With over twenty years of experience in rural emergency and community medicine, Dr. Christopher Patey values connection, with a passion for process improvement and innovation. As Clinical Chief of the Emergency Department (ED) at Carbonear General Hospital, he focused on emergency department patient flow to improve patient access. He co-created SurgeCon as an integrated software and clinical process tool for ED improvement. In 2016, he was appointed as Assistant Professor with Memorial University Faculty of Medicine, and has been nominated as Co-Principal Investigator of a CIHR Research grant research of ED flow improvement. In 2017, with a desire to encourage grassroots rural research, he formed CIRRIS, a not-for-profit to advance rural research and local community health projects, where he serves as the Physician Director.

Paul Norman works as registered nurse for emergency services in Eastern Health, Newfoundland and Labrador. Paul is currently the director of nursing research at CIRRIS and co-founder of SurgeCon Innovations Inc. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Memorial University's Centre for Nursing Studies and has over 10 years of experience working in Emergency Nursing and Critical Care.  He has been working with staff at the frontline to engage in  process improvement and ensure successful implementation of LEAN strategies. This work has since been extended to reach emergency services throughout the province. Paul has co-authored a number of peer-reviewed journal articles on emergency department operations and has contributed to local, provincial, national and international speaking engagements.

Dr. Christina Young is a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Rural Health Studies, Discipline of Family Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Mitacs Accelerate Intern at CIRRIS. She holds a PhD in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences and Women and Gender Studies from the University of Toronto. Dr. Young is a qualitative researcher who examines issues at the intersection of work and health, including the organization of care work, health services delivery, and challenges facing the healthcare workforce. Her postdoctoral project identifies the enablers and barriers to building rural health research capacity. As a Mitacs Intern, she also supports research activities at CIRRIS, including identifying opportunities for growth within the organization. Dr. Young is also the principal investigator of the project, Social Isolation and Loneliness in Long-Term Care in Rural Newfoundland and Labrador, funded by Mitacs, the International Grenfell Association, and the Aging Research Centre - Newfoundland and Labrador. Her past research has examined the skills emergency department staff require to reduce wait-times, the relationship between mental health and professional work, and the organization of doula practice in Toronto-area hospitals.