Lanette Siragusa leaving role as Chief Nursing Officer

Lanette Siragusa, provincial lead, health system integration, quality/chief nursing officer for Shared Health, speaks during the province's latest COVID-19 update at the Manitoba legislature in Winnipeg Friday, October 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Lanette Siragusa has become a familiar face on Manitoba's COVID-19 news conferences, but at the end of the month she will be leaving her role as the chief nursing officer for Shared Health.

In a joint release posted online Wednesday, Shared Health and the University of Manitoba announced Siragusa has accepted a position at the university as vice-dean of education and associate director of Ongomiizwin Health Services at the U of M Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

"Ms. Siragusa will play a key role in engaging and inspiring the next generation of learners and health-care workers, at a critical time for our health system," the release reads.

Siragusa's last day with Shared Health will be Jan. 28, before she steps into her new role on Jan. 31. The release does not say who will be filling Siragusa's role at Shared Health.

The soon-to-be former chief nursing officer became a household name in Manitoba as the province grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Siragusa often joined the province's chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin during the COVID-19 press conferences.

The release says Siragusa was recruited to Shared Health in 2017, becoming the first Chief Nursing Officer and Provincial Lead, Health System Integration and Quality.