Announcements

PROFESSOR RICHARD REZNICK REAPPOINTED AS THE R.S. MCLAUGHLIN CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

It is with great pleasure that I announce the Provost's approval of the re-appointment of Professor Richard Reznick as the R.S. McLaughlin Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto, commencing January 1, 2008 for a second 5-year term. Following an outstanding 5-year academic review of the Department of Surgery, Professor Reznick will resume his leadership of the Department of Surgery that has been ranked in the top 10 globally by the external reviewers. Under his leadership, the Department has continued to increase its annual research funding, attract outstanding residents and fellows, and remains the "go-to" department for surgical scientist training in Canada. During his term as Chair, Professor Reznick has very successfully advanced his scholarly pursuits in education research. He has been recognized with numerous international awards and honours including the John P. Hubbard Award from the National Board of Medical Examiners, the Daniel C. Tosteson Award for Leadership in Medical Education from Harvard's Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research, and the inaugural President's Teaching Award from the University of Toronto. Professor Reznick also holds the position of Vice President Education at University Health Network and continues to promote major innovative initiatives in surgical skills training and simulation. Please join me in warmly congratulating Professor Reznick on his remarkable accomplishments and wishing him every success in his second term as Chair of the Department of Surgery.

Catharine Whiteside
Dean, Faculty of Medicine

DOUG WOOSTER WINS WOOLF AWARD AND FEAR FELLOWSHIP

Douglas Wooster

Doug Wooster has received the 2007 Colin R. Woolf Award for Long Term Contributions in Continuing Education. This award is the most prestigious continuing education award offered by the Faculty of Medicine. It recognizes Doug's sustained commitment to excellence in continuing education locally, nationally and internationally.

Doug has also received the David Fear Fellowship. This fellowship allows the recipient to travel to gain new insight into education issues. Doug will travel to Washington, DC early this year. He will visit the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American College of Cardiology to explore guideline implementation, self-assessment and educational scholarship in continuing education. The fellowship is named for David Fear who exemplified the role that may be played by active clinicians and educators in the development, coordination and promotion of continuing education (CE) at the level of departments, hospitals, communities and across the Faculty of Medicine. David was an anaesthetist at the Hospital for Sick Children, active in the University's Department of Anaesthesia, where he served as Director of Continuing Education, and the Chair of the Faculty Council Committee on Continuing Education. Until his untimely death in June 1997, his leadership in clinical, educational and administrative roles was instrumental in raising awareness of, and competence in, continuing education.

RONALD LEVINE APPOINTED DIRECTOR, POSTGRADUATE SURGICAL EDUCATION

Ronald Levine

I am pleased to announce that Ron Levine will succeed me as Director, Surgical Education. In collaboration with our Program Directors, Ron will oversee our 11 residency training programs and take charge of the parallel Core Surgery Program.

Ron has served as Plastic Surgery Program Director for 13 years. In that time he received strong support from his residents and surgeon colleagues, raised the standard of education, and has been praised widely by trainees, surgeons, administrative staff, accreditors and other program directors. Ron is a superb teacher and role model. He has won many teaching awards, including the Arnie Freiberg Award in Plastic Surgery, PAIRO Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award, and our department's highest honour for resident teaching, the Bruce Tovee Award, in 2007. Ron has authored 24 peer reviewed publications, served as the leader of the OMA section of Plastic Surgery, and has led the Division of Plastic Surgery at St. Joseph's Health Centre for over a decade.

Ron is a devoted surgeon, teacher, educator, husband and father -- we are grateful he will continue to share his leadership talents. Please join us in welcoming him to his new role!

John M.A. Bohnen
Vice-Chair, Education

SIDNEY RADOMSKI APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE CHAIR ON EDUCATION

Sidney Radomski

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Sid Radomski from the Division of Urology has been appointed as the Department of Surgery's Special Advisor to the Chair on Education. Sid will assume Bill Tucker's roles as Chair of the Awards Committee as well as Chair of the Internal Evaluation Committee. Sid has been a member of our Department since 1991 and we look forward to working with him in his new role!

Richard K. Reznick, Chair
John M.A. Bohnen, Vice-Chair, Education

MARTIN BARKIN TO LEAD ALUMNI ADVANCEMENT IN SURGERY

Martin Barkin

I am pleased to announce that Professor Martin Barkin has agreed to lead our efforts in alumni advancement in Surgery. Martin will take over the helm from Professor Charles Tator who has served this Department in that role for the last five years. Let me begin by thanking Charles for his dedicated efforts. Charles has contributed to this Department in so many magnificent ways, and his efforts in alumni advancement have helped this Department grow financially. Martin Barkin is an icon in urologic surgery, at Sunnybrook, and in health care in Ontario. At Sunnybrook he has held many positions, including Chief of Urology, President and CEO, and Chair of the Board.

Charles Tator

In Government, he has also served in many capacities, including Deputy Minister from 1987-1991 and as Secretary of Premier's Council on Health Strategy. We recently celebrated the instantiation of the Dr. Martin Barkin Chair in Urologic Research at the University of Toronto, a position held by the Division Chair, Sender Herschorn. Please join me in welcoming Martin to his new role and thanking him for a lifetime of contributions to this Department.

Richard K. Reznick, Chair

MESSAGE FROM CATHARINE WHITESIDE AND DAVID NAYLOR

Read full message at http://www.facmed.utoronto.ca/Assets/about/medemail/v16n7.pdf

Early last month, University of Toronto President David Naylor addressed the Royal Society of Canada, and an adapted version of that address was published in The Toronto Star. His message was that in this country, investment in preparing our citizens for the knowledge economy is insufficient and too limited in its reach. To use his phrase, "our investment starts thin and gets thinner". The full article can be viewed here: http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/thoughts/071113-3504.asp

Among the evidence he cited:
- Twenty years ago Canadian universities received $2,000 per student more from governments than their U.S. peers. Today they receive on average $5,000 less.
- Compared with other OECD nations, our participation rates are very high for community colleges, average for undergraduate university degrees, and low for graduate degrees.

Although our universities and scholars continue to achieve great things, we do so in spite of some policy issues that must be addressed if we are to recognize our potential. As President Naylor outlined in his address, governments need to increase funding for basic research and researchers; funding agencies should keep their focus on research, rather than being diluted by applied research mandates, promoting commercialization or oversight of matching programs and networks with industry; the job of commercialization is better left to dedicated commercialization organizations and infrastructure; we must increase our output of Master's and PhD graduates to catalyze the growth of our knowledge-based industries.

Most vitally, President Naylor pointed out that every time a Canadian research university receives a grant, they take on new costs for supporting that research, be it through heating and lighting labs and through necessary support services. In Britain and the U.S., those services are acknowledged with, respectively, 48 and 60% recovery of what are typically referred to as indirect costs, but what we might well describe as part of the full cost of research.

We need funding that reflects the true, full cost of health and biomedical research. Last year, Research Canada commissioned a survey which affirmed 91% of Canadians desire more government investment in health and medical research and that 86% want Canada to be a global leader in health and medical research. We are committed to help Canada realize its full potential as a centre of discovery.

Catharine Whiteside