Jane Cooke-Lauder

Dr. Jane Cooke-Lauder is a strategy and governance consultant specializing in the healthcare sector. She works with boards and senior executives on issues of direction and decision making, on helping CEO's and boards clarify roles and accountabilities, deal with tough questions, and then move these decisions into action.

Her recent work has included repositioning a leading Canadian medical school; developing a 5-year strategic plan for a university centre focused on prevention and evaluation; writing the 2010 Plan for the Canadian Stroke Strategy; supporting the strategic decision making process leading to the integration of two major institutions in the cancer sector; and designing and implementing new governance models for a number of leading national and provincial health-related organizations. In addition, she lectures on health care management at York University where she is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Health.

Dr. Cooke-Lauder's educational background includes an MBA degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and professional certification as a management consultant. She has served her profession as a member of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants and as President of the Institute of Management Consultants of Ontario. She is profoundly concerned about women's health issues and was appointed to the Ontario Women's Health Council from 2003-7 where she chaired the Accountability Committee. Her interest in women's health issues and social change underpinned her doctoral research which examined the nature of collaboration among non-government organizations tackling HIV/AIDS in South Africa since HIV/AIDS is now predominantly a women's disease.

She is a current member of the Governor's Council of St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, and a former member of the Board, serving over a six year period on the Executive, Quality, and Governance Committees and chaired the Strategic Management Committee. Her current research interests include inter-organizational collaboration and decision making models in the not-for-profit sector.