Winter 2010 - St. Joseph's Health Care London

6
A New Era
St. Joseph’s welcomes the distinguished
Dr. Gillian Kernaghan as its new CEO
“In her
leadership
capacity at
LHSC and
St. Joseph’s,
Gillian
has been
instrumental
in integrating
our practices
to better serve
patients, staff
and students.
She is a great
choice for this
role.”
–Cliff Nordal
Vim & Vigour • WINTER 2010
A
highly respected family physician
and administrative leader is the new
president and chief executive officer
of St. Joseph’s Health Care, London.
Dr. Gillian Kernaghan officially took the helm
of St. Joseph’s in October, succeeding Cliff Nordal,
who announced his retirement earlier this year
after 12 years of outstanding leadership.
“It is a privilege to have been selected,” says
Dr. Kernaghan. “I trained as a family medicine
resident at St. Joseph’s and provided care
to patients at both St. Joseph’s and Parkwood
Hospital. Having worked for 17 years as a senior
medical leader committed to the development of
our academic health sciences centre in London, I
look forward to leading St. Joseph’s as we forge
new roles within the health care system and continue
to provide excellent compassionate care to
the community.”
Skill, knowledge and drive
Renowned for her medical, academic and system
leadership at local, regional, provincial and
national levels, Dr. Kernaghan’s appointment
“marks the beginning of the next era in hospital
care, teaching and research in London,” says Dr.
Gerry Killan, chair of the St. Joseph’s board of
directors. “Gillian has the skill, knowledge and
drive to take St. Joseph’s and London’s academic
hospital system to the next level.”
Prior to her CEO appointment, Dr. Kernaghan
was integrated vice president, medical education
and medical affairs for both St. Joseph’s and
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), a position
she held since 2006. Her accomplishments
in this role are significant. She led the establishment
of an ethics program at LHSC, saw both
hospitals through the H1N1 pandemic as the incident
manager, and led a hand hygiene campaign
that saw 40 to 50 per cent increases in compliance
across all hospital sites in London within
two years.
Dr. Gillian Kernaghan
Leading up to 2006, Dr. Kernaghan was vice
president, medical and professional affairs at
St. Joseph’s for five years. Between 1993 and
1997, she was vice president, medical services at
Parkwood Hospital and played a key role in the
smooth transition of Parkwood’s amalgamation
with St. Joseph’s in 1997.
a great ChoiCe
“Gillian’s medical, professional practice and
patient care leadership at Parkwood Hospital
and then St. Joseph’s has helped to lay the strong
foundation on which our hospitals deliver care
today,” says Nordal. “In her leadership capacity
at LHSC and St. Joseph’s, Gillian has been instrumental
in integrating our practices to better serve
patients, staff and students. She is a great choice
for this role.”
Dr. Carol Herbert, former dean, Schulich
School of Medicine at The University of Western
Ontario, describes Dr. Kernaghan as “one of the
finest clinicians and leaders in our academic
health sciences centre today.”
While holding busy hospital leadership
responsibilities, Dr. Kernaghan was also an active
family physician. Her one regret of her new CEO
role, she says, is the need to give up her 25-year
practice.