UPEI’s Paul Young named one of Atlantic Canada’s top CEOs

Paul Young, Chief Operating Officer for the UPEI Faculty of Medicine, was named one of the Top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada during an awards gala on May 9 at the Delta Hotel St. John’s Conference Centre.

The annual awards ceremony, hosted by Atlantic Business Magazine, recognizes leaders in the region who have demonstrated excellence and success across categories, including corporate governance, organization growth, management, industry leadership, and personal social responsibility. 

The Top 50 CEO award acknowledges Young’s work leading one of the most ambitious health-care initiatives in Atlantic Canada in the last 20 years.

Young said he is embracing the challenges of transformation through his work developing a medical school in Prince Edward Island.

“The UPEI Faculty of Medicine is a massive undertaking that has been met with many obstacles, including aggressive timelines, supply chain challenges, and some concerns over the medical school’s potential impact on PEI’s ongoing health sector human resources challenges,” he said.

By relying on his extensive expertise in health management, Young has built a progressive and innovative leadership team that is working diligently on several creative and innovative solutions, which he is confident will make the forthcoming PEI medical school a success.

A passionate advocate for systemic change within health care, Young believes in thinking differently and being innovative to overcome challenges to create opportunities and possibilities when the path forward isn’t always apparent.

“It is not every day that you are afforded the opportunity to build a medical school, and while it is a daunting and complex challenge, it doesn’t mean that each day can’t be exceedingly satisfying, rewarding, and fun.”

“Congratulations to Paul for being recognized among Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEOs,” said Dr. Greg Keefe, UPEI’s interim President and Vice-Chancellor. “This award is a result of his unwavering focus and ability to lead teams to work towards a common goal, such as the development of our joint medical degree with Memorial University. UPEI is fortunate to have him as our COO for the Faculty of Medicine.”

He also received the Top 50 CEO award in 2021, 2022, and 2023 for work leading to transformational change through innovation and ingenuity, despite the unprecedented instability facing health care.

Young joined UPEI in October 2022.