Leadership Team

Dr. Desrosiers has nearly 25 years of medical and administrative experience, including many within her own private medical clinic in Tracadie. Dr. Desrosiers was born in Montréal. She holds a Diploma of College Studies in Health Sciences from Collège de Maisonneuve, and a Doctor of Medicine from the Université de Montréal.

She is a member of the New Brunswick Medical Society, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick and the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders, and she is also a member and Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute, Service New Brunswick, and Medavie Health Services. Throughout her career, Dr. Desrosiers has held a variety of leadership and governance positions, including as Vice-President of Medical Services, Training and Research, and since 2020 as President and CEO of Vitalité Health Network.

Dr. France Desrosiers

• 2000 to 2004 – Head of Emergency and Family Medicine
• 2004 to 2008 – Department Head for the Acadian Peninsula
• 2008 to 2009 – Local Chief of Staff, Acadie-Bathurst Zone
• 2009 to 2016 – Regional Chief of Staff, Vitalité Health Network
• 2016 to 2020 – Vice-President of Medical Services, Training and Research, Vitalité Health Network
• November 2020 to present – President and CEO, Vitalité Health Network

Patrick Parent is a veteran of organizational transformation. Over the past 25 years, he has worked as a senior executive and a president and CEO within various public and private sector organizations and businesses. He now holds the positions of Assistant CEO, Strategic Execution, and Senior VP, Client Programs and Professional Services.

Mr. Parent, who has been supporting the Network in its journey towards continuous improvement for a few months already, says he is very happy to join the team. “Being part of such a passionate team is a great source of motivation for me. I will use my experience in management, strategic execution and talent development with pride and commitment to grow the Network.”

Originally from Neguac, Brigitte Sonier-Ferguson earned a bachelor’s and a master’s in biochemistry from the Université de Moncton in 2001 and 2005, respectively. She also undertook doctoral studies in biochemistry/immunology at the University of Ottawa from 2005 to 2010.

Ms. Sonier-Ferguson joined Vitalité Health Network in 2010, more specifically, the Training and Research Sector, of which she has been the director since 2015. During this period, she was responsible for the development and review of the strategic plan for the Network’s university mission, which is one of the cornerstones of the Network’s new 2020–2023 Strategic Plan.

In addition to her duties within New Brunswick’s Francophone health authority, Ms. Sonier-Ferguson also sits on several boards of directors and national committees related to health research and various university partners.

She has received a number of awards in the course of her career, including “Le Prisme” as graduate of the year of the Faculty of Science of the Université de Moncton in 2018 and the Excellence in Management and Leadership Award of Vitalité Health Network in 2018.

Ms. Smyth Okana has over 30 years of experience in clinical services management and nursing. She was Director of Surgical Services at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont UHC and then Regional Director of the Network’s Surgical Services (32 sectors) and Medical Device Reprocessing Departments for over a decade. She thus has an in-depth understanding of the issues facing the Network.

Over the course of her career, Ms. Smyth Okana has been heavily involved in the integration and harmonization of clinical services and programs and in the modernization of Surgical Services and Medical Device Reprocessing Departments. Her new role will be dedicated to the management and harmonization of services and to tackling the Network’s current challenges in the areas of staffing and modernization of care.

Ms. Smyth Okana holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Certificate in Health Ethics, Human Rights and Moral Philosophy from the Université de Moncton. She has also taken Lean training. She has received a number of awards, including the Award of Excellence for Patient Safety in 2013, the Award of Excellence for Patient Care: Preoperative Clinic Implementation in 2008 and the Award of Excellence for Nursing Management in 1999. She has also served as a member of the Discipline Committee of the Nurses Association of New Brunswick. She likes spending her free time with her family and doing outdoor activities.

A native of Quebec’s North Shore, Dr. Banville graduated in medicine from Université Laval in 1993. Five years later, she completed a specialization in anesthesia-resuscitation at that same university.

She launched her career in 1998 as an anesthesiologist at the Chaleur Regional Hospital (Bathurst). Since then, she has held various leadership positions within the Network, including Chair of the Credentials Committee, Department Head of the Anesthesia Unit and a medical director of the organization. She also served on the Network’s first Regional Medical Advisory Committee (RMAC) from 2009 to 2012.

In her free time, Dr. Banville jogs, does bike tours and plays golf.

Jenny Toussaint has nearly 25 years experience in nursing. She has served as Assistant Professional Practice Advisor, Intensive Care Manager, Director of Care at Edmundston Regional Hospital, and Regional Corporate Director of Intensive Care and Internal Medicine.

Jenny is a native of Edmundston. She holds a bachelor's degree in nursing and a certificate in organizational leadership.

In the past, Jenny was a member of the Board of Directors and a member of the Discipline Committee of the Nurses Association of New Brunswick.

Ghislaine Arsenault has over 30 years of experience in communications and engagement in New Brunswick’s francophone public sector. With a keen eye for current affairs and the major issues facing society, she began her career at Radio-Canada Acadie, where she worked in the newsroom as a host and announcer.

Her career then shifted into the postsecondary education sector, in the Communications and Public Relations Department at the Université de Moncton, and after that into the public school and early childhood education sector as the Director of Strategic Relations with the District scolaire francophone Sud, where she was also part of the leadership team.

Throughout her career, she has successfully led large-scale projects and campaigns, in addition to sitting on national journalism and communications panels.

She believes that communication and engagement play a key role within an organization undergoing change. She is honoured to play a part in Vitalité Health Network’s major transformation project.

Over the past six years, Frédéric has served as Chief Human Resources Officer in the Department of Finance and Treasury Board.  Prior to that, Frédéric was Assistant Deputy Minister for over a decade. He brings human resources expertise combined with strong innovation and critical thinking skills.

Pierre Michaud has a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a concentration in accounting, and he is a chartered professional accountant (CPA). He worked in the banking industry for a decade before joining the Vitalité Health Network team.

Since he started in 2014, Mr. Michaud has held several positions, including Payroll Coordinator, Regional Manager of Budgets and Payroll, Regional Director of Planning and Budget, and Chief of Planning and Strategy. Collaborative and invested, he has always made it his mission to optimize his services to improve performance.

In addition to his duties within Vitalité Health Network, Mr. Michaud is an accounting lecturer at the Université de Moncton and a startup consultant.

Allison White has over 20 years of experience in clinical services management and nursing. In the course of her career, she has held key positions such as Director of Medicine Services, of Extended Care, of Intensive Care, of Emergency Services and of Ambulatory Care at the Dr. Georges L. Dumont University Hospital Centre. She also held the position of Regional Director of Emergency Services before becoming Corporate Director of Nursing for Vitalité Health Network in its entirety.

As a passionate leader, Ms. White combines her in-depth expertise in the nursing field with her commitment to excellence in care. Her strategic vision centres on actively contributing to the continuous improvement of nursing practices and promoting the professional development of her teams.

A nursing graduate of the Université de Moncton, Ms. White also holds a Certificate in Nursing Management from McGill University. Her commitment to improvement was only bolstered by her Lean training, which reflects her focus on constant process optimization.

She is also serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Secrétariat international des infirmières et infirmiers de l’espace francophone.