About

Andrew Milroy (M.A., LSSBB) is a healthcare professional and systems thinker with a passion for Quality. He has spent nearly 15 years working in healthcare, clinical research, and international development to become an industry expert on matters of patient safety, quality assurance and improvement. Andrew is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified and has successfully developed and managed complex Quality Management Systems in highly regulated healthcare fields, with the purpose of providing assurances for patient and research participant safety. Earlier work included 3 years of consulting within the United Nations and in Politics on capacity development and communications.

Committed to the management of the Quality Management System for the Eye Bank of Canada (Ontario Division), the largest Eye Bank in Canada and among the ten largest in North America, Andrew is responsible for regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and quality and process improvement. At the Eye Bank of Canada since 2017, Andrew has developed and now maintains a Standards-Based Quality Management System comprised of a comprehensive set of Standard Operating Procedures, along with Auditing, Reporting, Training, and Validation programs. Furthermore, he has structured the annual Quality Improvement Plans so that they align with long-term improvement goals including a shift to electronic record keeping with emphasis on data informed decision making and record retention, client-centered improvement, and a culture of continuous compliance and improvement. Earlier, as Manager – Clinical Quality Assurance and Human Research Protection Program, Andrew was responsible for management of the  Quality Program for the ethica Clinical Research Inc. group of companies. Both in his current role at the Eye Bank of Canada (Ontario Division) and previously at ethica Clinical Research Inc., his focus has always been on safety for patients and research participants. He has a successful record for patient safety at the Eye Bank of Canada with a zero-incident record of reportable serious adverse reactions for ocular tissue distributed in Canada since starting in 2017.

In the health sector, he has supported several important province-wide quality and performance improvement projects. While with Clinical Trials Ontario he led the development of a Qualification Manual for use in auditing Research Ethics Boards (REBs) and assisted with the development of the REB Qualification Program which had the aim of certifying REBs in Ontario into the Streamlined Research Ethics Review System. This was accomplished to improve the process for clinical trial start-up times in Ontario with the goal of making it the preferred location for global clinical trials. To date, there are 175 participating hospitals and research sites and a resulting total cost savings to the public system of +25 million. At Mount Sinai Hospital he collected data from routine weekly audits of geriatric patients and their rooms to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention. The intervention aimed at reducing the functional decline of geriatric patients and was implemented in 14 hospitals across Ontario.

Andrew studied his Master of Arts degree in Social and Political Ethics on a full ride scholarship from the European Commission at a Consortium of Universities including the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Linköping University. In 2008, he graduated with Distinction after successfully defending against an independent examiner his thesis on the ethical justification for conflicts of interest policy in the civil service. That same year he began consulting for the United Nations Development Program Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific on Capacity Development projects in the region. In particular, Anti-Corruption projects within the Pro-Poor Public-Private Partnerships for Local Service Delivery program.

Andrew has developed online training and knowledge exchange tools for several organizations and companies and has delivered high-level presentations on unlocking user participation with Social Media (i.e. Web 2.0), and youth outreach with Social Media. His pilot project, entitled iMDG, utilized Social Media to establish an online community of youth activists in the Asia-Pacific Region and reached national news coverage in The Hindu (India’s second most read newspaper), and INQUIRER (the Philippines most widely read newspaper).

In Canada, Andrew has worked in Politics for a Member of Parliament and supported numerous committees including those aimed at the development of policy on matters of national importance. He is an exceptional public speaker and communicator having practiced the art through Toastmasters International and using that knowledge frequently for high-level presentations and meetings.

Giving back to others is an ethos Andrew lives by. Through membership in Rotary International, for which he has held the position of Club President, Andrew has dedicated years of service since 2011 helping improve the lives of those in Toronto and abroad that may be considered economically disadvantaged or otherwise marginalized in society. In the Fall of 2022, Andrew joined the Board of the Canadian Mental Health Association Toronto (CMHA Toronto) as Board Director, a cause he cares deeply about. He has volunteered on numerous committee’s available through organizations such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Eye Bank Association of America, CMHA Toronto, and the Canadian Association for Research Ethics Boards. While in Thailand during the civil conflict between 2008 and 2010, he acted as a channel of communication between the UN Department for Safety and Security and staff, and monitored various news sources as Deputy Zone Warden. Andrew began his volunteerism in Norway while acting as Vice-President of the International Student Union.

“Prior to working in my office, Andrew completed graduate studies and also worked with the United Nations. His educational credentials and employment history encouraged me to engage him. However, his dependability, professionalism and eagerness to contribute exceeded my expectations.” – Liberal Party of Canada MP Rob Oliphant

“From conceptualization through to implementation and concluding by capturing lessons learned, his results were impressive and directly reflective of the considerable time he invested into it, ensuring it remained within scope and on time.” – UN Millennium Campaign Asia and the Pacific Office Regional Director Minar Pimple

“Candidates who succeed in joining this early-career professionals program must demonstrate exceptional levels of initiative, determination and flexibility as well as the ability to adapt quickly and work effectively in environments that may be characterized by great diversity among fellow workers and high performance expectations. Andrew Milroy was such a candidate.” – CANADEM GPS Coordinator Laura Deimling