Dr. Pat Parfrey to lead NL Health Services

ST. JOHN’S – Dr. Pat Parfrey (pictured) has been appointed the chief executive officer of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, bringing his more than 40 years of experience in healthcare, including co-chairing Health Accord NL, to the position.

Dr. Parfrey’s leadership in clinical settings, along with his experience as co-chair of Health Accord NL and Deputy Minister of Health Transformation, strategically positions the provincial health authority to enhance healthcare and health equity in the province. Dr. Parfrey is a Member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador and Officer of the Order of Canada.

At a media conference, Dr. Parfrey said he is the only leader of a healthcare organization to have written out his objectives before being offered the job. “If you want to know what I’m going to do, read the Health Accord.” He says it outlines the direction in which they want to go.

Ultimately, Parfrey says there needs to be a focus on the social determinants of health.

He asserted that billions of dollars can be spent on healthcare, but it will make very little difference if societal factors are not addressed. He will be working with Well-Being NL to get action on that front.

In the last two years, there has already been considerable focus on addressing the social determinants of health and rebalancing the province’s healthcare system across acute, community, and long-term care. Examples of some of this work include:

• Newfoundland and Labrador being Canada’s first Well-Being Province.
• Launching targeted Poverty Reduction Plan and Seniors’ Health and Well-being Plan.
• Creating health transformation positions within the provincial health authority.
• Increasing access to primary care through family care teams.
• Addressing human resource challenges, including recruitment and retention efforts.
• Increasing access to priority surgeries.

Dr. Parfrey replaces Karen Stone, KC, who served in the position on an interim basis since June 2024. Ms. Stone will be returning to the provincial public service.

The appointment is effective immediately.

“Dr. Parfrey’s appointment will further accelerate the considerable progress that we are making on actioning the recommendations of Health Accord NL. I would like to thank Ms. Stone for her incredible leadership that she brought to the health authority as it continues to ensure that every resident of Newfoundland and Labrador has access to the care they need, closer to home and delivered in a timely manner,” said John Hogan, minister of health and community service.

Dr. Pat Parfrey was a John Lewis Patton Distinguished University Professor at Memorial University and is a kidney specialist at Eastern Health. He is a clinical epidemiologist with an international reputation for patient-related research in kidney disease and in genetic disease.

Dr. Parfrey was leader of Quality of Care NL, a Memorial University group doing evaluation and research on health quality and performance. He was Co-Chair of Health Accord NL, which was engaged to reimagine the province’s health care system and most recently the Deputy Minister of Health Transformation within the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.