Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) has appointed longtime hospital executive Noel Bennett as its interim president and CEO, effective September 25.
Bennett, who is currently PRHC’s executive vice-president of clinical services and chief nursing executive, will succeed Dr. Lynn Mikula when she leaves the regional hospital this fall to become president and CEO of Sinai Health in Toronto.
“The board of directors has every confidence in Noel’s leadership, and we look forward to seeing him make this move into PRHC’s top role,” said PRHC board chair Scott Milligan in a media release issued Wednesday (July 22).
“This hospital has made great strides on its strategic goals over the last two years, and we anticipate a smooth transition in the fall between two leaders who share a bold and ambitious vision for the future of this hospital.”
A registered nurse with more than 20 years of clinical and leadership experience in Canada and abroad, Bennett joined PRHC as a nurse in 2008. He subsequently became manager and then director of emergency and critical care before joining the hospital’s senior leadership team in 2021.
Bennett became associate vice-president in April 2021 and was appointed vice-president the following year. He assumed the additional position of chief nursing executive in January 2023.
In his current role, Bennett oversees several inpatient and outpatient medical programs, along with patient flow and collaborative practice. He also represents PRHC in the regional partnership responsible for Epic, the digital health information system used by several hospitals across central Ontario.
Bennett helped lead the development of PRHC’s nursing strategy, which the hospital launched in 2025 as one of the first of its kind in Canada. That year, the hospital also hosted its inaugural nursing symposium and presented its first nursing innovation awards.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to take on leadership of PRHC at such an important time, and I want to thank the board of directors for this incredible opportunity,” Bennett said.
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with our dedicated leadership team to maintain the momentum we’ve been building, to achieve the ambitious goals we’ve set out for ourselves, and to support the people of this organization as we fulfill our shared purpose as one team, here when you need us most.”
Bennett earned a bachelor of health sciences degree in nursing in 2008 and a master’s degree in health management in 2017. He has also completed the Canadian College of Health Leaders program and holds the organization’s Canadian Health Executive designation.
The hospital’s board also recognized and thanked Dr. Mikula for her contributions as both a physician and senior leader.
Dr. Mikula, who has led PRHC as president and CEO since 2023, will begin her new role at Sinai Health in October. The Toronto health network includes Mount Sinai Hospital and Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital, both affiliated with the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
She joined PRHC as a staff general surgeon in 2011 and subsequently served as chief of staff, chief medical executive, and executive vice-president. Mikula was also the hospital’s executive lead during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under Dr. Mikula’s leadership, PRHC launched a five-year strategic plan, a workplace well-being framework, and its first equity and reconciliation strategy, which included introducing an Indigenous navigator position.
The hospital also opened its Reactivation Care Centre, added implantable cardioverter defibrillator procedures to its cardiac program, developed a custom data analytics platform, and established a formal research partnership with Trent University.
PRHC was named one of Canada’s best employers by Forbes in both 2025 and 2026 and received Accreditation with Exemplary Standing for the third consecutive time in a decade.
