2875 Porter Road, Oxford Station, Ontario Canada K0G 1T0
(613) 258-0302
(613) 246-2875
vicki.foerster@sympatico.ca
Career Summary
- Expertise in literature reviews, health care policy issues, medical writing, health technology assessment, and project facilitation involving diverse stakeholders.
- A senior-level manager with 40 years in the medical field including experience as a health care consultant, family practitioner, ministry of health medical consultant, and vice-president of research in a government-funded health care organization (CADTH)
- A Fellow of the American Medical Writers Association based on contributions to the organization
Professional Experience
2003 to present: Independent medical consultant, Ottawa area, Ontario
I work independently and with various consulting firms and expert teams in health policy, primary and secondary research, and health technology assessment. My roles have involved authorship and medical review as a single author or team member, including team lead. Sample of clients:
- Accreditation Canada
- Alberta Health
- Atlantic Cardiovascular Society
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control
- British Columbia Centre for Substance Use
- British Columbia Ministry of Health
- British Columbia Patient Safety & Quality Council
- Canadian Agency for Drugs & Technologies in Health
- Canadian Blood Services
- Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction
- Canadian Institute for Health Information
- Canadian Medical Association
- Canadian Pharmacists Association
- Canadian Society for International Health
- College of Pharmacists of BC
- Department of National Defense
- Diabetes Canada
- Doctors of British Columbia
- Elsevier Canada
- Health Canada
- Institute for Health Economics
- National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities
- Nunavut Department of Health and Social Services
- Ontario Medical Association
- Provincial Health Services Authority (BC)
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
- Universities of Alberta and Western Ontario
- World Health Organization
2000 to 2003: Canadian Agency for Drugs & Technologies in Health, Ottawa, ON – Vice-President, Research
- Organized and managed a research division of 20 scientific staff members, undertaking over 60 scientific projects with a team that tripled in size over a 3-year period.
- Established and promoted a continuing education program for staff that resulted in key networks with external professional groups.
- Developed a visiting scholar program for international scientists and students.
- Led a research team in collaborative development of internal policies and guidelines.
- Facilitated a relationship between research staff and industry leading to ongoing, productive interactions, and collaborative information exchange.
- Contributed to uptake of research knowledge by a health care decision-making audience through networking and participating in presentations, workshops, and committees.
1996 to 2000: BC Ministry of Health, Victoria, British Columbia – Medical Consultant, Regional Programs
- Reported to the Associate Deputy Minister.
- Participated as a medical collaborator and expert in a number of areas related to professional and hospital issues. Examples:
- Appointed Provincial Surgical Waitlist Coordinator and spokesperson on surgical waitlist issues including implementation of a web-based registry for surgeons and wait times.
- Assisted with the introduction of regulated midwifery, including drafting of legislation, determining remuneration and facilitating integration of the profession.
- Participated in decision-making and tracking of high-cost radiology equipment.
- Acted as the ministry resource on hospital bylaws for medical staffs, working with medical and legal experts and committees.
- Responded to medical issues from the Coroner’s Office and the Children’s Commission.
- Managed the processes related to on-call payment of rural and locum physicians.
1993 to 1995: University of Utah, Salt Lake City – Ambulatory Care Fellow and Graduate Student
- Awarded a US Veterans Affairs fellowship in ambulatory care including sponsorship of graduate studies in medical informatics and work with international experts.
- Participated on committees in ethics and quality improvement at the U of Utah Hospital.
- Provided clinical services to the Women Veteran’s Medical Clinic.
- Provided consulting services for various quality assurance activities.
1981 to 1993: Urban and Rural Settings in BC and Ontario – Family Physician
- Delivered care in various settings including private offices, emergency rooms, operating rooms, acute and chronic hospitals and facilities, public health clinics, and patient homes.
- Assumed the presidency of the Victoria branch of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada, leading to enhanced participation and enthusiasm.
Education and Training
- BSc (honours), UBC, Vancouver, 1976
- MD (cum laude), Dalhousie University, Halifax, 1980
- Rotating Internship, North York General Hospital, Toronto, 1980/81
- MSc (medical informatics), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 1993/95
- Physician Management Institute Leadership series, Canadian Medical Association
- Medical Writers Diploma, American Medical Writers Association
PROJECT EXPERIENCE PAST 5 YEARS (2015 TO 2021)
| Consulting Group | Client | Initiation | Nature of Project | Role | Completion |
| Independent | The Foundry (an NGO in BC) | 02/21 | Series of 5 rapid evidence reviews of issues related to young people | Author | Anticipated 12/21 |
| Independent | Asthma Canada | 02/21 | Rapid evidence review of the use of oral corticosteroids in severe asthma | Author | Anticipated 05/21 |
| Husereau & Associates | Pharmaceutical | 01/21 | Systematic review of a new gastrointestinal product | Team member | Anticipated 04/21 |
| Independent | Royal Australasian College of Surgeons | 09/20 | Series of 5 evidence reviews on topics related to surgery for congenital heart defects | Author | 12/20 |
| Independent | BC Ministry of Health (MoH) | 11/20 | Human resource planning in health | Author | 12/20 |
| Independent | BC MoH | 09/20 | Innovation in health care | Author | 10/20 |
| Independent | Clinical pulmonologist | 06/20 | Draft for publication – case report of a patient with sarcoidosis | Author | 11/20 |
| Independent | BC MoH | 08/20 | Primary health care for vulnerable populations | Author | 09/20 |
| Independent | Royal Australasian College of Surgeons | 03/20 | Literature review of analyses of cost effectiveness and resource use of simulation technologies to train surgeons | Author | 07/20 |
| Independent | Nanosonics Inc. (Australia) | 05/20 | Evidence reviews of multiple aspects of the cleaning of endoscopes (7 reports) | Author | 09/20 |
| Husereau & Associates | Pharmaceutical | 06/20 | Systematic review of a new dermatology product | Team member | 09/20 |
| Independent | The Foundry | 03/20 | Series of 5 rapid evidence reviews of issues related to youth and substance use | Author | 09/20 |
| Independent | Royal Australasian College of Surgeons | 03/20 | Literature review of analyses of cost effectiveness and resource use of simulation technologies to train surgeons | Author | 07/20 |
| Independent | BC MoH | 06/18 | Rapid reviews (4 weeks) of published and grey literature on a variety of topics requested by MoH policy staff members | Author | Ongoing – multiple |
| Independent | BC MoH Knowledge Management (KM) Branch | 08/19 | Series of 3 rapid reviews (each with a 4-week timeline) of issues in amphetamine use | Author | 03/20 |
| Independent | Diabetes Canada | 11/19 | Literature review of the disease burden (clinical and economic) of diabetic retinopathy in Canada | Author | 01/20 |
| Independent | Institute of Health Economics | 10/19 | Emerging trends in drug innovation | Team member | 01/20 |
| Independent | BC Centre for Substance Use | 08/19 | Team member (researcher/writer) developing an opioid prescribing guideline | Team member | 05/20 |
| Independent | Royal Australasian College of Surgeons | 09/19 | Literature review of the role of multidisciplinary teams in management of obesity | Team member | 03/20 |
| Independent | Royal Australasian College of Surgeons | 06/19 | Review of 3D printing in the operating room | Team member | 09/19 |
| Independent | World Health Organization | 10/18 | Distillation for publication of a report (roll-up of 20 separate reports) on primary care in middle- and lower-income countries | Lead author | 05/19 |
| ReVue Drug Evaluation Group | BC PharmaCare Drug Program | 07/18 | Review of pharmacogenetics including a systematic review of the literature and interviews of industry leaders | Team member (interviews) | 02/19 |
| Independent | BC MoH KM Branch | 12/18 | Innovation in programs to ensure Indigenous cultural safety and humility in health care services | Author | 01/19 |
| Independent | BC MoH KM Branch | 11/18 | Identification and summary of emerging technologies in surgery and the operating room | Author | 12/18 |
| Independent | BC MoH KM Branch | 07/18 | Effectiveness of culture as an intervention for Indigenous wellness in the areas of mental health and substance use | Author | 09/18 |
| Independent | BC MoH KM Branch | 07/18 | Virtual provision of services for mental health and substance use care | Author | 10/18 |
| Independent | BC MoH KM Branch | 07/18 | Implementation of an innovation centre at the BC Ministry of Health | Author | 07/18 |
| Independent | Lower Limb Review Online Journal | 04/18 | Evidence for ankle fusion versus ankle replacement | Author | 07/18 |
| Independent | Atlantic Cardiovascular Society | 02/18 | Regional clinical guidelines on cardiac rehabilitation | Author | 06/18 |
| Independent | Health Canada First Nations & Inuit Health Branch | 05/17 | Updating of clinical practical guidelines for RNs working in remote communities | Author | 06/18 |
| Independent | Canadian Blood Services | 02/15 | Systematic reviews of scoring systems for liver transplantation & medical writer for expert panel deliberations | Author | 04/18 |
| Independent | Royal Australasian College of Surgeons | 08/10 | Literature reviews of various topics related to emerging technologies + medical review of reports by other authors | Author & reviewer | 06/18 |
| Independent | Pulmonologist / Blue Cross | 01/18 | Clinical guideline and US coverage review of the use of coronary CT angiography for patients with chest pain | Author | 02/18 |
| Independent | National Association of Pharmacy Regulators (NAPRA) | 09/17 | Background to a tool on pharmacist-patient communication about opioids: literature review and interviews with stakeholders | Author | 02/18 |
| TheraBusiness (Ottawa) | Alcon Inc. | 12/16 | Literature reviews of state-of-the-art publications on a number of ophthalmology products | Author | 12/18 |
| Independent | BC MoH (Lab Division) | 02/17 | Review of provincial policy on access to and funding of pulmonary function testing, including a literature review and interviews with experts | Author | 11/17 |
| Independent | University of Alberta | 07/16 | Policy analysis for an HTA report on robotic surgery in Alberta | Author | 10/17 |
| Independent | Canadian Agency for Drugs & Technologies in Health (CADTH) | 02/17 | Emerging technology bulletins on two diabetes topics: (1) the artificial pancreas, (2) HbA1C for diabetes diagnosis | Author | 07/17 |
| Team member | Doctors of BC + BC Ministry of Health | 07/12 | Evaluation of Specialist Services Committee (SSC) one-time funding allotment – 20+ innovative projects being funded for up to 3 years | Lead author | 06/17 |
| Independent | CADTH | 02/17 | Evidence review of HPV vaccination in males (for Corrections Canada) | Author | 06/17 |
| Cdn Society for International Health (CSIH) | Ministry of Health of Costa Rica | 09/16 | Introduction of health technology assessment to Costa Rica | Team member / Author | 04/17 |
| Independent | CADTH | 11/16 | Emerging technology bulletin on outpatient total hip arthroplasty | Author | 03/17 |
| Independent | CADTH | 11/16 | Evidence review of medical marijuana for neurodegenerative diseases | Author | 12/16 |
| Independent | Elsevier Canada | 04/16
and 09/16 |
Two reports for specialist audiences: (1) Canadian management practices for anti-VEGF agents for acute macular degeneration and (2) Canadian management practices for actinic keratoses | Co-author with 2 experts | 12/16 |
| Independent | Health Quality Councils | 10/09 | Facilitating meetings of Canadian health quality groups | Facilitator | 11/16 |
| Independent | Atlantic Cardiovascular Society | 04/16 | Summarizing guidelines for management of diabetes mellitus in patients with cardiovascular disease | Co-author with experts | 10/16 |
| Lead team
member |
Doctors of BC + BC MOH Specialist Services Committee (SSC) | 01/16 | Final evaluation of 2 SSC-funded projects on (a) electronic operating room booking and (b) wait time management, led by groups of BC
surgeons |
Lead author | 09/16 |
| Independent | Canadian Blood Services | 01/16 | Report on donated tissue bioburden reduction practices for an expert group and a consensus forum | Author | 06/16 |
| Independent | BC MOH, Health Technology Review Office (HTR) | 01/16 | Compilation of health technologies requested for assessment by the BC HTA office, including literature summaries and interviews with experts | Lead author | 04/16 |
| Independent | BC MoH | 01/16 | Development of two separate business cases and ad hoc HTA consulting | Author | 04/16 |
| Independent | BC Canuck Place Children’s Hospice | 11/15 | Business case to increase physician funding from the BC MOH | Author | 01/16 |
| Independent | University of Alberta | 11/15 | Provincial scan to determine assessment and funding of “companion diagnostics” | Author | 01/16 |
| Independent | Public Health Agency of Canada | 10/15 | Review of training methods to educate public health providers | Author | 03/16 |
| Independent | College of Pharmacists of BC (CPBC) | 09/15 | Developing stakeholder consultation materials for proposed pharmacist prescribing | Author | 11/15 |
| Independent | CPBC | 09/15 | Evidence review of the literature on dispending errors to underlie development of College standards | Author | 11/15 |
| Independent | CADTH | 05/15 | Emerging technology report on fecal microbiota transplantation | Author | 10/15 |
| Team member | CADTH | 05/15 | Updating of CADTH resource for information specialists called Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS) | Co-author | 07/15 |
| Team member | Canadian Pharmacists Association & Health Canada | 02/15 | Plain language patient materials for prescription drugs included in the Compendium of Pharmaceutical and Specialties | Author / writer | 07/15 |
| Independent | Public Health Agency of Canada | 10/15 | Review of training methods to educate public health providers | Author | 03/16 |
| Independent | BC Public Health Laboratory | 02/15 | With the Director, development of a forward-looking plan for the Provincial Laboratory & refinement of the 2014-15 Strategic Plan | Co-author | 04/15 |