Oshawa doctor takes top job in regional digital medical records sharing system

An Oshawa doctor, who is also a computer programmer, is taking on the regional chief medical information officer role for the Central East Ontario Clinical Information System.

Dr. Ilan Lenga, a nephrologist (treating kidney disease) at Lakeridge Health, was just selected for the role, according to a press release from Lakeridge Health.

Lenga joined Lakeridge in 2004, and in addition to teaching at University of Toronto and Queen’s University, he is also computer programmer. He has written and developed health care related computer and mobile phone applications.

He is the chief information officer and chief medical information officer at Lakeridge Health, and played a lead role in getting a single, unified personal health record system for each patient.

The digital system, called Epic, shares medical records across seven hospitals in the area — Campbellford Memorial Hospital, Haliburton Highlands Health Services, Lakeridge Health, Northumberland Hills Hospital, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Ross Memorial Hospital, and Scarborough Health Network.

Lenga will be overseeing the region’s digital health record system.

“Dr. Lenga is an established and well-respected physician and information technology (IT) executive with extensive experience leading clinical digital transformation at provincial and regional levels,” said Dr. Tony Stone, chief of staff at Lakeridge Health.

The system “is already transforming the way health care is being delivered to more than 1.5 million patients across the region,” Lakeridge Health noted.

In this newly established role, Lenga will be responsible for providing strategic and operational direction on the development, standardization, and optimization of the support tools within Epic.

“Dr. Lenga is a talented clinician, strong collaborator, and innovative thinker who has been a champion for an integrated regional health system,” said Cynthia Davis, President and CEO, Lakeridge Health.

Lenga has held numerous leadership roles at regional and provincial levels. This includes several during the regional Epic launch and implementation, as well as Ontario Health initiatives, COVID-19 response tables, the Durham Region Ontario Health Team, and multiple provincial working groups.

In addition to the new regional role, Lenga will continue to serve as the chief information officer at Lakeridge Health.

Recruitment efforts are underway to fill the chief medical information officer role at Lakeridge Health that Lenga has held since 2011.