Jenn Thornhill Verma

Jenn is responsible for engaging policymakers at federal, provincial, and territorial levels; mobilizing cross-disciplinary teams on topic-specific taskforces to drive impactful decision-making; supporting the Forum's citizen engagement strategy development; establishing connections with trusted news sources, and writing for professional and public audiences. Jenn also serves as the Executive Lead for the Evidence Commission's secretariat. Jenn has served in senior positions in many organizations and advisory boards. She worked for fifteen years at the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (now Healthcare Excellence Canada), where she designed the foundation's quality improvement collaborative approach, bringing together frontline providers, policymakers, and system leaders, including patients and families, to spread and scale innovation across Canada. In 2019, Jenn joined the Board of Bruyère Continuing Care. She's also an inaugural Board member of Nourish, which uses the power of food to build health for people and the planet; and an Officer of the Alumni Association Executive at the University of King's College. Jenn is also an accomplished freelance journalist and author who has covered health- and social-systems topics extensively.

She holds a Master of Science in Medicine from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from the University of King's College and is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.