This page features the projects I’ve worked on, the work I’ve done, or are currently working on.
Also, please consider checking out the sidebar for links to some of my other related work! —>
Patient Advisor to The Ottawa Hospital
Please see below a list of past or current projects I am involved in, including a story of my journey as a patient advisor with the OR Black Box Project:
- Patient advisor on Med-Surg. nursing 2.0
- Revitalizing the medical and surgical nursing orientation and education sessions to make them more people-centered
- Patient advisor on the Great Canadian Audit Study grant
- Analyzing the R.O.I. of Canadian research and its benefits for patients wanting to access medical and scientific literature
- Patient advisor on the world’s first ever paper that identified risk factors associated with patient survival after an in-hospital cardiac arrest.
- Please consult the article
- Patient advisor on a Delphi-study to develop a consensual definition of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs).
- Member of the Planning and Development Committee for the New Civic Hospital in Ottawa which will be open by 2028.
- Patient advisor on the OR Black Box Project*
*Some exciting news: The Ottawa Hospital is now the 4th hospital in all of Canada, and the 7th in the WORLD to have an Operating Room Black Box® thanks to the wonderful work of a panoply of people at The Ottawa Hospital, including the work of patient advisors like Laurie and I.
The ORBB is just like a black box inside of an airplane, but for medicine. It records audio, video, patient vital signs and environmental data. All this in the aim of increasing OR accountability and transparency, patient health outcomes, and advancing research in medicine, the effects of environmental variables and team communication.
Together, we have developed 4 key partnerships, each with their distinct roles:
- With the communications team of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, we created the communications plan directed at patients, the public, and the practitioners.
- By partnering with the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Support Unit we were able to co-design research projects, contribute to scientific litterature, and spread the word of our work through Ontario’s healthcare system.
- Our main resource for anything patient-related was the excellent patient engagement team, which made sure we were adequately fed and cared for while we worked
- And finally, with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, we co-designed the project, applied (and received) grants, and created meaningful change.
This project came to life. It is real now, and patients are interacting with this every day, advancing research and changing lives, ultimately improving healthcare and patient safety.
Check out some photos of our internal celebration / launch below, featuring Dr. Jack Kitts, CEO of The Ottawa Hospital and the rest of the ORBB team, including Laurie, Sandy, Zarah, Dr. Boet and Claudia, with Nicole and Antoine missing.
In January 2019, I had the privilege to represent The Ottawa Hospital, and became the very first patient advisor to present at the Annual International Surgical Safety Conference to surgeons, medical professionals, and health associations on what we have learned so far on the inclusion of patients in the OR Black Box Project.
Webinar presenter, for the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network
On September 6th 2018, the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network invited me to host a special webinar dedicated to patient engagement and its importance in healthcare.
Over 70 registrants got informed on why patient input could benefit research, healthcare, and of course, their own health outcomes.
Click here to access the video, and check out more of the series on the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network’s website.
UOCMN – an annual public relations conference
Since mid-November 2017, I have been involved in organizing an annual francophone public relations conference.
The conference took place on March 14th, 2018. With praise from the University of Ottawa Department of Communication, and with positive feedback from participants, I am glad to report that our attendance numbers made new records this year.
Check out the website I created as a member of the communications team here!
Testifying before the House of Commons’ Standing Committee for Health
As spokesperson for Freeze the Industry, a youth-led health group, we had the chance to sit down with key decision-makers and talk about our interests to see the federal government regulate plain and standardized packaging for tobacco products, with Bill S-5.
We were also against tough competition; the Tobacco Industry was there to lobby against us, but were not successful. In fact, the Honorable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, minister of health, has approved of our recommendations and Bill S-5 has passed.
Read my public statement in support of Bill S-5 here.
Campaign to improve mental health services
Spearheading a campaign to improve mental health awareness, and introduce changes to the mental health services system at the University of Ottawa. Check it our here!
Summary of the work so far:
Back in 2017, I had originally launched and subsequently closed a petition that reached 600 signatures. This petition aimed to improve mental health services at the University of Ottawa.
This year, in 2019, a 4th student died by suicide. This prompted me to re-open this petition, which, at the time of publication, has reached 3000 signatures.
I have since formed a group called the uOCollective 4 mental health (emphasis on the 4, to symbolize the four students that have passed away) along with 4 other students. Our aim is to mobilize the student movement and see significant changes and dedicated investments to our mental health services.
Outcomes:
- Because of our efforts, the administration employed two new counselors to help with wait times and the growing demand of mental health counseling.
- Additionally, mental health counselling services are henceforth offered 24/7 !
- We will keep working on more solutions, including hosting an inter-sectoral round-table / call to action for mental health.
National consultation on the future of tobacco control in Canada + the reduction and prevention of tobacco use in youth
Reaching people through social media campaigns or face-to-face, clear communication has been the core of my work with Ottawa Public Health and Freeze the Industry.
After joining Ottawa Public Health’s Special Projects Unit on a volunteer basis, I was able to do several things:
- Be invited to Health Canada’s National Forum on he Future of Tobacco Control in Canada
- Provide valuable feedback to Health Canada following round-tables and consultations
- Contribute to the federal government’s plan to reduce the smoking rate in Canada to 5% by 2035.
Moreover, I’ve gotten involved with Freeze the Industry (FTI) while representing Ottawa Public Health. FTI is a youth-led coalition that fights back against Big Tobacco. So far, we have:
- Planned, organized and executed a Plain and Standardized Party to introduce youth and the local community to the benefits of Plain and Standardized Tobacco Packaging
- Planned, organized and executed a National Day of Action against Tobacco in Ottawa.
- On November 9th, 2017, close to 50 youth from across Ontario rallied on Parliament Hill to remind the federal government of their promise to introduce Plain and Standardized Packaging.
- I was the spokesperson for Freeze the Industry, having done media interviews in French and English:
Philanthropic initiatives
I’m incredibly proud to say that so far, our community was able to raise over $3000 in donations, either to local institutions or international organizations.
$2150 raised for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation
In December 2015 we were able to achieve our funding goal – and even surpass it! I was inspired by stories of patients as I was assisting my grandfather at one of his check-ups at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. He is a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition which renders the heart too big and too thick to function properly.
After discovering that the foundation was looking for donations to buy medical equipment to fill a new ward expansion, I wanted to help – because I knew that by helping the foundation meet its goals, it would help not only my grandpa, but other patients as well.
I’m glad the community gave with heart, and we were able to purchase two mobile medical carts with $2150. Thanks to everyone that donated!
CTV News Ottawa even picked up the story and interviewed my grandfather and I. Click here to see the interview!
$560 raised to feed the homeless community of downtown Ottawa and provide shelter for a week to a homeless youth
On Mother’s Day 2016, we executed our plan. After a successful campaign raising $560, we cooked, prepared and served over 100 hot meals to the homeless that were lined up in front of the different missions in downtown Ottawa.
With the excess cash, we donated it to the Youth Services Bureau who work with a lot of at-risk youth in the community. They put the money to good use, providing a week’s worth of shelter for a homeless youth. Big thank you to everyone that contributed to the project!
Click here to access the project page.
$200 raised to send 24 mosquito nets to developing countries in order to reduce the incidence of malaria
Inspired by a tradition I’ve heard from a professor of mine, I decided to start micro-fundraisers at the end of every semester course. If applicable, we would simply do a pocket-change fundraiser on the last class to provide a donation to a cause or issue we’ve explored in the curriculum.
In our case, our fundraiser reached the $200 mark and we were able to buy Gifts of Hope from Plan Canada. These gifts were 24 mosquito nets that now help families in developing countries fight off the pesky bugs and reduce the spread of malaria – an important concern for the public health of these citizens.
I had to recount this a lot of times. Finally I was able to conclude with methodological rigor that indeed we did raise $200 ($200.25 if you counted the value of the american bill)!
Maxime Lê 