The setback became the catalyst for Ruth to pursue a new career. Looking to upgrade her credentials, she began exploring opportunities and scanned newspaper ads for hospital management positions. When she discovered that the qualification required for most was a master of health administration, she enrolled at the University of Ottawa.
Ruth’s determination is deeply rooted in her family history. In 1899, her grandfather was blinded from a serious medical accident. Despite the challenges, he persevered and enrolled in law school. Because he didn’t read Braille, his brother attended with him, serving as his eyes. “You can imagine the determination for both of them, especially my grandfather, to succeed and to overcome this hardship,” Ruth says.
Ruth’s grandfather’s story served as a guide and inspiration when her back injury required major surgery. The return to classes was very difficult and the surgeon even doubted if she would ever work again. “Either I give up or I get on. I was so determined that I was going to succeed,” she recalls. “But I had a role model of somebody who's suffered much worse adversity. These are things that you can learn from, especially as a mature student.”
After completing her MHA, Ruth started her first management position, at a time when revised health and risk accreditation standards were being implemented in hospitals. Hers was a new position focused on patient chart audits and assessing documentation quality, a key element when looking at patient care-related risk and a source of critical evidence in legal proceedings arising after an incident.
For Ruth, these standards were about much more than procedures and documents. They represented opportunities to improve systems. “It’s from medical errors that have occurred that safety precautions for patients have been built in,” she says. “These lessons have made hospital stays safer for everyone.”
Ruth’s commitment to safety is also deeply personal. When she was in nursing, she can remember situations where she felt vulnerable, expected to provide care outside her area of expertise. “I would think of how unsafe it was for me, the patient and the hospital at that time,” she says. Those experiences had a definite influence on the way she came to view care delivery and health risk management.
Ruth’s career took her from hospital to insurance jobs, where she assessed institutional risks such as staff qualifications, credentials and licensing. When she entered risk management, resources were scarce and mostly from the United States. She adapted them to the Canadian health-care system through extensive research, becoming an innovator in an emerging field in Canada.
Recognizing the impact of her degree on her career, Ruth felt it was important to give back. “My grandfather was given a scholarship and in return, he established one. I thought maybe I could help do something.” In 2019, she created the Ruth Stewart MHA Scholarship to assist MHA students at the Telfer School of Management who had completed post-secondary degrees in a health sciences discipline.
Ruth has been a loyal donor to the University of Ottawa for more than 35 years and has also committed to a future gift through her estate, to permanently endow her scholarship.
Moreover, Ruth’s generosity extends beyond financial support. She engages with uOttawa MHA students and inspires future leaders through mentorship and education. “These people have many years of experience. They see, like I did, the value in continuing their education and enhancing their credentials. Professional development is so important because things are always changing,” she says. "You always have to challenge yourself.”
Driven by determination, innovation and generosity, Ruth is making a lasting impact on health-care systems. Her continued support will help shape the next generation of health-care leaders.
Many University of Ottawa alumni have included a gift to the University and its students in their estate plans. It’s important to inform the University of your intentions, so that our planned giving team can validate the designation of your future gift with you. To learn more about this type of philanthropic project, email us at [email protected].