Alumni Spotlight: Janille Wingson-Gore

Janille Wingson-Gore’s journey in health care exemplifies her versatility and passion to make a difference. She followed up her kinesiology degree from UBC with a degree in nursing. “Nursing appealed to me because there are so many options and so many areas of practice you can pursue in your career,” she says. After graduating, she began working at BC Children’s Hospital as a general duty nurse and was then part of an initiative to develop and run a Covid screening site that adjusted its needs based on the demands of the pandemic, eventually settling on specializing in testing for children. 

Recognizing that a master’s degree was a worthwhile investment in her professional career, Janille explored various options to find a program focused on professional practice rather than academic research. The Master of Health Leadership and Policy (MHLP) fit the bill, with the added advantages being that it could be completed in one year and that it included a business component, “which is pretty unique for health-care master’s programs,” she says. 

Building knowledge and networks

Janille thoroughly enjoyed the business and leadership courses, which make up about 40 percent of the curriculum. “Some of this came from the excitement of exploring a subject area that was relatively new to me at the time,” she says. “Learning how to give presentations, understanding different leadership styles and learning how to manage projects are all very useful tools.” 

The clinical education and curriculum development courses were also helpful. 

“Clinical education isn’t just about being a teacher and sharing knowledge with students,” she says. “It’s about recognizing that we are all always learning and creating environments to make that happen.” 

Students in the MHLP in Clinical Education program are required to complete a practicum, and Janille sought out a practicum in informatics as a way of expanding her knowledge in this area. “I knew that BC Children’s was going live with the new electronic medical record in February 2022 and I thought that it would be very helpful to gain some experience in this area,” she says. Her role involved supporting the preparation for the cutover.

MHLP students take business courses alongside students from the Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) programs. 

“Health care can be very relational, whereas engineering focuses on numbers and facts,” she says. “Learning from the students from the MEL – and from the international students in the program – helps you gain new perspectives on your specific context and other ways of approaching it.” 

During her time at UBC, Janille connected with Lydia Wytenbroek, Assistant Professor, UBC School of Nursing, who encouraged her to get involved in the Coalition of African, Caribbean and Black Nurses (CACBN) in British Columbia. 

Janille served on the board of the grassroots-led organization from [2021-2025] where she worked hard to connect African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) nurses. “There are so many professional organizations, but so few that recognize the struggle of working as a minority in racialized settings, and none recognizing working as an ACB individual in nursing,” she says. “Finding connection and advocating for change through CACBN has encouraged me to continue pushing for personal and professional development, so there are more examples of Black women succeeding, hopefully setting an example for the future of nursing.” 

Managing outpatient clinics at BC Children's Hospital

After graduating from the MHLP in December 2021, Janille began working as a regional transfusion medicine clinician with Vancouver Coastal Health, acting as a link between direct care clinicians and the transfusion medicine labs.

In October 2022, she returned to BC Children’s, this time in a position as program manager for several specialized outpatient clinics, including in gastroenterology and nephrology. She oversees around 75 nurses and allied health care workers, while also working with tradespeople and technology specialists. 

It’s a dynamic role that requires her to be the bridge between different areas of expertise. 

“I myself am not an expert in accounting, for example, but through the MHLP business courses I am familiar enough with the terminology and concepts that I can work with those who have expertise in this area.” 

Janille believes strongly in the power of presence to create meaningful connections with her team and support them to provide the best care possible. “I really enjoy building relationships and connecting with my teams so I can empower them in their work.”

As the program manager, she’s also responsible for working with her team to find ways to do things better and with the resources on hand. She talks about reviewing the processes in place in one department and restructuring it to create several smaller teams who were able to have stronger connections and better workflows. 

“I like that this position is different every day and that there is always something to learn,” she says. “There are always issues to navigate and problems to be solved.”