Interview with Dilshad Kassam-Lallani
Interview with Dilshad Kassam-Lallani
Dilshad Kassam-Lallani, nurse practitioner and NP professional practice lead, 2014 – present
Dilshad Kassam-Lallani, NP with her daughter Afsana Lallani, RN
Can you briefly tell us about you and how long have you been at Holland Bloorview?
Before joining Holland-Bloorview eight years ago, I had taken on a contract position in the urology service at SickKids as a nurse practitioner (NP) to cover a mat leave, pausing my full-time practice in primary care with the intention of bringing back knowledge to primary care. It just so happened that after my contract, the nurse practitioner position at Holland Bloorview became available. Prior to that, I practiced in primary care for nearly 10 years.
Can you tell us about your role and life of a nurse practitioner at Holland Bloorview?
The nurse practitioner role in the spina bifida and spinal cord injury (SB/SCI) multidisciplinary clinic is unique in that it incorporates transition care in the medical management of youth and their families. The role intentionally leads to ensure transition from pediatric to adult health care system is as seamless as possible to maintain healthy client outcomes. The role is uniquely positioned to provide care up until age 25 at our partnering health centre, Vibrant Healthcare Alliance, through cross appointment. As such, I run clinics both at Holland Bloorview and Vibrant. Having come from practicing in primary care, I feel I have the best of both worlds. Each member on the team is vital in improving health outcomes. I am very fortunate to work with a team with tremendous expertise with strong individual competencies and committed to team collaboration and excellence in care. Our clinics are fun and we love to munch on snacks together. Popcorn has become our staple!
What excites you and inspires you about working at Holland Bloorview?
Quality care improvement is constantly in my mind and I love it when I can work with the program/clinical team to collectively improve care. For me, excellence has infinite capacity and is dynamic, which keeps me challenged and excited. Developmental care has always been the core of my pediatric practice given my undergraduate education and coupled with my longstanding side interest in neurodiversity. I recall coming to Holland Bloorview many years ago as a representative of the health centre I worked at to participate in a workshop on neurodiversity and pathways for accessing services; I was at awe with the work presented. Moreover, I secretly wondered how amazing it would be to work at Holland Bloorview, whereby there was a major focus on developmental care. It was many years later that I joined the Holland-Bloorview family and I often wonder whether landing at Holland-Bloorview was serendipity, fate or destiny. Regardless, I am so happy to be working at Holland-Bloorview.
There is no question that clients and their families inspire me to work here – they are the foundation of my inspirations. In addition, my personal experience of caring for my middle daughter who was diagnosed with a life threatening illness without a cure at age 16 and going on to having a liver transplant two years ago, has set the bar for what is possible in terms of achieving optimal health outcomes, especially in the area of self-management and self-advocacy skills for self-determination. She became inspirational for me to aim for promoting the same level of achievements in every single youth I serve.
How has your work impacted you? Can you share a pivotal point or experience in your work here at Holland Bloorview that has left a lasting impact on you?
My work at Holland Bloorview has had a great impact on my own professional and personal growth. One pivotal point that will always stand out for me is the support I received from my manager, clinical team, colleagues, senior management, and so many more at Holland Bloorview during a critical time in my daughter’s health and illness journey. I will never forget the meeting I had with my manager to discuss how I can prevent burnout from caring for my daughter while working at the same time. It just so happened that I was three weeks into starting my position when my daughter was diagnosed. Having just started, I did not seek support for any work-place accommodations. I would literally drive my daughter to the hospital (SickKids) from Oakville, drive her back home and then drive to Holland Bloorview. I flexed my time and worked long hours on top of the complex commute. At the six month mark into my position, I started to get exhausted and at this junction I reached out to my manager. I presented a plan, but she presented even a better plan! I was so grateful to be accommodated not only to flex my time, but granted the privilege of working from home on days that my daughter had her medical appointments or needed the emergency department. Moreover, working was tremendously important for me so as to maintain some sort of normalcy and, truth be told, it served as respite for me which my manager understood well. Holland Bloorview stepped up to help me at a very critical period in my family’s life.
What are your hopes and aspirations for the future of the organization?
My hopes for the organization are to stabilize our staffing and other programs. By adapting the SB/SCI transition model, we can offer clients and families continued specialty care and transition support up until the end of young adulthood. Formal studies prove this works. It is a model that is highly regarded by our national and international health care community. I have seen first-hand the value of our transition model in making positive impact on clients and families, keeping them healthy during a very vulnerable time of transitioning from pediatric to adult care system. Holland Bloorview has done a fantastic job with transition work, helping to build skills and offer navigation resources. I am excited for Holland Bloorview to focus on strengthening (medical) transition from pediatric to the adult health care system.