‘Provide some stability’: Acting CEO outlines vision for LHSC

Following years of instability at the top of the organization, David Musyj is hoping his 17-year stint as a hospital CEO in Windsor, Ont., will serve him well in providing stability and strength to London Health Sciences Centre.

Musyj officially steps into the role of acting chief executive at LHSC on Thursday after Jackie Schleifer Taylor went on leave in November 2023. Schliefer Taylor’s appointment as CEO followed the ouster of Paul Woods in January 2021.

In a one-on-one interview with The Morning Show host Devon Peacock, Musyj shared his approach to leadership and his reasons for stepping into the role. Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Q: How long will you be in the position?

A: There’s no specific timeline for the acting position of president and CEO. I’ve been asked, and honoured to be asked, to step in and that’s what I’m doing. And we’ll just take it day by day, month by month and go from there.

Q: How familiar are you with LHSC and the city of London?

A: I have friends who have lived in London … so I’ve been able to visit them. Also, my son was an active baseball player so I spent many, many summer evenings and weekends in the city of London.

With respect to London Health Sciences Centre, I’m very familiar with their strengths as an organization and their importance as an organization for the Ontario and Canadian health-care system.

Q: Will you be moving to London?

A: I am going to be finding a temporary place here. I’m living out of a hotel for the next week or so and then I’ll be moving into a townhouse and hopefully able to go home on weekends to be back with my family in Windsor. If not, they’ll be joining me here in London if I need to be here. During the week, I’ll be here 24-7.

Q: What are your key priorities?

A: I have to listen and I can’t come in with a preconceived – and there is no preconceived – agenda or game plan with respect to what I need to do, other than hopefully provide some stability and add to the strength of London.

First thing I’m going to be doing, which I’ve already started, is booking individual meetings with over 100 different individuals internally and externally to LHSC on a one-on-one basis and will be asking them five simple but key questions:

• From their lens, what does LHSC do well?
• What don’t they do so well?
• What should they start doing?
• What should they stop doing?
• General advice to me.

I’ll be sharing those answers collectively with the group, on a confidential basis. I did this for 17 years as president and CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital. I did it every other year, with similar groups of individuals. It has worked well with respect to me listening and hearing what the needs are before I try to work with the team on coming up with solutions.

Q: How important is it to bring some stability and how do you achieve that?

A: Every single organization has struggled with this throughout the years…. If you peel back the onion, you go back before myself, (Windsor) went through multiple CEOs as well. It unfortunately happens and it’s happening across the whole system. But again, what we need to look at is: five years from now, if Windsor is struggling with issues like this, I know London will be the first organization to raise its hand and help. So if I can provide some stability in that area based upon my years of experience in health-care leadership, then I’m all for it because, again, a strong and stable LHSC is very good for Ontario and very good for Canada.

Q: Has the board of directors given you any objectives?

A: No…. I talked to them about what I want to do at the start and they appreciated that. I’m in the listening phase and to gather as much information as I can. There is a strong team here.

Q: How do you address LHSC’s $76-million deficit?

A: London is not unique in that regard, unfortunately.… The magnitude of London’s overall budget, in the grand scheme, even though it’s a big number, it’s proportionate to other hospitals.

Again, it’s working with the team, listening, coming up with plans on how that’s going to be addressed and also working with the government.

The other place I’m no longer CEO at has its own financial issues that it’s got to work through as well. I’m leaving one and going to another. Every single hospital is dealing with these issues but the government of the day has open ears and is fully aware of those issues.

You can hear the full interview Thursday morning on The Morning Show with Devon Peacock, which airs on Global News Radio 980 CFPL and online from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.