network in Toronto. She completed medical school at Queen’s University, residency at Western University, then GIM fellowship at University of Toronto. She also obtained her Master’s degree in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety from the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto in 2024. She has been involved in local QI initiatives throughout her career and has a particular interest in developing innovative outpatient models of care. She is looking forward to working on the SQuIRE 3.0 guidelines through this fellowship.
Auro Viswabandya (CQuIPS) MBBS, MD, DM, FRCP, FRCPC, MHQS (Harvard Medical School), CPPS, CPHQ, DRCPSC
Auro Viswabandya is a Staff Physician in the Allogeneic Transplant Program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. He also serves as Medical Director of Cancer Quality at Princess Margaret and Quality Director of the BMT & IEC Program and Cell Processing Lab. He holds a Master’s in Healthcare Quality and Safety from Harvard and certifications in Patient Safety (CPPS, IHI) and Healthcare Quality (CPHQ, NAHQ). Nationally and internationally, Dr. Viswabandya contributes to standards, accreditation, and quality oversight through roles with FACT, CSA, ASTCT, CTTC, EBMT, and DEI committees. His clinical expertise centers on haploidentical transplantation and the development of the adult Sickle Cell Transplant and Gene Therapy Program at Princess Margaret. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications, he has built a strong academic and leadership presence in transplantation, quality, equity, and patient safety.
Alan Zhou (CQuIPS) MD FRCPC
Alan Zhou is an Internist and Rheumatologist with expertise in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (MSKUS). He is passionate about addressing health disparities that patients of diverse backgrounds face within rheumatology, and specifically interested in the provision of culturally-safe care. He completed the CQuIPS Certificate Course in 2024 and is eager to use QI methodology to operationalize a local MSKUS clinic, to improve the quality of MSKUS education at both local and national levels, and to promote culturally-safe rheumatic care in collaboration with local community partners. He is excited to be joining CQuIPS this year as a Healthcare Improvement Fellow.