Ward Flemons obtained his MD degree from The University of Alberta in 1984 and his Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons certification in Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine in 1989 and 1990 respectively. He was awarded an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Clinical Fellowship and completed three years of health services research training prior to joining the Foothills Medical Centre medical staff and Calgary's Faculty of Medicine in 1992. He has published numerous peer-reviewed research articles, review papers and book chapters and chaired several international consensus groups in his field of research interest, sleep apnea. He has held several administrative positions with the Calgary Health Region including Department of Medicine Site Chief, and Quality Improvement Physician. In 2004 he accepted the position of Vice President - Quality, Safety & Health Information accountable for the Region's patient safety strategy. As part of that strategy the Region established a comprehensive network of Clinical Safety Committees and standardized its approach for investigating and analyzing adverse events. Dr. Flemons worked with a Board of Directors Safety Task Force and led the development of four regional patient safety policies (Disclosing, Reporting, Just & Trusting Culture, and Informing), a regional guideline on the management of serious adverse events, the implementation of a new electronic safety learning reporting system, and established a Patient / Family Safety Council. Dr. Flemons also led the development of a regional patient advocacy program that assisted patients who had experienced adverse events and more effectively dealt with patient concerns about their healthcare.