Healthcare Is a Humanity Business — Dr. Michael Heenan

In this episode of In Conversation With, host Sue Owen sits down with Dr. Mike Heenan, President and CEO of St. Joseph's Health System and President of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton — one of Ontario's most respected and innovative health leaders. Michael's path to the CEO chair is anything but conventional. He started his career as a political aide to the Minister of Health before becoming a strategy and quality consultant, then a director, then a vice president moving across multiple hospital settings, stretching into clinical programs, and even being restructured out of his job twice. In this honest and wide ranging conversation, Michael and Sue explore what it really takes to build a 25 year career in health leadership. They discuss the mentors who shaped him, the defining moments that tested him, and why he believes the future of healthcare depends on leaders who are willing to have mature, courageous conversations about the system — not just manage within it. **About Dr. Michael Heenan:** Dr. Michael Heenan is President and CEO of St. Joseph's Health System and President of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. He holds a PhD in Business, is an assistant professor at McMaster University, and previously served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Hospitals and Capital at Ontario's Ministry of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic.