(HORIZON) September 2, 2016 - Dr. Jean-François Légaré has been appointed the new clinical head of cardiac surgery for the New Brunswick Heart Centre.

Dr. Légaré fills the role previously held by Dr. Marc Pelletier.

"Dr. Légaré brings to our province tremendous clinical and academic ability and a continued affiliation with the Dalhousie University as professor in the department of surgery," said Dr. Vernon Paddock, medical director of the New Brunswick Heart Centre.  " I am confident that his expertise and experience will serve the people of New Brunswick very well." His clinical interests include surgery for end-stage heart failure and valve surgery with an emphasis on clinical outcomes and performance indicators.

"As one of Horizon's important centres of expertise, the New Brunswick Heart Centre endeavours to have the best of the best working here,"said John McGarry, President and CEO for Horizon Health Network. "We welcome such an accomplished surgeon as Dr. Légaré to our organization." 

Dr. Légaré graduated from McGill Medicine in 1995 and completed his training in cardiac surgery at Dalhousie University in 2002. From 2003 to 2016, Dr. Légaré worked as a cardiac surgeon at the Maritime Heart Centre in Halifax. During his tenure there, he acted as the director of research and director of cardiac transplantation in the cardiac surgery division.

"I am impressed by the work done at the New Brunswick Heart Centre, and I look forward to contributing to further enhancements to care," said Dr.Légaré. "The New Brunswick Heart Centre is committed to providing exceptional care to our patients across the province and I am excited about the opportunity to lead the cardiac surgical team."

The New Brunswick Heart Centre (NBHC) is located in the Saint John Regional Hospital which is part of Horizon Health Network. The NBHC has been in operation since April 1991 and is the provincial referral centre for adult tertiary cardiac care in New Brunswick and surrounding areas. Services currently provided at the NBHC include general cardiology, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology and cardiovascular surgery. The New Brunswick Heart Centre works in partnership with the Provincial health authorities to provide excellence in cardiac care along the entire patient care continuum.

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For more information contact:

Stephanie Neilson-Levesque
Media Relations
1-877-499-1899
Media@HorizonNB.ca 
www.HorizonNB.ca