Working to Improve Health Outcomes for Ontario’s Families
Milestones Newsletter | Issue 10, Spring 2025 | Subscribe to Milestones
PCMCH Governing Council member Dr. Prakeshkumar Shah envisions Ontario becoming the leader in perinatal, neonatal and paediatric healthcare – a model for others to witness and emulate.
“Ontario can be the guiding light for other provinces in Canada and for the rest of world,” he said. “I want Ontario to continue doing better, improving health outcomes for babies, children and their families. This is what motivates me and my work.”
A leading clinician, educator, researcher and policy advisor in perinatal, neonatal and paediatric care, Dr. Shah currently serves as Paediatrician-in-Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital, Clinical Lead for Neonatal Intensive Critical Care (NICU) at Ontario Health, and is a Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. He has practiced medicine in three countries: India, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Access to quality and equitable care
Dr. Shah is often called upon for his expertise on health systems improvement. He believes one of the most pressing issues in perinatal, neonatal and paediatric care is access to quality and equitable care.
“We should strive to ensure every family across Ontario has access to services when they need them,” he said. “The birth of a child should be a joyous occasion, however, not all pregnancies go as planned. For example, around eight per cent of babies are born premature and those families need extra help. We need to address the imbalances in the system, providing similar care across every region and jurisdiction.”
He noted that geography creates an additional challenge in Ontario. “Reaching the proper services is a big challenge, especially in a province as large as Ontario, so we need to make sure we have a system in place so that distance doesn't become a barrier.”
Working to improve health systems
A prolific researcher, Dr. Shah has published more than 600 peer-reviewed articles focused on disease prevention, knowledge quality improvement work, and health systems improvement. He has applied this knowledge to his work with PCMCH. For example, he played an important role in supporting PCMCH’s Perinatal, Birthing and Newborn Levels of Care initiative, which identifies levels of care accountabilities for newborn and birthing units.
“The levels of care work is one of the most important systems-improvement initiatives PCMCH has done in perinatal and newborn services,” he said. “This work streamlines the process and creates accountability for labour and delivery sites. It ensures families get the best possible care in the nearest possible environment.”
Dr. Shah enjoys contributing to PCMCH because he sees it as a way “to move the needle” in improving health outcomes in Ontario. In addition to the levels of care work, he was involved in PCMCH’s Maternal-Neonatal COVID-19 Task Force, among other initiatives.
Beyond his professional endeavours, Dr. Shah enjoys spending time with his family, travelling and learning about other cultures.
PCMCH would like to thank Dr. Prakeshkumar Shah for granting us this interview and sharing his experiences.