Normand Rinfret Confirmed as Head of McGill University Health Centre
Tuesday, September 11, 2012 - 16:41
At its September 4 meeting, the Board of Directors of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) unanimously accepted the unanimous recommendation of the Selection Committee and appointed Normand Rinfret as MUHC Director General and Chief Executive Officer for a four-year mandate effective immediately. The Selection Committee comprised representatives of the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec, the Agence de santé et de services sociaux de Montréal, McGill University and the MUHC Board of Directors.
“In making this appointment we were cognizant of the need for a smooth and seamless transition,” explained Claudio Bussandri, Chairman of the Board. “Normand is one of our own – he has worked at the MUHC in increasingly senior positions for more than three decades and for the past nine months as Interim Director General. The wisdom, experience and values Normand has gained during his many years with us will be a tremendous asset.”
“Normand has demonstrated,” continued Mr. Bussandri, “that he has an in-depth understanding of our academic health centre, the Quebec healthcare network and the vision we are shaping for ourselves and the population we serve at home and around the world. In looking ahead we are confident that he has the management and leadership skills to steer us through the ongoing transformation of the MUHC. Under his guidance, we will continue to perpetuate our commitment to excellence while being fiscally responsible.”
Normand Rinfret joined the MUHC in 1979 and in the ensuing years held a number of senior positions in human resources, planning, real estate and technical services. He served as Associate Director General and Chief Operating Officer of the MUHC from 2005 until being named Interim Director General in December 2011. Mr. Rinfret is the founding president of CRISO, (Research and Intervention Centre for Healthy Workplaces), a not-for-profit research and consultancy group affiliated with the MUHC. As a board member, he has shared his experience with La Capitale assurances générales (chair of ethics committee), Association des directeurs généraux des services de santé et des services sociaux du Québec (chair of audit and finance committees, and treasurer), the Grace Dart Long-term-care Centre (member of audit and finance committees), and Fondation des amis (es) de l’École St-Joseph (founder and former chairman).
“I am deeply honoured to have been selected to lead the MUHC at this challenging juncture in its history,” stated Mr. Rinfret. “I continue to marvel at the talent and dedication of the MUHC’s professionals and staff. I look forward to continuing to guide and support our teams through the transition and redevelopment of our patient care, research, teaching and administrative practices. Soon we will also have the necessary modern infrastructure to underpin these practices and the MUHC’s vision of being one of the world’s foremost academic health centres.”
“Having been a member of the MUHC for more than 30 years,” added Mr. Rinfret, “I also appreciate that community support— from our auxiliaries to our foundations and the volunteers who visit with our patients — is a key to our success. Together, with our teams, they help us to make the difference in the lives of our patients and their families and help us to remain attuned to our community.”
“I am deeply honoured to have been selected to lead the MUHC at this challenging juncture in its history,” stated Mr. Rinfret. “I continue to marvel at the talent and dedication of the MUHC’s professionals and staff. I look forward to continuing to guide and support our teams through the transition and redevelopment of our patient care, research, teaching and administrative practices. Soon we will also have the necessary modern infrastructure to underpin these practices and the MUHC’s vision of being one of the world’s foremost academic health centres.”
“Having been a member of the MUHC for more than 30 years,” added Mr. Rinfret, “I also appreciate that community support— from our auxiliaries to our foundations and the volunteers who visit with our patients — is a key to our success. Together, with our teams, they help us to make the difference in the lives of our patients and their families and help us to remain attuned to our community.”
In accepting his new position Mr. Rinfret identified a number of issues that his administration will be focusing upon in the short to medium term. These include finalizing plans for the redevelopment of both the Montreal General and Lachine hospitals.
“My approach to these and other challenges will be to tackle them head-on in a collaborative and open manner with an eye to developing and implementing practical and effective solutions, always with the best interests of our patients and their families. In so doing, we will work closely with our partners from McGill University, our network institutions, the Agence, and the Ministry in order to strengthen collaboration and enhance our quadripartite mission.”
“Normand has many friends and supporters within the MUHC,” concluded Mr. Bussandri. “I am confident he will be a rassembleur, bringing our community together to successfully manage the diverse challenges ahead.”
“My approach to these and other challenges will be to tackle them head-on in a collaborative and open manner with an eye to developing and implementing practical and effective solutions, always with the best interests of our patients and their families. In so doing, we will work closely with our partners from McGill University, our network institutions, the Agence, and the Ministry in order to strengthen collaboration and enhance our quadripartite mission.”
“Normand has many friends and supporters within the MUHC,” concluded Mr. Bussandri. “I am confident he will be a rassembleur, bringing our community together to successfully manage the diverse challenges ahead.”