Advancing preventative health care while strengthening our theatre community
Age: 35
Job Title: Market Development Manager for Alberta Blue Cross and Board Chair of Edmonton Fringe Theatre
By day, Elizabeth Hammell is shaping preventative health initiatives at Alberta Blue Cross. By night, she’s cheering on performers at North America’s largest and longest-running Fringe Festival. At first glance, the worlds seem far apart. But Hammell thrives where structure meets creativity and strategy dances with imagination.
In her Alberta Blue Cross role, Hammell helps develop services from concept to implementation, building partnerships with innovators across the health-care sector and designing initiatives that promote wellness and preventative care. “It’s a bit exploratory,” she explains. “It’s looking at being innovative and creative, setting up some strategic partnerships and being able to pilot and test them so we can have really strong preventative care.”
She stepped into the job from a similar role with the University Hospital Foundation, where Hammell helped implement a project piloting wearable digital orthotics that prevent diabetic foot ulcers by monitoring pressure points in seniors’ shoes. “It’s a really great way to have more interactive, proactive care for people that are experiencing those types of health complications, and make it much more integrated with their health-care provider.”
Hammell also brings her skills to Edmonton’s arts scene. As board chair of the Fringe Theatre, she has helped expand the festival’s reach and increased monthly donors by more than 500 per cent. For Hammell, the bridge between health care and the arts is clear. In both arenas, she’s focused on building environments that encourage engagement, connection and a sense of belonging, proving that caring for one’s neighbours can take many forms — sometimes with a stethoscope, sometimes under the spotlight of a stage. Or, to put it succinctly, “It’s about taking care of people.”
This article appears in the November/December 2025 issue of Edify
