Why She's Top 40: She pushed for the inclusion of exercise specialists in Primary Care Networks, helping provide more proactive rather than reactive healthcare in the city.
Lisa Workman was working with cancer patients as a certified exercise physiologist when an idea influenced the course of her career. She was introduced to Primary Care Networks (PCNs), which were just a few years old at the time, but are now across the province.
In a PCN, family doctors work with specialists to form a network to focus on overall health. Workman knew exercise specialists should be a part of that network, so she wrote a proposal for the Sherwood Park PCN. Meanwhile, a position opened at the Oliver PCN. Workman got it, and she helped Sherwood Park hire an expert and pushed for the spread of the specialists across the province as chair of the PCN Exercise Specialist Committee.
Now there are approximately 36 exercise specialists working in PCNs across Alberta. She currently works at Edmonton Southside, witnessing the impact of fitness through programs like Moving for Health, where participants develop healthy goals.
After the birth of her first son – she's now a mom to two – she developed the Why I Move project, which includes a website showcasing the stories and inspiration behind people's desire to be active. Community events act as an offshoot of the project, raising money for charities.
"I want to show exercise isn't about vanity," says Workman.