Valerie Rzepka

Valerie Rzepka is a transformational healthcare leader and Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years of frontline experience in global health, emergency response, and health policy. From remote Indigenous communities in Canada’s Arctic to disaster and crisis zones in Haiti, Pakistan, Philippines, and Ukraine, Valerie has led diverse teams through some of the world’s most pressing humanitarian crises.

Valerie is co-Founder and Director Emeritus of Canadian Medical Assistance Teams (CMAT), a volunteer-based organization delivering emergency medical aid worldwide. She has coordinated and deployed medical teams to over a dozen countries. Most recently, she served as Medevac Facilitator for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Ukraine. She has also worked with the Canadian Coast Guard, and Pan-American Health Organization.

With a strong foundation in both clinical practice and policy, Valerie holds a Master of Science in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a post graduate Nurse Practitioner certificate from Laurentian University. She is an alumna of the International Council of Nurses’ – Global Nursing Leadership Institute. ™

Valerie’s expertise includes disaster preparedness, medevac coordination, remote and Indigenous health, and nursing leadership. She previously served as the Territorial Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer of the Canadian arctic territory of Nunavut and as a Health Policy Analyst with the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.

A dynamic speaker, educator, independent consultant, and published author, Valerie has lectured at events accompanying the UN General Assembly and UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, a variety of academic institutions worldwide, and has contributed to journals including Prehospital and Disaster Medicine and Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine. She sits on several boards, including the World Association of Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) and the Centre for Excellence in Emergency Preparedness.

Valerie brings passion, deep expertise and a sense of humor to every role she takes on.