New President at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton named

HAMILTON, Ont. – After an extensive selection process that drew candidates from across the country, Dr. Tom Stewart, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health System and Sonny Monzavi, chair of St. Joseph’s Hamilton Joint Boards of Governors, are pleased to announce the unanimous selection of Melissa Farrell (pictured) as incoming president of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. She will assume the new position April 29, 2019.

Ms. Farrell is a health system leader who currently serves as the Assistant Deputy Minister, Acute and Emergency Health Services, within Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care where she leads the government’s acute care strategy and policy direction for a $20 billion portfolio.

In this role, she has been responsible for a number of highly complex change initiatives across every sector in the provincial health system, including acute care, community care, primary care and long-term care. Ms. Farrell is well known and highly regarded for her dynamic and collaborative leadership style and ability to manage and deliver transformational results.

“We are thrilled to have Melissa Farrell join our leadership team,” said Dr. Tom Stewart. She is an exceptional leader who will bring her strategic, policy and system transformation expertise to St. Joseph’s Health System.

“I am confident that this experience, along with her genuine commitment to integrated care, and improving care for patients and their families, will allow us to achieve even greater success.”

Ms. Farrell holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Master’s Degree in Planning from Queen’s University and has continued educational development at Harvard Business School, Ivey Business School and the Rotman School of Management.

“The Board was incredibly impressed with Melissa Farrell’s breadth of expertise across so many components of the health system. She was a standout candidate from the very beginning of this process,” added Sonny Monzavi. “It was clear to us that she was the right person to lead our organization at a time when fundamental change is occurring in healthcare.”

Ms. Farrell is widely recognized as an expert in health system funding, quality improvement, and performance management.

Her many accomplishments include development and implementation of bundled payments that support innovative models of care across the health continuum, leadership for a number of complex information management systems, policy and program design for the first-ever Ontario Patient Ombudsman and the introduction of legislation that mandated Patient and Family Advisory Councils across the Province, and negotiated accountability agreements for 100 health transfer payment agencies.

“I’m very excited and honoured to be joining St. Joseph’s Healthcare,” said Ms. Farrell. “I am looking forward to learning from and working with the incredible Executive Team, clinical and support staff and hope to build on the hospital’s renowned reputation for providing innovative and compassionate care.”

About St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) is a leading research and academic health science centre located in the heart of Hamilton, Ontario. It is a pioneer of the Integrated Comprehensive Care model, a leader in patient-centred care, and a major provider of mental health and addiction services, respiratory care and kidney care, in addition to other acute care, surgical and outpatient services at its three distinct sites. SJHH is a member of the St. Joseph’s Health System, working in close partnership with St. Joseph’s Villa Dundas for long-term care, and St. Joseph’s Home Care.

About St. Joseph’s Health System
St. Joseph’s Health System is one of the largest corporations in Canada devoted to healthcare. Our member organizations are known for genuine compassion and caring, both locally and around the world. Each of the organizations offer services according to their strengths, from acute care, long-term care, and community care, to rehabilitation, hospice, community outreach, and mental health. SJHS is also a well-recognized leader for innovation in models of patient-centred, integrated care at each stage of the patient experience.