The board of directors of Millennium Heights Medical Complex (MHMC), the primary health care institution in Saint Lucia comprising Owen King EU Hospital, National Mental Wellness Centre, and Turning Point Rehabilitation Centre, announces the appointment of Dr. William Dexter James as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Jamesā appointment took effect from Monday, October 17, 2022.
The formative years of Dr. Jamesā career were in a senior management role in the field of commercial and development banking until his subsequent move into the health sector in 1995. Over the past 25 years, Dr. James has been at the forefront of public sector management and transformation, leading health reforms and health systems development as a policy maker and practitioner in the Caribbean. He has held several Chief Executive positions in the public health systems including in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Anguilla, and Barbados.
His most recent appointment was with the Commonwealth of Dominica during which time he provided technical support to the interim board in establishing the Dominica Hospital Authority, and subsequently appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer of the Dominica Hospital Authority in January 2021.
Dr. James has provided advisory support on public health policy and reforms to regional governments. In that regard, he has been engaged as an expert and technical resource by regional agencies such as PAHO/WHO and international organizations such as Accreditation Canada International.
The new CEO is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) / Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) of Nova Scotia and a Chartered Accountant (CA) of Trinidad and Tobago; he also holds an MBA in Health Services Management. Dr. James obtained his doctorate from Bangor University, Bangor Business School, Wales (U.K.) in Public Health Organization and Management, with emphasis on public sector organization, management, and transformation. In May 2018, he was appointed as āProfessor of Practiceā in Public Policy and Healthcare Administration by the University of the West Indies, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Cave Hill, in recognition of his leadership role in health reforms and sterling contribution to healthcare practice in the region.
Dr. James has a special interest in reforms in public health, performance management, corporate governance, and healthcare innovation. He has presented research papers at regional and international conferences on many subject areas such as health sector reform, healthcare financing and innovation. He is the recipient of an international award from the Emerald Group Publishing Limited for Outstanding Doctoral Research in the Management and Governance category.
Ms. Joanna Raynold Arthurton, chairperson of the MHMC board of directors, extends a warm welcome to Dr. James. She informed that at this juncture the Board is seeking to re-strategize and assess the current needs of MHMC, to identify gaps and to determine what the priorities should be. She informed that the Board sees this as a necessary step in developing a way forward for the institution. Dr. James will therefore play an integral role in making these determinations and establishing a new vision for the institution. He is expected to apply his wealth of knowledge and expertise in areas such as hospital administration, policy planning and analysis, health sector reform, financial management, strategic management and organizational change, to help position MHMC as a health care provider of choice in the Caribbean.