Name: Joanna (Jo) Harrison (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Executive Director, Clinical Informatics, Digital Health
Years of Service: 18
Worksite: Regional
Community: Kamloops
Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc Nation
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Life can be short and not all of us in this world get the gift of a long and healthy life. I try not to take that for granted so stay true to my values.” – Jo Harrison
Joanna (Jo) Harrison knew from a young age she was interested in a career in health care. While most of her family are academics or engineers, Jo found herself drawn to the complexities of the human body.
After earning a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy in London, UK, Jo worked in a tertiary hospital and joined the Territorial Army Medical Corps as a lieutenant physiotherapist. “I spent many of my weekends dressed in green practising skills to respond, coordinate and manage large-scale trauma situations and run field hospitals,” recalls Jo.
Learn more about Jo’s journey with IH
Jo immigrated to Canada and joined Interior Health (IH) in 2006. As she gained more experience in health care, she realized that tackling health system issues and improving care provided her a great deal of joy.
At the start of the pandemic in 2020, Jo was appointed executive director of Seniors Specialized Care Transformation. She saw the tremendous strain, loss and sadness due to the pandemic in long-term care homes and recognized that support had to be amplified “to an exponential level.” Over the next three years, Jo led the creation and development of IH’s Seniors Strategy 2022-27 to transform seniors health-care services across the region.
During that time, she was also a member of the Emergency Operations Centre. She helped respond to the immense impacts the pandemic, wildfires and floods were having on IH’s long-term care homes.
In 2024, Jo was promoted to executive director, Clinical Informatics in the Digital Health portfolio. She leads the strategies to develop and implement technologies that improve the health and well-being for people, their families and communities.
“I do love working on complex, system-level challenges. This might sound too cliché but making life better for others—inside and outside of work—really grounds me,” Jo explains. “My role in Digital Health motivates me to think differently about how technology can be leveraged to make a positive difference for patients, clients, residents and their loved ones.
Jo explains she likes to bring a sense of playfulness and humour into her work. She strives to create belonging by fostering inclusivity and accessibility, so everyone feels welcome and valued.
Throughout my career, working with my IH colleagues has brought me such joy. Many of my closest friends are also my work friends and I feel very fortunate to have this.
Her work, both in Seniors Specialized Care and Digital Health, was recently recognized with Health Quality BC’s Doug Cochrane Leadership in Quality Award, for which she won runner-up.
“The award was such a surprise. I couldn't help thinking, Me? Really? Surely, they must have made a mistake!” she says. “But the responses and recognition I received from others was the most wonderful experience I have ever had. In health care, we spend so much time in pursuit of helping others, that taking the time to recognize our own successes and achievements can get lost.”
I don't necessarily think of the steps I’ve followed in my career journey. I think of my career more as being open to self-discovery and learning, and the courage to step out of my comfort zone while following my passion.
Outside of work, Jo likes to explore the beautiful B.C. outdoors. She enjoys hiking in the mountains and trail running in and around Kamloops. She loves home renos and yard projects, even if it means “15 trips to Home Depot and then 15 more.”
She usually starts her day off with a cup of coffee and her 90 lb. Bernese Mountain dog Lily on her lap “demanding maximum attention.” Says Jo, “Life can be complicated enough. I like to bring simplicity into my day to day.”
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