We invite all staff in AFHTO member organizations to participate in a community of practice for their profession. AFHTO members are made up of diverse teams of professionals working together to provide excellent patient care. Communities of practice provide invaluable help in fostering a culture of interprofessional collaboration which enhances patient-centred care. AFHTO has been supporting the development of communities of practice for the different professions working within FHTs and NPLCs.
Benefits of participation in a community of practice:
- Online community of people working in similar roles within primary care teams:
- Optimize teamwork within and across disciplines by sharing best practices and experiences.
- Explore opportunities to enhance interprofessional collaboration within FHTs, NPLCs and other team-based settings.
- Free half-day networking session on October 15, 2014 in Toronto (before the start of the AFHTO conference):
- Meet and mingle with peers to identify common practices and optimize teamwork.
- Click here to register for the conference or contact the community of practice contact below to sign up for the session.
How to sign up for a community of practice:
To join a network, staff should send an e-mail to one of the contacts listed below. They will follow up with more information about their network and instructions to join.
| Community of Practice | Lead / Contact | Organization |
| Administration | Michelle Smith | Guelph FHT |
| Chiropractor | Craig Bauman | Centre for Family Medicine FHT |
| Health Promoter | Sandy Turner | Minto-Mapleton FHT |
| Mental Health and Social Workers | Catherine McPherson-Doe | Hamilton FHT |
| Nurse (RN/RPN) | Tara Laskowski | Hamilton FHT |
| Nurse Practitioner | Claudia Mariano | West Durham FHT |
| Occupational Therapists | TBD | contact Marg Alfieri for information |
| Pharmacist | Lisa Dolovich | McMaster FHT |
| Physician Assistant | Melissa Holm | Hamilton FHT |
| Psychologist | Veronica Asgary-Eden | Family First FHT |
| Registered Dietitian | Jacquie Reeds Andrea Firmin | Hamilton FHT Markham FHT |
Our community of practice leads emerged from within the FHT/NPLC community to create forums to exchange knowledge and share best practices with peers in similar roles from across the province. Thank you to all of our volunteer community of practice leads and to their EDs for supporting their leadership role in the community of practice.