Former president and CEO taking over Interior Health board

Interior Health has a familiar face back at the helm.

Dr. Robert Halpenny was appointed chair of Interior Health’s board of directors, filling the role of Dr. Doug Cochrane, who passed away earlier this month.

He will serve as Interior Health’s board chair until the end of 2026.

“Dr. Halpenny brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in his career, which includes an extensive history of working with B.C.’s health authorities,” Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, said in a release.

“He was instrumental in delivering the tertiary cardiac program to Interior Health, as well as the provision of helicopter services to meet the needs of patients in the region. Dr. Halpenny brings strong leadership qualities to the Interior Health board.”

Halpenny has worked as a health administrator for over three decades, including working at health-care societies and as a family physician in Vancouver, at a hospital in Colorado, and for the Fraser Health and Provincial Health Services Authority.

He also spent eight years at Interior Health as a senior medical director, and during five of those years he served as president and CEO of IH.

Halpenny has also been the chair of the Medical Services Commission since 2015, which is the group that oversees adherence to the Canada Health Act and Medicare Protection Act. From 2015 to 2016 he was also the government representative for the commission.

Along with Halpenny, William Michael Gerrand and Bonnie Pearson have been appointed to Interior Health’s board for one year terms that will end on Feb. 28, 2025.

Gerrand is a principal with the accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP, and Pearson is a labour leader with experience in the health-care sector.

“The addition of the new board members will bring a depth of knowledge and community experience, from both public and private sectors, and I look forward to our continued work together,” Dix said.