Jen Bertoni

Born and raised on the traditional lands of the Fort William First Nation, in a city now known as Thunder Bay, Jen Bertoni is an Indigenous clinician and scholar that is passionate about improving health systems in the north. Jen is a registered occupational therapist, holds an MPH, and is currently completing her Doctor of Science in Rehabilitation and Health Leadership at Queen’s University. Her research focus is on culture, equity, and justice within professional practice and organizational development. As a clinician, Jen has worked in acute, tertiary and community-based health settings as an OT and has enjoyed working with a variety of client populations across the lifespan in phys-med and mental health. Jen is an advocate for implementing trauma-informed and culturally safe philosophies as actionable steps towards social justice goals. Her curiosity and ‘big picture’ thinking looks for opportunities for innovation and quality improvement.  Aside from clinical practice, Jen has also worked in systems-level planning and implementation within mental health and addictions and has assisted in the development of multi-sectoral initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes for people in northwestern Ontario.