A seasoned executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience, Ron served as the CEO of Grand River Hospital before becoming WRHN’s inaugural CEO. Ron is a strategic and visionary leader who has played a leadership role in large digital collaborations, hospital mergers, and major capital developments. Ron holds an honours bachelor of commerce degree from Laurentian University and is a chartered professional accountant, certified management accountant.

Liz is an experienced executive with demonstrated expertise in leading strategic change initiatives in several hospitals in Ontario and internationally. As a registered nurse, she has more than three decades of experience spanning clinical care, professional practice, human resources, and executive roles.

Demetrios is an award-winning human resources executive who brings more than two decades of innovative leadership in healthcare human resources. He has a master of business administration from Western University, an honours bachelor of arts in industrial relations and sociology from the University of Toronto, and a certificate from Queen’s University in workplace mental health leadership.

Recognized as a collaborative, pragmatic and highly credible leader, Kate brings together strong technical expertise with an ability to build trusted relationships and navigate complexity. Her extensive experience across the full lifecycle of healthcare redevelopment and understanding of both the hospital and government perspectives, will be invaluable as WRHN advances one of the most significant healthcare redevelopment programs in Ontario.

An expert in treating complex heart rhythm disorders, Dr. Acosta joined WRHN in 2025 and has helped lead the electrophysiology program through advanced catheter ablations. His commitment to clinical excellence, expanding local access to high-volume arrhythmia procedures, and bringing cutting-edge cardiac therapies to the community plays a key role in restoring quality of life for patients across the region.

Dr. Bindlish is an ear, nose, and throat specialist and the Chief and Medical Director of Surgery at WRHN. A graduate of McMaster University and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Dr. Bindlish specializes in providing medical and surgical care with a focus on innovative sinus and nasal treatments. She is deeply dedicated to advancing regional healthcare initiatives and delivering compassionate, patient-centered care throughout the community.

Dr Ernst's clinic practice focuses on patients with Breast, Genitourinary (GU), and sarcoma malignancies. Before joining WRHNs regional oncology team in 2023, he completed a fellowship with the International metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) focusing on real-world evidence in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. In addition to his clinical practice and research, he is also working to expand support for young adult and adolescent (AYA) patients and establish a program that addresses their unique medical and psychosocial challenges.

As an accomplished internist and clinical leader, Dr. Giilck leads the District Stroke Program at WRHN, providing comprehensive, integrated stroke care across a continuum of prevention, acute intervention, and recovery. His dedication to expanding stroke services and medical education helps ensure patients across the community receive rapid, life-saving care and advanced clinical treatments.

Dr. Jolly’s leadership has helped increase catheter ablation volumes nearly tenfold, positioning WRHN as one of the largest and most advanced heart rhythm programs in Canada. Recognized for his expertise in advanced catheter ablation techniques, Dr. Jolly is actively involved in clinical research, medical education, and the development of innovative technologies to improve patient care. His expertise extends internationally, including regular trips to China, where he teaches and trains physicians in advanced catheter ablation techniques. Through his clinical leadership, research, and international collaborations, Dr. Jolly continues to bring world-class expertise and innovation to cardiac care in the Waterloo Region.

Dr. Kilmurry performs a wide range of complex procedures, including advanced gastrointestinal, oncological, and thoracic interventions. His clinical skill and dedicated bedside manner help ensure surgical patients receive compassionate, high-quality care during critical moments in their treatment and recovery.

Skilled surgeon, educator and healthcare leader, Dr. Chryssa McAlister provides comprehensive medical and surgical eye care to adults and children across Waterloo Region and serves as Co-Lead of the Division of Ophthalmology at WRHN. Her practice includes cataract and strabismus surgery, laser procedures and the treatment of complex eye disease. She is actively involved in medical education at McMaster University and the University of Toronto and is a nationally recognized contributor to bioethics and professionalism in ophthalmology. Dr. McAlister also serves as Director of Community Practice on the Board of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.

With over two decades of clinical experience in Kitchener-Waterloo, Dr. Schuringa provides expert reconstructive and trauma care while advancing innovative surgical technologies and specialized bracing treatments. His dedication to surgical precision and patient outcomes plays a key role in restoring mobility and function for patients throughout the region.

Bringing extensive clinical expertise and deep knowledge in medical oncology, Dr. Valdez plays a key role in advancing local clinical trials and driving growth within the gastrointestinal (GI) cancer program. His dedication to research, evidence-based therapies, and clinical excellence helps ensure patients across the region have access to innovative, high-quality cancer care close to home.

Specializing in the diagnosis, management, and long-term treatment of complex kidney disorders, Dr. Wang plays a vital role in supporting renal patients in Waterloo Region. His clinical expertise, dedication to patient-centered care, and active involvement in medical education help advance renal care across the community and improve quality of life for his patients.

With decades of experience in community pediatrics and newborn health, Dr. Wilson manages a wide spectrum of acute and chronic childhood conditions alongside specialized outpatient care. His long-standing dedication to pediatric medicine plays a key role in supporting the health and development of young patients and their families throughout the region.

Dr. Hupel specializes in lower extremity joint reconstruction, shoulder arthroscopy and arthroplasty, and comprehensive fracture care. His dual dedication to clinical excellence and executive medical leadership plays a pivotal role in advancing surgical outcomes, medical education, and quality governance across the region.

Bringing dedicated clinical administrative leadership, Lisa oversees perioperative operations, surgical inpatient care, and surgical program delivery across the hospital. Her commitment to optimizing operating room capacity, streamlining care pathways, and supporting multidisciplinary surgical teams plays a vital role in advancing high-quality surgical care for the community.

Elliott provides strategic leadership across Professional Practice, Infection Prevention and Control, and the Chief Practice Information Officer portfolio, integrating clinical practice, education, quality, safety, and digital transformation. His Professional Practice leadership focuses on advancing evidence-based standards, interprofessional practice, clinical education and professional development, while creating environments that enable clinicians to work to their full potential. He also aligns clinical best practices with Oracle Cerner solutions to improve care consistency, optimize workflows, and strengthen the use of data for continuous quality improvement.

With extensive operational leadership across clinical pharmacy services, Vickie oversees regional medication management strategies and centralized clinical staffing support across WRHN’s sites. Her commitment to optimizing patient safety, workflow efficiency, and clinical resource allocation plays a vital role in delivering reliable, high-quality care across the region.

As part of WRHN’s Redevelopment Team, Sylvia is focused on leading the site transformation planning and major projects at Midtown, Chicopee and Queen’s Blvd. With a people first approach, Sylvia works to advance projects that improve access to care in the community, including the current build of the region’s first PET-CT Scanner at Midtown.

Bringing strategic communication expertise and a passion for community partnership, Kara leads public engagement, stakeholder relations, and communication strategies for WRHN's Redevelopment Program which leads WRHN’s major infrastructure projects including Waterloo Region’s New Hospital. Her commitment to keeping patients, healthcare teams, and regional partners informed and involved plays a crucial role in building the future of healthcare across the community.