Natalie Dimitra Montgomery, PhD

Natalie’s work sits at the intersection of listening, learning, and leading change. Her passion lies in elevating grassroots community experiences to inform systems-level transformation. Trained as a health communication educator and qualitative researcher, she is committed to understanding people’s experiences and using those insights to strengthen the systems that support them. 

Her research has supported diverse communities and uncovered patient and family journeys in accessing mental health information, interpersonal communication and disclosure, and leveraging social supports. Her approach is grounded in person-centred engagement and creates conditions for people to feel heard at the outset of planning processes.

Natalie has facilitated conversations, led community-based research, and guided system-level initiatives that connect user and lived experience perspectives to improvements in programs, services, policy, and health professional practice.  Her work in integrated care and digital health includes scaling provincial aging-at-home and virtual care programs.  During her fellowship at the University of Toronto, she co-designed and implemented an evaluation-based primary care engagement strategy across three Ontario Health Teams on the topic of a shared health information system.

Her perspective is shaped by lived experience and advocacy, including her previous leadership at Conceivable Dreams, which advanced awareness and provincial support for the Ontario Fertility Program.

Inspired by her work facilitating learning and connection, collaborative discovery and community-based research, Natalie co-founded Confluence Health Communication to translate insights into meaningful action and impact

She leads through a collaborative, non-hierarchical approach rooted in supportive communication, with the belief that responsive listening strengthens decisions and creates systems that better reflect the communities they serve.

Natalie holds a Ph.D. in Population Health and a Master’s in Health Communication from the University of Ottawa and is Prosci Change Management certified.