New CEO appointed at London Health Sciences

LONDON, Ont. – Ramona Robinson, chair of LHSC’s Board of Directors, announced that Dr. Paul Woods (pictured) has been named the hospital’s new president and chief executive officer, effective January 15, 2018. In addition to his medical expertise, Dr. Woods brings extensive management experience and a record of successfully leading positive change in complex environments.

“After a comprehensive search process, the Board unanimously selected Dr. Woods to lead LHSC through the next chapter of health system transformation,” says Robinson. “We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Woods, who has the skills, knowledge and abilities needed to take the excellent foundational work the hospital has undertaken over the past several years to the next level.”

Dr. Woods brings a unique perspective to healthcare leadership thanks to his experience across a wide range of leadership roles in both the Canadian and American health systems. Most recently, Dr. Woods was the Senior Vice President, Provider Network Organization for Trinity Health – a multi-institutional healthcare organization comprised of over 120,000 people, including over 7,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, across more than 1,700 sites in the United States.

In this role, Dr. Woods had clinical, operational and financial accountability for medical practices in primary care, specialty care and hospital-based physician practices. Under his leadership, multiple system-wide service delivery redesign initiatives were successfully implemented that achieved improved health outcomes, better patient and provider experiences, and reduced costs to deliver care.

“Dr. Woods is a systems thinker and driver of positive change. He values collaboration and partnerships to improve healthcare delivery and foster innovation, making him an excellent fit to advance LHSC’s care, teaching and research mandate,” noted Robinson.

“It is with great pride and excitement that I return to London to join the incredible team at LHSC,” said Dr. Woods. “I look forward to working with staff, physicians, researchers, learners, volunteers, system partners, as well as patients and their families to build on LHSC’s rich legacy of providing compassionate, high quality care. I know we can continue to improve patient experiences every day and help shape and advance a more effective system of health for the future.”

About London Health Sciences Centre

London Health Sciences Centre has been at the forefront of medicine in Canada for 142 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children’s Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, the Kidney Care Centre, two family medical centres, and two research institutes – Children’s Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of over 70 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital’s nearly 15,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year. For more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca.