St. Joseph Healthcare has named its new president.
Gregory LaFrancois, who most recently served as president of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, took over Tuesday from Mary Prybylo, who announced her retirement in January.
LaFrancois also will serve as senior vice president of Covenant Health, the Catholic health network that includes St. Joseph in Bangor.
Robert Clark, the chair of the St. Joseph Healthcare board of trustees, said that LaFrancois brings an “impressive mix of experience and passion” to the system.
“We are delighted that he will be at the helm of St. Joe’s,” Clark said.
“I am inspired by St. Joseph’s Mission of caring for the whole person, in service to all in our communities,” LaFrancois said. “I look forward to working alongside colleagues who have been called to healthcare, particularly to meet the needs of our underserved neighbors. Together, we can advance our vision of delivering the best care to every patient, every time.”
LaFrancois led Bangor’s other major hospital, Eastern Maine Medical Center, until last October when he resigned. He was named the hospital’s president in May 2023, coming to Bangor from Northern Light AR Gould Hospital in Presque Isle.
His departure came as Northern Light Health grappled with financial turmoil, a period that has seen it shed services, announce the closure of its Waterville hospital and the departure of several high-level leaders.
Before coming to Maine in 2016, LaFrancois served as president and CEO of Saint Aloisius Medical Center and CEO of Prairie Saint John’s Hospital in North Dakota, CFO of Cumberland Hall Hospital in Kentucky, according to Covenant Health.
LaFrancois, a U.S. Army veteran who retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel, held executive roles at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital in Kentucky, the Office of the Army Surgeon General, Walter Reed Health Care System and the United States Health System in Seoul, South Korea.
He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Norwich University in Vermont and a master’s in health administration from Baylor University in Texas.
He lives with his wife, Danhong Zhao, in Bangor.
