The University of Western Ontario now has a strong connection to the two top health care positions in London.
Alumna Bonnie Adamson (MScN ’84, nursing administration) and Schulich School Medicine & Dentistry assistant professor Gillian Kernaghan will take over the reins of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care, respectively, this October.
Since 2002, Adamson has been president/CEO of North York General Hospital where she created a dynamic and innovative culture, led a financial turnaround and achieved breakthrough patient safety and quality results. She was the founding president/CEO of Huron Perth Partnership in 1998, leading eight independent hospitals into a high performance, single integrated service delivery system.
Prior to that, Adamson enjoyed a 20-year career at LHSC and the former Victoria Hospital, serving in a variety of roles including clinical educator, nurse supervisor, head nurse, director of nursing and vice-president of nursing. She also served as the vice-president of patient networks and alliances, creating the initial strategic vision and goals of enhanced partnerships with health care agencies across southwestern Ontario.
Kernaghan is renowned for her medical, academic and system leadership at local, regional, provincial and national levels. Since 2006, she has been integrated vice-president, medical education and medical affairs for both LHSC and St. Joseph’s. Among her many accomplishments in the role, she led the establishment of an ethics program at LHSC, acted as the hospitals’ pandemic incident manager and led a city-wide hand hygiene campaign that saw 40 to 50 per cent increases in compliance across hospital sites within two years.
Prior to her current role, Kernaghan was vice president of medical and professional affairs at St. Joseph’s for five years. Between 1993 and 1997 she was vice-president of medical services at Parkwood Hospital and played a key role in the transition of Parkwood’s amalgamation with St. Joseph’s in 1997.