We Are IH: Improvement consultant driven by passion & dedication

June 29, 2023

Leslie with her family on vacation in Costa Rica.

Name: Leslie Bryant (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Improvement consultant
Years of Service: 16
Worksite: KGH and home
Community: Kelowna/Lake Country
Ancestral Territory: Syilx Nation
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “I am a part of all that I have met.” – Alfred Lord Tennyson

Meet Leslie Bryant, a dynamic and versatile individual passionate about sports, research and community engagement. Born in Edmonton and raised in rural B.C., including a farm on Secwépemc Nation territory, she now resides on a small organic farm in Lake Country, overlooking the beautiful Okanagan Lake on Syilx Nation territory.

Leslie’s diverse experiences range from moonlighting as a writer for Backroad Mapbooks to running an Airbnb, proving herself to be a true jack-of-all-trades. She also has served as a ski patroller and held a role as a minor official in the NBA, highlighting her love for physical activity. Whether it’s golf, skiing, pickleball or hiking, Leslie is always active. Additionally, she actively supports her three kids’ various sports such as hockey, baseball, volleyball, basketball, and track and field.

It’s no surprise that Leslie describes herself as “a sporty busy mom of three beautiful smart kids.”

In this Story…

Learn more about her journey with IH

Leslie nominates Adam Fulton, manager, Access and Flow, to keep We Are IH going:

Explore Research or Quality Careers@IH

Learn more about her journey with IH

A women taking a selfie on top of a mountain in her ski gear — Sport mom, Leslie, hitting the slopes.

Leslie’s Okanagan journey began in 2005 when she came upon a posting from Interior Health seeking a research facilitator that perfectly matched her skillset. Leslie secured the position and for the next five years made significant contributions, all while welcoming two of her three kids into the world.

After her tenure as research facilitator, Leslie briefly taught at a college in Vernon until fate intervened once again. Interior Health presented the ideal role for Leslie - manager, Knowledge Support.

“In the job description there was academic experience, teaching experience, and experience with a health authority being an asset. It looked like they read my CV and then created the job description.”

Naturally, she secured the position and found it to be an exceptional opportunity.

A woman with sunglasses on taking a selfie in her garden while holding up freshly picked cherries — Fresh cherries right from the garden

Amidst Interior Health’s reorganization, Leslie transitioned into the role of manager, Research, Evaluation and Special Projects. Shortly into this role, her expertise and previous involvement with Indigenous communities made her an ideal fit for a secondment as a practice lead for Research and Indigenous Engagement.

Recognizing the importance of collaboration, Leslie advocated for an approach that involved going directly to the communities and seeking their input on patient-oriented research strategies. Over the following years she engaged directly with communities, fostering relationships through meetings with Elders, talking circles and community gatherings.

During this time, Leslie experienced one of her proudest moments: “When a member of one of our Indigenous communities said that the way I worked with them was the leading example of how engagement work should be done with Indigenous communities.”

Black and white filtered selfie of a women smiling — “It inspires me when I actually see evidence being moved into practice; the health system actually changing as a result of an improvement initiative or research.”

Recently, Leslie found a new opportunity to focus on quality, bringing her back to the operations side of Interior Health and immersing herself in a hospital environment. Interacting with different teams and feeling a strong sense of community resonates deeply with her. Being in the hospital brings joy and fulfilment to Leslie as she continues to make a positive impact.

I look forward to hopefully staying with the Quality Department as it’s definitely my wheelhouse. It has been so fantastic, the team is super kind and it’s just such a positive and safe environment to work in!

-- Leslie Bryant