Northern Health has named a new President and CEO who will take the reigns on September 5.
“After a thorough selection process, I’m thrilled to welcome Ciro Panessa as the next president and CEO of Northern Health,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “Ciro brings a wealth of experience that will greatly benefit people in the north, and I look forward to working together to continue to improve the healthcare services that people rely on.”
Panessa, raised Vancouver, was born in Prince Rupert.
According to Northern Health, he has a Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing from UBC and a Family Nurse Practitioner Advanced Graduate Diploma from Athabasca University.
He has been living in Terrace since 2014, where he has served as Regional Director, Chronic Diseases and Northwest Chief Operating Officer for Northern Health.
“Ciro has been the recipient of the Premier’s Award for Innovation, the UBC Young Alumnus Award, a CIHR Fellowship for the National Canadian Research Training Program in Hepatitis C and the Canadian Nurses Foundation Fellowship for Hepatology Nursing.” Northern Health also said in a release.
“The board is very happy with our selection of Ciro Panessa as the next President & CEO,” said Colleen Nyce, Chair of the Northern Health Board of Directors. “We are especially pleased that after the rigorous selection process we were able to find our next leader from within the Northern Health organization.”
Panessa will be taking the job from Cathy Ulrich, who announced her retirement earlier this year.