MILNE, Dr. J. Ken – Peacefully with family by his side at Victoria Hospital on Tuesday, November 20, 2018, John Kenneth Milne of London in his 80th year. He will be lovingly remembered by: Signy (Paulson) his best friend and beloved wife of 55 years; children Kelly Milne (Mataya, Rhiannon, Aiden); Dr. W. Ken Milne and Barb Lubell (Ethan, Sage, Zoe); Kim and John Peter (Jadyn, Jaxon); John and Julianne Milne (Ryelin, Bennett, Jessica); and Scott Milne; as well as his brother Ron and his children R.J. and Rayna. He will also be missed by the extended Milne, Paulson and Roessler families and his many dear friends and colleagues around the world.
Along with his love of family, he enjoyed jazz music, single malt scotch, aged cheddar, hot peppers, and Szechuan food. He was an accomplished musician and woodworker and enjoyed the peace of working in the orchard.
Ken completed medical school at UWO and obtained his fellowship in obstetrics and gynaecology. He devoted his life to women’s health and safety through 29 years of clinical practice and subsequently the development of award-winning patient safety and quality assurance programs. His passion was to drive transformational change in health care.
“Leaders drive values, values drive behaviours, behaviours drive performance.”
A Celebration of his Life will be held on Sunday, November 25 from 2-5 pm at Harris Funeral Home, 220 St. James St. at Richmond.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to London Health Sciences Foundation – Perinatal Program would be appreciated.
Dr. Ken Milne, MD, FRCSC, FSOGC, FACOG
Ken Milne completed medical school at the University of Western Ontario and obtained his fellowship in obstetrics and gynaecology from The Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada. He practiced for 29 years in London, Ontario. During this time he held the position of the Chief of the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at St. Joseph’s Health Care and the London Health Sciences Centre. He also served as Chair of the University of Western Ontario’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, where he is now Professor Emeritus.
Dr. Milne was a member of The Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada Board of Examiners in Obstetrics & Gynaecology for 10 years and three of those as Chief Examiner. He served for nine years as Associate Executive Vice President of The Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and is a past President of the Society. He has chaired the Ontario Medical Association Committee on Reproductive Care and the Ontario Provincial Ministry of Health Committee to develop a quality assurance program for caesarean births for the province.
Following retirement from medical practice, Dr. Milne founded Salus Global Corporation, a company devoted to creating ‘cultures of safety’ within the health care field. Salus is now a leader in the delivery of patient safety performance solutions. Dr. Milne was the CEO and visionary leader from 2007 through 2012.
Dr. Milne developed the ground-breaking MOREOB Program (Managing Obstetrical Risk Efficiently). The MOREOB Program has been implemented in over 300 maternity hospitals in Canada and growing throughout the United States. The program has resulted in a significant reduction of adverse events as well as, a measurable reduction in insurance costs and claims.
In 2012 Dr. Milne received The Governor General of Canada Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award for his extraordinary contributions to women’s health and improving safer patient care.
Dr. Milne continues to drive transformational change in health care for improved quality and safety. These activities include his work as CEO and Founder of KENEIR – Strengthening Organizational Health; Co-Founder of Interventional Learning, senior Executive Advisor for Salus Global Corp; founding Board member of the Relational Coordination Research Collaborative at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandies University; and as a visiting scholar Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University.