MBiz Breakfast: The State of Healthcare in Manitoba

Description

The State of Healthcare in Manitoba

Keynote



Dr. Nichelle Desilets, President of Doctors Manitoba

As a family physician, she maintains a busy rural practice in Neepawa, providing primary care in the clinic as well as ER, surgical and obstetrics coverage in the hospital. She has been an advocate for improvements to physician recruitment and retention, while offering evidence-driven perspectives about challenges in the health care system.








Panelists


Theresa Oswald, CEO of Doctors Manitoba

Theresa has been the CEO of Doctors Manitoba since 2018, helping the organization grow to supporting physicians in new ways while ensuring their collective advice has a stronger voice in guiding health system improvements. She started her career as a teacher and school administrator before being elected and becoming a senior cabinet minister in the Gary Doer government. During her time in cabinet, her portfolios included Health, Healthy Living, and Jobs and the Economy.







Jonathon Lyon, President and CEO of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation 

The Health Sciences Centre Foundation rallies individual, corporate, and institutional donors in support of HSC Winnipeg—Manitoba’s hospital. By inspiring Manitobans to donate, the HSC Foundation—under Jonathon Lyon’s leadership—enhances patient care and accelerates innovation at HSC through the acquisition of state-of-the-art technology, the development of new clinical spaces, and the promotion of ground-breaking research.

Hired as President and CEO in 2012, Jonathon leads a diverse and successful professional team, and works closely with a passionate Board of Directors.

Jonathon has deep respect for the outstanding professionals at HSC and profound gratitude for the exceptional care they provide. He has personally experienced how Manitoba’s flagship hospital is there when people need it most. In 2002, his parents suffered serious injuries in a car accident and received life-saving care at HSC. This experience inspired Jonathon to become involved with the HSC Foundation.

From 2004 to 2009, Jonathon served on the HSC Foundation Board of Directors. During this time, he helped raise funds for the initial construction of the Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine, the Foundation’s largest initiative at the time.

Under Jonathon’s executive leadership, the Foundation has set bold targets and has served as a catalyst for important new projects at HSC, including the Paul Albrechtsen Interventional Radiology Suites, the redevelopment of the RR4 Plastic Surgery Clinic, and the Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit, among others. Each of these initiatives has been extraordinarily successful in delivering better patient outcomes and reducing wait times. Building on the momentum generated by these visionary projects, the Foundation launched Operation Excellence—the largest campaign in its history—in June 2022. This multi-year, multi-million-dollar campaign is designed to reduce and ultimately eliminate wait times for diagnostic tests and surgeries by dramatically expanding the delivery of minimally invasive surgery at HSC (see www.OperationExcellence.ca for more details).

Believing in the power of partnership, Jonathon has galvanized relationships with government officials, hospital leaders, and community stakeholders in support of the Foundation’s vision of delivering tomorrow’s health care, today. During Jonathon’s tenure, the Foundation has raised over $250 million in support of this vision. All of Jonathon’s work is focused on helping HSC provide the best and most timely patient care possible, and on helping HSC attract and retain leading health care professionals by making sure they have the tools and spaces they need to do their best work.

A proud fifth-generation Manitoban, Jonathon has a diverse base of experience gained from his time working in government, medical sales, recruitment, and politics.

Jonathon lives in Winnipeg with his wife and two adult children.


Dr. Kent Stobart, MD MSc FRCPC CCPE
President and CEO of CancerCare Manitoba

Dr. Stobart joined CancerCare Manitoba as President and CEO on November 1 2025.  

Dr. Stobart is a clinical pediatric oncologist and accomplished health care leader with extensive experience in oncology services, medical education, and health system administration. A Canadian Certified Physician Executive (CCPE), he brings proven expertise in leading teams, advancing system improvements, and building collaborative partnerships across clinical and academic settings.

Most recently, Dr. Stobart was the Vice Dean of Education and Professor at the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan and a practicing pediatric oncologist in Saskatoon.

Dr. Stobart is now returning to Manitoba and CancerCare Manitoba, where he started his practice as a pediatric oncologist from 1994 to 2002. He has many good memories of this time and is excited about returning to CCMB at this stage of his career in a senior leadership role.

Dr. Stobart’s deep appreciation for research and its vital role in improving patient outcomes developed early in his career when he was awarded a Terry Fox Research Scholarship from the National Cancer Institute of Canada as part of his postgraduate studies. He has published extensively in his fields of pediatric oncology, hematology, and medical education, and remains committed to supporting and strengthening the important research conducted at CancerCare Manitoba and the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute CancerCare Manitoba.

Recognized as a servant leader, Dr. Stobart is guided by values of learning, innovation, collaboration, and accountability. His leadership has been acknowledged nationally and internationally: he was the first Canadian physician invited to serve on the Steering Committee of the Medical Education Senior Leaders Committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges, as a Canadian representative to the International Medical Education Leaders Forum of Royal College International, and in 2024, he received the Association of Faculties of Medicine (AFMC) President’s Award for Exemplary