La haute direction

Dominic Giroux has been President and CEO of Montfort since July 2023, and chairs the Board of Directors of the Ontario Hospital Association. He has 25 years of experience as a senior executive in two teaching hospitals, a research institute, a university, two provincial ministries and two school boards. 

Born in Montfort, a volunteer with the SOS Montfort movement and a member of the hospital’s board of directors during the ’90s, he is a Certified Health Leader with the Canadian College of Health Leaders and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. 

Prior to joining Montfort, Dominic led Health Sciences North and the Research Institute at Health Sciences North, Northern Ontario’s largest teaching hospital, from 2017 to 2023. During this time, he co-chaired pandemic management in the North for Health Ontario and sat on the Provincial Oversight Table for the response to COVID-19. 

Since the beginning of his career, he has been involved on numerous boards in the fields of health, education, mining innovation, public policy, and community and economic development, including:  

• Co-president of the Consortium national de formation en santé 
• Chairman, Northern Ontario School of Medicine 
• Vice-President/President-Elect, Universities Canada 
• Vice-President, Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne 
• Vice-President, ACFO d’Ottawa 

Elected trustee at age 19 and president of the Conseil des écoles catholiques de langue française for Ottawa-Carleton at age 21, he served as a senior executive in two new French-language school boards in Toronto and Ottawa, then as assistant deputy minister in the Ontario Ministries of Education and Training, Colleges and Universities, and as president of Laurentian University.  

Dominic was appointed by the federal government to the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He has served on the Drummond Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services, which made over 100 health-related recommendations, the Ontario Economic Advisory Committee, and advisory committees for the Bank of Canada, the Globe and Mail, Hydro One and the Mowat Centre. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in management and public policy, a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Ottawa, and an MBA from HEC Montréal. He completed the Public Executive Program at Queen’s University. He holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors, is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers and mentors new hospital CEOs. 

In 2011, Dominic Giroux was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40. He has received a Community Builder Award of Excellence in Sudbury, a Paul Harris Fellowship from the Rotary Club, leadership awards from the University of Ottawa and HEC Montréal, the annual Pilier de la Francophonie award from the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and an Eagle Feather for leadership in Aboriginal relations. He was named Chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes académiques de la République française by the French government for his contribution to the promotion of the French language in Canada. 

Dr. Chantal D'Aoust-Bernard has been appointed as Chief-of-staff of Montfort in June 2024.

Born at Montfort, Dr. D’Aoust-Bernard began her professional journey at Montfort in 1992 as a resident. She has been an active member of our medical staff for 30 years, playing a significant role in Montfort’s development into a francophone university hospital that excels nationally and internationally.

She completed a bachelor’s degree in Kinanthropology at the University of Ottawa and her medical degree at the Université de Montréal. Additionally, she is a respected and valued family physician in the community.

In 2000, she initiated and since led the rehabilitation program at Montfort, and in 2016, she spearheaded our medical assistance in dying program. From 2015 to 2020, she chaired the Professional Staff Council, serving on the hospital’s board of directors. During the pandemic, she served as the lead physician at the COVID-19 care and testing clinic on Heron Road and was an active physician at the COVID-19 clinic in Orléans. Since 2022, she has served as interim Chief of Staff and then Deputy Chief of Staff. She chairs the Credentials Review Committee and the Resource Utilization and Management Committee and is a member of the Continuing Medical Education Committee.

She has received two awards from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine for her contributions to the Department of Family Medicine and for promoting the health and well-being of physicians and medical residents, as well as two Asteria Awards at Montfort – the Naos Award in 2020 and the Sirius Award in 2022. Also in 2022, she was among the 100 finalists for the Women of Inspiration Award and received an Award of Excellence from the Ontario College of Family Physicians.

Ms. Dubois Desroches is Senior Vice-president, Patient care since April 2023.

With over 20 years of experience in the health care field, Ms. Dubois Desroches is a physiotherapist and graduate of the University of Ottawa. She also holds a certificate in administration from Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), a short graduate program in health and social services management, and a master’s degree in public administration from École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP).

An experienced leader, Ms. Dubois Desroches became Clinical Manager at Montfort in 2010. She has been responsible for therapeutic services, ambulatory clinics, the ambulatory intervention unit, the flow and resource and staffing teams, medical imaging, as well as the Emergency Department. Since 2020, she has served as a Clinical Director at the hospital, responsible for the Medicine and Therapeutic Services programs, and subsequently for Critical Care and Patient Flow.

In recent years, Ms. Dubois Desroches has contributed to the success of significant initiatives at Montfort, including the redesign of the Emergency Department model of care and the integration of paramedics into that same team.

In her role as Vice-President, Clinical Programs and Patient Flow, Ms. Dubois Desroches is responsible for the directions of Critical Care and Patient Flow; Perioperative Services; Medicine, Rehabilitation, Geriatrics programs and Therapeutic Services; and the Family Birthing Centre.

Mr. Guy Couture is Senior Vice-President Administration and Chief Financial Officer since October 2023. He is responsible for finance and operations, decision support and privacy, information technology, infrastructure and security, food services, procurement, logistics, medical device reprocessing, Santé Montfort and the relationship with the Canadian Forces Health Services Centre Ottawa.

Prior to joining the hospital team, Mr. Couture worked at the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ) - Université Laval, Bell Mobility and Cogeco. Early in his career, he was a certified lineman, chief and instructor with the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve 713 Communications Regiment. 

He has served on the boards of Cégep Limoilou and Partagec, an entity that manages shared services for all healthcare establishments in the greater Quebec City area, where he also chaired the Audit Committee.

He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and a certificate in computer science from the Université du Québec à Montréal, an MBA from Université Laval and a certification in leadership and human management from the Institut du leadership, where he also completed certifications in leadership, strategy and governance. A certified Lean Six Sigma green belt, he has completed executive training at Western University's Ivey Business School and York University's Schulich School of Business.

Caroline Roy-Egner is currently Executive Senior Vice President, Strategy, Transformation and People at Hôpital Montfort. She holds two degrees from Université Laval: one in industrial relations (1991) and the other in civil law (1993). In 2003, she completed a master’s degree in public administration at the École nationale d’administration publique from Université du Québec.

Caroline built most of her professional portfolio in the Ontario broad public sector. Prior to her current role, she was Associate Vice-President, Human Resources at the University of Ottawa, Chief Human Resources Officer at the French Public School Board of Ontario, and Director of Human Resources at Bruyère Continuing Care.

In addition to her professional career, she is married to a high-tech sales executive who travels the world on a regular basis and together, they are raising two beautiful teenage daughters.  As such, she is busy and quite active in her community, either as a leader for Girl’s Guides or on various parent’s councils and sports teams.

Ms. Roy-Egner has accumulated over 20 years of human resources experience in bilingual organizations, 15 years of which has been at the senior level positions. While labour relations is her primary area of expertise, she has been the architect of numerous effective human resources programs aimed at improving employee engagement, performance and retention as well as creating healthy workplaces in both the education and the health care sector in the Ottawa area. Her recent return to health care to join the team at the Montfort, was driven by their broad workplace transformational agenda.

Ms. Estelle Ethier is Chief Executive Officer of the Institut du Savoir Montfort and Vice President of Research and Education at Hôpital Montfort since May 2023.   

Ms. Ethier is an experienced leader in the fields of health and education. Highly committed to the Franco-Ontarian community, Ms. Ethier served as Director of Education at ISM from July 2016 to March 2018, on the Board of Directors of ISM from September 2021 to November 2022, and has been a member of the Hopital Montfort Association for many years.

She has also served as Dean of Education at Collège La Cité for the past five years, during which time she played several key roles, including the development of the new Honors Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. This four-year program, developed in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, will be offered in the fall of 2023 to support hospitals in the face of a growing workforce shortage, particularly in Francophone minority communities.    

Her experience and expertise in building partnerships with key players in the sector will support ISM's efforts to achieve its mandate of improving the health of Francophone minority communities in Canada and ultimately, the healthcare sector and the health of the world.   

Ms. Picard is Vice-president, Communications and Francophone affairs, since May 2023.

With more than 30 years of experience in the field of communications, Ms. Picard has worked for renowned organizations such as Communications Québec, Foreign Affairs Canada, the University of Ottawa, and the Jumeirah luxury hotel chain in Dubai. She also provided her expertise as a consultant to organizations such as the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Since joining Montfort as Director of Communications in 2014, Ms. Picard has worked tirelessly to protect and enhance Montfort's reputation, while promoting our hospital beyond the region. She expertly coordinated the communications surrounding SOS Montfort's 20th anniversary, oversaw the successful launch of Montfort's new branding, and managed daily communications during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2019 Gala du mérite Montfort, she received the Naos Award recognizing her exemplary leadership.

She will bring her leadership and extensive experience to help Montfort shine in its mission to be Ontario's francophone academic hospital.

Ms. Carolyn Crowley brings nearly 25 years of experience in healthcare, including 11 years at Montfort in various management roles. She has served as Director of Perioperative Services, the Ambulatory Care Unit, and the 5C Unit at Montfort. She also briefly led the Ambulatory Clinics, the Aline-Chrétien Health Hub, the Family Birthing Centre, patient flow and staffing, and COVID-19 clinics.

Before joining Montfort in 2012 as a manager in the Family Birthing Centre, she worked for 13 years as a registered nurse at The Ottawa Hospital, in the Hemodialysis Unit, the Delivery Room, and the Obstetrical Operating Room.

Originally from North Bay, Ms. Crowley earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Science in Nursing from Athabasca University. She has taught at the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College. She has been a member of numerous committees at Montfort, regionally, and provincially, including serving as Co-Chair of the hospital’s Health and Safety Committee and Co-Chair of Baby Friendly Initiative Ontario. She has published research on postpartum maternal care and postnatal home care.

Ms. Josette Roussel holds the position of Associate Vice-President, Patient care and Chief Nursing Officer since November 2023.

Ms. Roussel has 31 years' experience in the healthcare field, including a total of five years at Montfort at the start of her career, and 15 years in management positions. She has been Director of Diagnostic Services and Pharmacy at Montfort as of December 2020.

Originally from New Brunswick, Josette completed a Bachelor of Nursing at the Université de Moncton, a Master of Education at the University of Ottawa, a Master of Nursing at the Université du Québec en Outaouais, a Health Leadership Advancement Certificate at Royal Roads University and obtained certification in gerontology from the Canadian Nurses Association.

Josette has been recognized for her many contributions and impacts on the nursing profession, in Canada and internationally, by being named a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing. She is currently Vice-President of the International Council of Nurses' Nurse Practitioners and Advanced Practice Nurses Network.
Early in her career, she worked as a registered nurse in New Brunswick, at Montfort, the National Defence Medical Centre, the Perley and Rideau Veterans' Health Centre and the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton in public health. From 1999 to 2008, she worked as an advanced practice nurse at the Sisters of Charity Ottawa Health Services. From 2008 to 2020, she was an advisor, program director and member of senior management at the Canadian Nurses Association.

She has served on some 30 provincial, national and international committees, advancing the role of the nurse practitioner in Canada, collaborated on half a dozen research projects, authored or co-authored some 20 publications, taught at the University of Ottawa and the Université du Québec en Outaouais, and given some 50 presentations over the past 10 years in Canada, France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Finland and Australia. Josette is very proud to have led the successful team that brought the International Council of Nurses Congress to Montreal in July 2023.

Marc Villeneuve is a seasoned philanthropy professional with nearly 30 years of experience working with organizations in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Since November 2018, he has been leading the operations and governance of the Montfort Foundation.

Throughout his career, Marc has held executive positions at major organizations such as Fondation Santé Gatineau, the University of Ottawa Development Office, and the Foundation of La Maison Mathieu Froment-Savoie. These roles have allowed him to develop extensive expertise in leading large teams, strategic planning, organizational development, and managing major philanthropic campaigns.

Before joining the Montfort Foundation, Marc spent nearly nine years with KCI (Ketchum Canada Inc.) as Vice President and Senior Consultant, providing strategic advice to a wide range of clients in philanthropic management.

Deeply committed to his profession, he served as President and Interim President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Quebec Chapter, following five years as a board member.

Marc holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa and dedicates his expertise and leadership to advancing charitable and community-focused missions.