Alex Munter to lead the Canadian Medical Association

OTTAWA – Dr. Suzanne Strasberg, chair of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) board, has announced the appointment of Alex Munter (pictured) as the CEO of the CMA and CMA Group of Companies. Alex is currently CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).

Mr. Munter brings to the position decades of experience in the health sector. He is recognized for his bold and inclusive leadership, and for placing patients and health providers at the heart of decision-making.

“We’re excited to have Alex take hold of our bold agenda of change. His decades of experience in healthcare advocacy and commitment to inclusivity and collaboration will bolster the momentum the CMA has built to improve health and healthcare,” said Dr. Strasberg.

Mr. Munter will lead the CMA’s ambitious agenda of change, striving for a better environment of care for physicians and patients, helping solve the country’s health human resources crisis and addressing the current access to care crisis. Importantly, Mr. Munter will also support the CMA’s journey of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

A search process was initiated earlier this year following the announcement that current CEO, Mr. Tim Smith, will retire after an impressive 28-year career with the organization. The transition of CEOs will take place on Dec. 2, 2024.

In a letter posted on CHEO’s website, Alex Munter wrote:

I am very honoured to have been chosen, by a board of leading physicians from every corner of Canada, to head the administration of the CMA and its subsidiaries. Founded the same year Canada became a country, the CMA has a storied history and has helped create much of the framework for healthcare in Canada – from the first public health regulations and launch of Canada’s leading medical journal over a century ago to more recent progress on healthcare funding, Covid response and combatting disinformation.

In that same spirit, the CMA has set some pretty ambitious goals – for itself and for the future of healthcare. A healthcare workforce plan, including portable licenses. Improving physician wellness by reducing administrative burdens. Net-zero health systems. Indigenous-led health transformation. And much more. I am excited about working with doctors, medical learners, patients and caregivers, other healthcare professionals and governments to help advance these goals.

Joanne Poirer, chair of the CHEO board of directors, wrote:

After 13 years of exceptional leadership, Alex Munter will be moving on from his role as president and CEO at CHEO in October 2024 to become CEO of the Canadian Medical Association and the CMA’s group of companies. Thanks to his innovative approach, we have been able to grow CHEO to better meet the needs of a growing population of children, youth and families. Alex is the longest serving children’s hospital CEO in the country and longest serving hospital CEO in Ottawa. His thoughtful, effective leadership shepherded the organization through periods of financial austerity and a global pandemic. He will be leaving at an exciting juncture as CHEO transforms its programs and campus to right-size pediatric care in our region, the result of years of advocacy.

While we are sad to lose such an exemplary leader, we can only extend our deepest thanks for all we have accomplished together during this time. The CHEO Board of Directors will be actively recruiting a successor in the coming months. We want to wish Alex the best in his new role in helping to build a strong health system for everyone, something he was born to do.