Key Influencer: Dr. Kim Simmonds, CEO of Primary Care Alberta

Source: BioAlberta

In an announcement on October 15, 2024, it was announced that Primary Care Alberta, a brand-new provincial agency, was created to be responsible for primary and long-term care services in Alberta. Dr. Kim Simmonds is to be the first chief executive officer of the agency. She is scheduled to take on the role by November 1st, 2024.

Dr. Simmonds has served as the Assistant Deputy Minister of Health since December of 2023. She previously worked as a Senior Manager at the international accounting and finance firm EY (Ernst & Young) from 2021 to 2024. Prior to these roles she also worked for nearly a decade in the Government of Alberta, serving as executive Director of Health System Planning & Quality, and before that, held the roles of Director of Health Evidence & Policy and Director of Clinical Innovation and Foresight. Earlier in her career, Dr. Simmonds was an epidemiologist at Alberta Health Services.

Dr. Simmonds was educated at the University of Calgary, where she received a PhD and an MSc in Epidemiology. She currently sits as a director on the board of E4C, a non-profit charity focused on alleviating poverty in Edmonton. She frequently volunteers as a dog walker at the Edmonton Humane Society and has been involved in numerous community organizations.