In our 50th anniversary year, the College will profile a few long-term members and health leaders. Meet John King. John has a Master of Health Administration (MHA) from the University of Ottawa and a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Western Ontario. John has led large health systems and academic health science centres throughout his career and considers that his major accomplishment has been to mentor and develop emerging health leaders. In June 2019, John received the CCHL Distinguished Health Leader Award.
John believes that over the course of his career, the largest change or shift in healthcare has been the development of the LEADS competency model, which was a transition from the old competency model, and very significant to the value of the College. Celebrating CCHL’s 50th anniversary highlights the fact that health leaders continue to need a forum to share best practice and constantly learn throughout their careers. The College assists in bringing best practice to the senior leadership table. His advice for aspiring health leaders is to stay with the College through your career and seek out leaders that will help mentor you. If you are not a member of the College, join, it will be your best career investment.
John has more than forty years experience in the healthcare field. He led several hospitals in Western Canada including Foothills Medical Center, Calgary Regional Health Authority, and the Alberta Hospital Association. In 1999, John moved to Ontario to become the Assistant Deputy Minister of Programs in the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. He spent 10 years on the Executive at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. John retired in November 2012 and is currently involved in consulting activities in the healthcare industry including Huron Studer Group Canada and executive search with Mirams Becker.
During his career, John has received numerous awards including the Trudeau Medal from the University of Ottawa and the Mentorship and Honorary Life member award from the CCHL. To recognize his leadership contribution to the health field, a scholarship in his name is offered to students entering the Master of Health Administration program at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management. In June 2014, John was awarded The Order of the Polar Star on behalf of the King of Sweden. This order is given to foreign leaders for the promotion of Swedish interests abroad and in recognition of his 25 years of exchange programs for health executives between Sweden and Canada.
John joined the College in 1980 and has been a Certified Health Executive (CHE) since 1994. He was a provincial director for two provinces on the College Board, and was College Board Chair from 2010 to 2012.
