Relational Coordination Research Collaborative awards RC Certification to health professionals from Ontario consulting group

September 20, 2013

The Relational Coordination Research Collaborative (RCRC) at Brandeis University is proud to announce the awarding of RC Certification to Nancy Whitelaw, RN, and Kenneth Milne, MD, both of Salus Global Consulting in London, Ontario, Canada, on September 20, 2013. 

RC Certified professionals demonstrate a clear understanding of relational coordination theory and its application to the design and implementation of organizational interventions.  RC Certification signifies that the individual is qualified to provide consultation services using RC principles and metrics to promote positive organizational change.  Credentials are issued upon successful completion of a peer review of two cases and must be renewed every five years.  For more information on the Certification process please see: http://rcrc.brandeis.edu/training-certification/certification.html

Relational coordination theory makes visible the social processes, the human interactions, that underlie the technical process of coordinating complex work. It describes the management of interdependence not only between tasks but also between the people who perform those tasks. The core concept for RCRC is relational coordination – coordinating work across boundaries through relationships of shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect, supported by frequent, timely, accurate, problem-solving communication. At the Relational Coordination Research Collaborative we connect scholars and practitioners to help organizations achieve relational coordination and high performance. 

Nancy Whitelaw RN, BScN, MScN, a registered nurse, has worked in a variety of clinical areas, primarily in the hospital sector, from frontline to administrative positions, most recently as Director of the Women’s Care Program at the London Health Sciences Centre until 2003. Since then Whitelaw has been working in the Patient Safety field, bringing together her knowledge and experience in healthcare management with safety culture concepts to develop effective new approaches to improving performance in the safety and quality of healthcare services. Whitelaw currently works with Salus Global, a company specializing in safety performance solutions, located in London Ontario, Canada.

Ken Milne, MD, FRCSC, FSOGC, FACOG, has practiced obstetrics and gynaecology for 29 years in London Ontario. During this period he served as Chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St. Joseph's Health Care, and the London Health Sciences Centre. He was Chair of the University of Western Ontario's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, where he is now Professor Emeritus.  Dr. Milne has served on The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada board of examiners in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, was Chief Examiner and has chaired the Ontario Medical Association Committee on Reproductive Care and the Ontario Provincial Ministry of Health Committee to develop a quality assurance program for caesarean birth for the province. He was the founding President and CEO of Salus Global Corporation a company whose focus is safety performance solutions and continues to serve as Senior Executive Advisor to the corporation. Salus Global Corporation now provides the MORE OB Program across Canada in 280 hospitals and 14 in the United States. The company has gone on to develop and launched processes and tools to assist healthcare facilities to reduce harm and save lives with a return on investment that frees up time and money.