Mike Hendley retires after a remarkable career of digital and personal connections

As Executive Director of Information Systems and Digital Solutions at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), Mike Hendley saw connections everywhere. 

He saw how every piece of data could become so much more powerful when connected to other data. He also saw how casual conversations at the hospital’s coffee shops could lead to some of the most exciting collaborations and advances. 

Throughout his 30-year career at OHRI, Mike turned this vision into action and transformed the conduct of research at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH).

In 2001, he created OHRI’s Integrated Research Information System (IRIS), which connected OHRI databases for grants, finance, HR, contracts and research ethics. Every scientist and investigator was given access to a personalized IRIS dashboard that allowed them to easily view and manage their people, money and projects in real time. No other hospital or university in Canada had anything like this.

Over the years, hundreds of new data sources and features were added to IRIS, including financial forecasts, scientific publications, pandemic planning, internal grant review and much more. Today, IRIS is accessed more than 3,500 times per day and fuels just about every strategic decision at OHRI. 

Mike and his team also created the OHRI website and intranet (IRISGuide), both of which pull data from IRIS, enabling efficient real-time updates. 

Mike has always been at the leading edge of new technologies, prompting those around him to think creatively about applications to make research more powerful and efficient. In recent years, he piloted a new High-Performance Compute (HPC) platform, AI chatbots, AI grant reviewers, AI grant matchmakers and much more. 

Mike also managed OHRI’s Tech Services team, which provides specialized hardware and software support to researchers.

“I had a team of developers who could build anything and a tech services team who made sure nobody got left behind,” emphasized Mike. “That combination of innovation and care is what made us special.”

Mike’s legacy of digital connections will continue to fuel research excellence at TOH for many years to come, while his legacy of personal connections will continue to remind us of the ‘why’ behind the work.

When asked about some of his most memorable moments at OHRI, it is the personal connections that stand out: conversations with patients who needed directions, were hurt or just wanted to talk about art and science; conversations with researchers who needed just a little technical support to change the world; and the casual conversations that happen every day that make us feel like part of something special. In fact, it was one of those connections that brought Mike and his wife Kim together — a reminder that the most important discoveries at OHRI don't always happen in a lab.

After retiring on July 22, Mike will have no shortage of ways to stay curious. He is a working wildlife and nature artist whose graphite, watercolour, oil and coloured pencil work captures the small, overlooked moments in the natural world. He also hosts the Drawing Inspiration podcast and leads in-person and online studio workshops. When he isn't at the easel, he can be found behind a camera lens, photographing the natural world with the same patient eye from shore or a canoe.

If the past 30 years are any indication, the connections Mike makes in retirement, whether at the easel, behind the lens or around the family table, will be just as meaningful as the ones he made at OHRI.