Newmarket, ON - March 4, 2026
Announcement by Paul Woods MD, President and CEO, Southlake Health:
Following a national search, I am very pleased to announce that Charissa Cordon will join Southlake Health as our new Vice President & Chief Nursing Executive, effective April 20, 2026.
Charissa brings more than 20 years of progressive nursing and health system leadership experience across Ontario’s academic and community hospitals. She joins us from William Osler Health System, where she currently serves as Associate Vice President, Practice and Academics. In that role, she provides senior leadership across interprofessional practice, allied health, quality, patient safety, enterprise risk, emergency preparedness, academic partnerships, and professional services for a large, multi-site teaching hospital system.
Throughout her career, Charissa has consistently advanced professional practice excellence, quality improvement, and workforce innovation. She has led large, complex portfolios and multidisciplinary teams, strengthened academic- partnerships, and supported organizational performance that achieved exemplary accreditation results. Her leadership is grounded in evidence-informed decision-making, systems thinking, and a deep commitment to empowering nurses and interprofessional teams to deliver exceptional patient care.
Charissa’s previous leadership roles include positions at Trillium Health Partners, Hamilton Health Sciences, University Health Network, and others, where she led nursing professional practice, workforce planning, quality and safety initiatives, and large-scale clinical transformation efforts. She has been instrumental in advancing innovative models of care, supporting internationally educated nurses, and strengthening transition-to-practice programs.
A respected educator and scholar, Charissa holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto, a Master’s in Nursing from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Change from Fielding Graduate University. She also holds Certified Health Executive designation through the Canadian College of Health Leaders, and adjunct faculty appointment roles with the University of Toronto - Lawrence Bloomberg School of Nursing, and Humber Polytechnic School of Nursing. She has received national recognition for her scholarship, including Best Manuscript Awards from the Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal. Charissa also currently serves as Vice-President of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology, contributing to national policy, education, and research priorities that shape oncology nursing practice across Canada.
Charissa’s leadership philosophy aligns strongly with Southlake’s commitment to delivering leading edge care, close to home. As we continue to advance our Distributed Health Network strategy and population health management pursuits, her expertise will be invaluable in strengthening our quality of care, nursing workforce sustainability, and safety throughout the organization. She brings a clear commitment to staff well-being, professional growth, interprofessional collaboration, and exceptional patient and family experiences.
Please join me in warmly welcoming Charissa to Southlake Health. We look forward to her leadership and to the contributions she will make as a member of our Executive Leadership Team.
Original Source: Southlake Health Announcement