Calgary’s business community knows how to think boldly and make things happen. Dr. Claudia Hudspeth, the new president and CEO of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, believes that spirit can help shape the future of child health here and beyond.
A medical doctor and public health expert, Claudia brings more than 25 years of experience spanning nearly 40 countries. Through roles with UNICEF, the Aga Khan Foundation and McKinsey & Company, she has brought people and partners together to improve health for children and families in some of the world’s most demanding environments.
Calgary has been her home base for more than a decade. Now she is eager to put that experience to work for children here.
“No matter where you are in the world, every parent wants their child to be healthy, to experience joy, and to fulfil their potential and to do everything they dream of,” Claudia says. “That is universal.”
Her work has also reinforced how much a child’s well-being reveals about the world around them. “Children are the canary in the coal mine of society,” she says. “So much of what is going well – or not going well – shows up through the lens of children.”
That makes investing in children early a powerful opportunity. Early support can help prevent illness and improve health across a lifetime, while strengthening families, communities and economies. “When we invest in children early, we can change the course of a life,” Claudia says. “The benefits reach far beyond better health. For every dollar invested, we can see as much as a fivefold return in social and economic benefits.”
Claudia joins a Foundation and community with a remarkable record of turning ambitious ideas into reality. Together with hospital and research teams, supporters have helped build a world-class children’s hospital, establish a child-focused research institute and open one of Canada’s most research-intensive, community-based mental health centres for young people.
She sees that shared commitment in Calgary’s entrepreneurial, “get-it-done” spirit. When people see an opportunity to improve children’s lives, they act.
“Philanthropy gives experts the freedom to fill critical gaps, move promising ideas forward and elevate excellent care to world-class care,” Claudia says. “More than that, it gives us the confidence to dream big.”
For Claudia, that means helping children thrive today while investing in research, innovation and early support that can change the course of their lives tomorrow.
Visit childrenshospital.ab.ca to learn more.