Dr. Cindy MacQuarrie, PhD

Cindy MacQuarrie is the senior director of interprofessional practice and learning with Nova Scotia Health.

Cindy’s commitment to improving access to ongoing professional development, and advocacy and promotion of interprofessional collaboration is demonstrated by:

• Co-leadership of the NS Health COVID-19 Clinical Medical Advisory Committee, where she is responsible for ensuring translation of COVID-19 care guidance and pathways at all levels within the organization and enabling access to novel COVID-19 testing pathways and rapid deployment of practice supports internally and externally to support the long-term care sector and First Nations communities.
• Ensuring LPN access to nursing education, resulting in 30 LPNs becoming RNs this year.
• Oversight of NS Health’s role in the provincial nurse prescribing implementation (NS Provincial Nursing Strategy).
• Supporting the NP Education Incentive with government and in collaboration with Dalhousie University to increase the number of NPs in order to improve access to primary health care. Cindy’s leadership in developing NS Health’s first Interprofessional Practice and Learning Framework will foster collaboration, build capacity, and inspire a culture of practice and learning for generations to come. Cindy’s unwavering commitment to quality of care and patient safety is evident by:
• The development and implementation of clinical wound care standardization.
• Transition to practice models and optimization of co-leadership to advance Interprofessional Education including simulation learning.

As a life-long learner, Cindy continues to set the example of nursing excellence and leadership for all; she has successfully completed her requirements for PhD candidacy with the University of Alberta