Dr. Tom Stewart Named CEO of St. Joseph's Health System and Niagara Health

HAMILTON, Ontario, July 16, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Dr. Anne Anderson, csj, Chair of the Board of Directors of St. Joseph’s Health System (SJHS), in consultation with the Diocese of Hamilton, today announced that Dr. Tom Stewart, is the new incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SJHS and Niagara Health.

Dr. Stewart is currently serving in an integrated system role as Joint Chief of Staff for Niagara Health, where he is also Executive Vice-President Medical, at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and at Haldimand War Memorial Hospital. He begins his new role on Aug. 1, 2018.

Dr. Stewart will be President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health System, a large and complex health system which spans six different member organizations with multiple sites including: St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener, St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Guelph, St. Joseph’s Home Care, St. Joseph’s Lifecare Centre in Brantford and St. Joseph’s Villa in Dundas. He will also act as CEO of Niagara Health. Together, these organizations have a total budget of $1.3 billion and account for approximately 13,000 staff and physicians and 2,800 beds.

“The Board of Directors unanimously endorsed Dr. Stewart’s appointment as our next CEO of SJHS and Niagara Health,” said Dr. Anne Anderson, Chair of the Board of Directors for SJHH.  “Tom is an internationally recognized healthcare executive, academic and physician leader who brings a deep commitment to our mission of compassionate care and service as well as a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to this important role.”

“The Board of Directors at Niagara Health is extremely proud of the accomplishments that have taken place under Dr. Stewart’s leadership since he took on the role of Niagara Health’s Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President Medical Affairs in May 2014,” said John Bragagnolo, Chair of Niagara Health Board of Directors. “Two impressive highlights include his work with the Niagara Health team to increase the hospital’s focus on our academic and research mission, and the recruitment of 150 leading physician specialists to our region. We look forward to working with Dr. Stewart in his new role and building on the great momentum that is taking place in Niagara.”

Dr. Stewart is well known for his outstanding contributions to the healthcare system provincially and nationally. He has worked in a number of academic hospitals and distinguished himself as an award-winning leader in critical care medicine. He has led many provincial initiatives and was a key architect of the Ontario Critical Care Strategy.

An academic physician, Dr. Stewart is currently a Professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University. While at the University of Toronto, he led a number of innovative, multi-centre, international clinical trials leading to publications in some of the most reputable journals in the world, including the New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Stewart graduated with a Doctor of Medicine with Honors from University of Ottawa followed by training in internal medicine and adult critical care medicine at the University of Toronto. He undertook further research training at the University of Paris VI and the University of Toronto.

“I am proud to be chosen as the next leader of St. Joseph’s Health System and Niagara Health,” said Dr. Stewart. “We have an exciting opportunity to build on the incredible success that led to the creation of one of the largest health care systems in the country.

I look forward to growing the highly regarded and innovative, integrated model of care and our academic mandate, in partnership with leading post-secondary institutions such as McMaster University, Brock University, Niagara and Mohawk Colleges.”

About St. Joseph’s Health System, Hamilton

St. Joseph’s Health System, Hamilton is one of the largest corporations in Canada devoted to health care. 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. 

About Niagara Health

Niagara Health is on a bold new journey to create a healthier Niagara. Established CORE values inspire all to be EXTRAORDINARY: Compassion in Action, Driven by Optimism, Achieving Ambitious Results. Niagara Health is a regional healthcare provider with multiple sites and a growing network of community-based services. With more than 4,800 employees, 600 physicians and 850 volunteers, Niagara Health provides a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services to more than 450,000 residents across Niagara, including Acute Care, Cancer Care, Cardiac Care, Complex Care, Emergency and Urgent Care, Kidney Care, Long-Term Care, Mental Health and Addictions, Stroke Care and Surgical Care.

For more information:

Agnes Bongers, Director, Public Affairs
​Phone: 905-522-1155 Ext. 33549 or [email protected]

Source: St. Joseph's Health System