Our Leadership Team

Julie McBrien was appointed to the position of President & CEO, effective February 28, 2023.

Julie is a Registered Nurse and holds a Master of Health Sciences (MHSc) degree from the University of Toronto. She is also a Certified Health Executive (CHE) through the Canadian College of Health Leaders and holds a green belt in LEAN.

Julie has been in the healthcare sector for almost 25 years. She has overseen diverse clinical portfolios, including perioperative, surgical, ambulatory, critical care, and women & children’s health. Most recently she was with Halton Healthcare where she led the Implementation of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) as one of the first hospital sites in Ontario to successfully do so.

Julie has worked in leadership roles at Joseph Brant Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children. Throughout her career, Julie has demonstrated her commitment to patient and family-centred care; her engagement in building partnerships; her focus on supporting and inspiring teams; and her effective advancement of innovation, best practice and service excellence. She brings a record of leading change and engaging with partners as well as the promotion of a positive team environment and a culture of excellence. Her proven experience providing inspiring leadership to large, diverse teams will make her a great leader and supporter for our dedicated teams.

Julie has been involved in several volunteer activities, including  previous executive member of the Rainbow Nursing Interest Group that supports the 2SLGBTQi+ community.   She has also  been an Auxiliary Constable with the Halton Regional Police Service.

Dr. Elisheva Chernick was appointed MHA Vice President of Medical Affairs, Chief of Staff effective July 1, 2023.
Dr. Chernick will provide strategic guidance, oversee medical operations, and ensure the delivery of exceptional healthcare services to our communities by providing oversight to both our Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital and Four Counties Health Services professional staff.

Dr. Chernick has demonstrated outstanding leadership capabilities throughout her career with medical leadership roles at the OMA,  and has a strong commitment to meet the highest standards of quality, efficiency, and patient-centered care.

Dr Chernick has been practicing medicine for almost 35 years and has been a General Practitioner Anesthesiologist for more than 20 years. She served as the Head of the Department of Anesthesiology at MHA from 2021 to 2023. She was the first fulltime Chief of Emergency Medicine at Woodstock General Hospital and has served the physicians of District 2 of the Ontario Medical Association, as well as the Ontario Anesthesiologists section. Dr Chernick has had a highly varied medical practice which has taken her to far corners of the world, along with many different communities and hospitals in Ontario. This experience provides her with a well-rounded insider’s view of many aspects of the profession and how they intersect, and the different ways in which hospitals work, individually and regionally, towards the goal of excellence in patient care.

Devin Sturdy was appointed to the position of Vice President Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer, effective July 17, 2023.

Devin Sturdy is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA/CMA) that brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this role, with 10 years of public sector experience, primarily in hospital & research finance.  Prior to joining the MHA team, he worked as the Manager, Corporate Accounting at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).

As the Vice President of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer, Devin will oversee all financial aspects of our organization, including budgeting, financial planning, reporting, and risk management. Additionally, he will provide strategic guidance and support to our corporate services teams, and act as a collaborative partner to our clinical teams.

Krista Shea was appointed to the position of Vice President Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Officer, effective July 17, 2023.

Krista served in the interim position of Vice President (VP) Clinical Services & Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) since December 2022 and joined the MHA team in March 2021 as the Patient Care Manager for Inpatient Medicine, ICU and Respiratory Therapy.

With over 20 years of experience in the healthcare sector, Krista brings a wealth of expertise to the position. As a Registered Nurse (RN), she has held leadership roles at London Health Sciences Centre and Sunnybrook Health Sciences in Toronto. Throughout her career, Krista has been actively involved in corporate quality and safety initiatives, regulatory activities, and policy development in nursing. Her clinical experience includes working in the Critical Care Trauma Centre and Vascular Surgery units. Krista holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Laurentian University, and is working towards her Masters of Science through Walden University.

Ryan Whitney was appointed Director of Facilities, Redevelopment & Support Services in November 2023

Ryan is responsible for a wide-ranging portfolio, including maintenance, plant operations, equipment maintenance, safety, security, emergency preparedness, housekeeping, nutrition and food services, space planning, renovations, and capital redevelopment/infrastructure at both of our hospital sites.

Ryan’s journey with MHA began in January 2006 when he joined SMGH as a licensed 306A plumber. Over the years, he has demonstrated dedication and exceptional leadership, moving up to the role of SMGH maintenance team lead in 2011 and, subsequently, becoming the MHA Manager of Maintenance Services in September 2012. Ryan’s qualifications include a Certificate of Qualification in 306A Plumbing from Fanshawe College and a Maintenance Management Professional Designation obtained through the Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association of Canada (PEMAC).

Under Ryan’s leadership as Manager of Maintenance Services, he has overseen approximately $30 million in infrastructure projects across both of our MHA sites. His achievements include the successful management of projects such as the exterior cladding project, palliative care suite, several roofing projects, and the chiller project.

When asked about his new role, Ryan said “Growing up local to FCHS, and now living in Strathroy, the MHA has always been an important part of my life.  I feel fortunate to work for such an incredible organization and look forward to helping shape both sites of the MHA for the future, in this new role.”

Tracy joined the MHA family in 2018. She is a certified human resources executive and brings extensive educational and practical leadership experience in areas such as compensation, organization development, recruitment, training, and labor relations. She is very outgoing with a focus on our people and their wellbeing.

Tracy actively participates on non-profit boards and is very community and family oriented.