Dr. Brian O’Rourke to Retire as CADTH’s President and CEO

Dr. Brian O’Rourke has announced his intention to retire from CADTH, effective March 31, 2020. 

“It’s been an absolute privilege to work at such a well-respected organization with some of the brightest and best people I’ve ever known. With so many exciting prospects on the horizon for CADTH, deciding to retire was surprisingly difficult. However, with the organization on solid footings and well positioned for future opportunities, it feels like an appropriate time to pass the baton to new leadership.”

Dr. Brian O’Rourke — CADTH President and CEO

Dr. O’Rourke joined CADTH in January 2009 after a distinguished career as a pharmacist and health care executive with the Canadian military. Under his leadership, CADTH has grown significantly and is recognized internationally as one of the pre-eminent health technology assessment agencies in the world. Brian leaves a tremendous legacy at CADTH in many areas — he instilled a culture of customer service, increased transparency and stakeholder engagement, incorporated patient input into its reviews, launched several new products and services, integrated the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review into CADTH, and established a Patient and Community Advisory Committee.

In addition to leading CADTH, Dr. O’Rourke has been active in the international health technology assessment community and is recognized as one of the global leaders in the field. He currently serves as chair of the Health Technology Assessment Steering Committee at the Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science and chair of the ISPOR Health Technology Assessment Council. He also served as the board chair for the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) from 2014 to 2018.

Dr. O’Rourke will remain active in the HTA community through his volunteer work on national and international boards and committees, and he looks forward to spending more time with Lori and his grandchildren. There could also be many more rounds of golf in his future.

“On behalf of the CADTH Board of Directors, I would like to thank Brian for his many years of public service, first, as an officer in the Canadian military and, second, as the president and CEO of CADTH. We’re incredibly grateful for his hard work and unwavering commitment. Congratulations Brian on a job well done and a retirement well deserved.”

Mr. David Agnew — Chair of the Board, CADTH Board of Directors

The CADTH board will be advertising the chief executive position shortly and intends to have a new CEO in place before Dr. O’Rourke departs.