AFHTO’s Board of Directors, staff, members, and community were very saddened to learn of the passing of former key staff of AFHTO, Carol Mulder, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on December 28, 2023, at her home on the shores of Georgian Bay. Carol had spent the previous day with one of her dear friends and two children celebrating her 60th birthday and Christmas, having a wonderful day of laughter, stories and good food and then unexpectedly slipped away peacefully in her sleep.
Carol was an inspiration to many at AFHTO and did a tremendous amount of valuable work to improve team-based primary care. In her 5 years with AFHTO, Carol was the driving force behind AFHTO’s Data to Decisions (D2D) initiative and gained Ministry of Health funding for the Quality Improvement Decision Support (QIDS) program. With her leadership and passion, the community of practice around quality improvement in primary care blossomed. Through this community, AFHTO members developed a robust culture of measurement exemplified by the elevated level of sustained voluntary participation in D2D and numerous other measurement and improvement efforts. The environment of learning and sharing fostered by Carol is still the cornerstone of quality improvement efforts for AFHTO members today.
After her departure from AFHTO in 2018, Carol continued to contribute to the quality of primary care in Ontario through her roles at OntarioMD and the Centre for Studies in Primary Care at Queens University. AFHTO’s members continued to benefit from her passion in ensuring team-based primary care continued with its improvement efforts while providing the best quality of care possible for patients.
Carol was an inspiration to her colleagues and community and a pleasure to work with. Carol will be missed and live on in those whose lives she touched.
A few comments from her colleagues include:
“Carol inspired me and probably most of you in so many ways.”
“Carol was brilliant, passionate and a pleasure to be around.”
“Carol did a tremendous amount of valuable work to improve team-based primary care. She was an inspiration and I very much enjoyed working with her!”