Health leaders gather for inaugural Best Practice Spotlight Organization Global Summit

TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2025 /CNW/ - Over 3,000 leaders from Ontario, across Canada and around the world will join the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) – in person and virtually – next week for the inaugural Best Practice Spotlight Organization^® (BPSO^®) Global Summit (Sept. 23–25) and the BPSO Ontario Health Teams (OHT) Summit (Sept. 26).

The four-day event will showcase the impact of RNAO's Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) Program and its BPSOs. Participants will celebrate accomplishments and share strategies to strengthen health systems worldwide.

"As we gather for the first time worldwide, nurses and other health professionals will highlight their contributions to the BPSO global social movement of science and people-centred care," says RNAO CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun, founder of the BPG and BPSO Programs. "Together, we are advancing evidence-based care that transforms health outcomes for people everywhere."

Through the BPSO Program, organizations partner with RNAO to implement BPGs and evaluate their effect on individuals, organizations and health system outcomes. These guidelines provide health professionals with current, evidence-based recommendations in areas such as wound care, preventing falls and mental health.

"We are proud to work with our partners at home and abroad to build people-centred, evidence-based care across all sectors and settings," adds Grinspun. "RNAO BPGs and BPSOs are revolutionizing care and improving outcomes for individuals, families, communities, and health systems everywhere."

The event will feature sessions led by health organizations and Ontario Health Teams, covering topics such as:

• the evolution of BPGs and BPSO programs
• the release of the third edition of the People-Centred Care BPG
• outcomes and impact of BPSO journeys
• integrated systems of care
• supporting residents and families during transitions to long-term care
• technology-enabled evidence-based practice
• advancing outcomes through BPSO OHT collaboration

"From seven organizations in Ontario in 2003 to today's global movement grounded in science, BPSOs are now embedded across every health sector – including public health, primary care, hospitals, home care, long-term care and Ontario Health Teams," says Dr. Michelle Rey, director of RNAO's International Affairs and Best Practice Guidelines Centre. "We are honoured to welcome colleagues who share our commitment to evidence-based practice."

The summit will also bring together Ontario partners to strengthen collaboration and drive system-wide improvements. "We will build relationships, learn from each other and accelerate change by embedding evidence into everyday care," says Kristen Campbell, RNAO's implementation science manager.

RNAO will also launch the third edition of its People-Centred Care guideline during the event. The guideline supports health and social service providers in co-designing care with patients and families, and in embedding a people-centred philosophy into evolving health systems.

WHAT: BPSO Global Summit and BPSO OHT Summit celebrate provincial, national and international partnerships with RNAO.

BPSO Global Summit:

• Day one: BPGs and adaptation to local context
• Day two: The social movement of implementation science: Examples of BPSO and BPG implementation journeys
• Day three: Evaluation, outcomes and impact of BPG implementation by BPSOs

BPSO OHT Summit:

• Advancing integrated, person-centred care through collaboration, learning, and evidence-based innovations

WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 23 to Friday, Sept. 26, 2025

WHO:

Canada:

• Dr. Doris Grinspun, RNAO CEO and founder of the BPG and BPSO Programs
• Hon. Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health and Deputy Premier, Government of Ontario (video message)
• Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care, Government of Ontario
• Deborah Richardson, Deputy Minister of Health, Government of Ontario
• Dr. Karima Velji, Chief of Nursing & Professional Practice, Assistant Deputy Minister of Health, Government of Ontario (via Zoom)
• Dr. Fredrika Scarth, Vice President, Integrated Care, Ontario Health
• Melissa Deleary, Program Manager, Indigenous Engagement, Provincial and Regional, Indigenous Health Unit, Ontario Health
• Dr. Janet Squires, Assistant Director for Nursing Graduate Programs and Professor, University of Ottawa & University Research Chair in Health Evidence Implementation
• Dr. Michelle Rey, Director, IABPG Centre, RNAO
• Janet Chee, Associate Director, Guideline Implementation & Knowledge, IABPG, RNAO
• Dr. Shanoja Naik, Director, Research Unit, RNAO
• Dr. Julia Fineczko, Associate Director, Long-Term Care Best Practices Program, IABPG, RNAO
• Kristen Campbell, Implementation Science Manager, IABPG, RNAO
• Health leaders from Ontario Health Teams across the province

Chile:

• Tiare Pavez Hurtado, National Coordinator of the BPSO Program, Ministry of Health
• Dr. Amalia Silva Galleguillos, Associate Professor of Nursing, University of Chile, and BPSO Academic Host Chile

China:

• Prof. Guo Hailing, Director, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Nursing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing and National BPSO Host
• Dr. Yufang Hao, Vice President of the International Institute of Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

Colombia:

• Dr. Maribel Esparza Bohorquez, Head of Nursing Division, Clinica FOSCAL and BPSO Service Host Colombia
• Prof. Olga Lucia Gomez Diaz, BPSO Lead, Autonomous University of Bucaramanga

Mexico:

• Martha Inés Ruiz Chávez, BPSO Lead, Christus Muguerza^® and University of Monterrey
• Lorena Chaires, Corporate Nursing Operations Manager, Sistema de Salud Christus Muguerza^®

Nigeria:

• Dame Francisca O. Okafor, Director Nursing/Govt. Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
• Joel Nya, Staff Nurse and BPSO Facilitator, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare

Portugal:

• Prof. Marisa Lourenço, BPSO Lead, Escola Superior de Enfermagem, Porto
• Prof. Isabel Rabiais, BPSO Lead, Escola Superior de Saúde Atlântica, Lisbon

Spain:

• Dr. Maria Teresa Moreno, BPSO Host National Coordinator and Director, Nursing and Health Research Unit (Investén-isciii) and Service BPSO Host Spain
• Dr. Raul Soto Camara, BPSO lead, University of Burgos
• Dra. Maria Angeles Martin, BPSO lead, University of Burgos

International:

• BPSOs in Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Spain, Switzerland and Turks & Caicos Islands

WHERE: Pan Pacific Toronto Hotel (900 York Mills Rd, Toronto, Ont.), Prince Ballroom, Lower Lobby, as well as virtual sessions.

Reporters interested in attending either summit and/or interviewing an RNAO representative are encouraged to reach out to one of the contacts listed below.

Please find more information about the BPSO Global Summit and BPSO OHT Summit online.

RNAO's Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) Program is funded by Ontario's Ministry of Health. It was envisioned by CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun in 1998 and launched in 1999 to provide the best available evidence for patient care across all health sectors and settings, with more than 50 guidelines developed to date. The Best Practice Spotlight Organization^® (BPSO^®) program supports service and academic institutions that have formally agreed to implement multiple RNAO BPGs over a three-year period, and evaluate their impact on patients, organizations and health systems. Launched in 2003, the BPSO program now has more than 1,500 BPSOs in Ontario, Canada and internationally.

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public we serve. This year marks our 100th anniversary. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

For more information, please contact: Victoria Alarcon, Communications Officer/Writer, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 1-800-268-7199 ext. 211, 416-408-5610, [email protected]; Marion Zych, Director of Communications, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 1-800-268-7199 ext. 209, 416-408-5605, 647-406-5605 (cell), [email protected]