Chair’s Column June 2024: Thanks for the memories…
Amid the stress and discord in which we are living, taking time to gather and celebrate milestones achieved is important. On June 10, we hosted almost 800 family, friends, faculty, residents and fellows at our annual Resident and Fellow Graduation ceremony. We applauded an impressive group of physician graduates. They’ve worked incredibly hard to become medicine specialists and sub-specialists and are now poised to embark on the next phase of their medical careers – some to practice and others to yet more training. Yes, it is a long journey, but well worth it. Congratulations, graduates, for a job well done. Welcome to the U of T DoM Alumni community and best wishes for your future endeavours. Click here to view photos from Graduation.
On June 19, I gave my final City-Wide Medical Grand Rounds. Prepping to do so, I reflected on the many ups and downs we have had over the past decade during my two terms as DoM Chair. Click here to watch the recording of the presentation. There is no question as to our department members’ excellence as clinicians, teachers, educators, innovators, investigators, scientists, and leaders. There is no debate about the extraordinary quality of learners that come here to train. But what I find most extraordinary about this department – faculty and learners - is the boundless drive to make things better. Our fourth strategic priority these past five years was to ‘get political’ – to engage in transformational change as leaders, partners, and effective followers alongside decision makers. This is what you do every day, and the world is a better place because of this.
On the evening of June 19, we gathered with loved ones to celebrate the many faculty members who have achieved a major academic career milestone this year – CFAR, Associate and Full Professor. We also feted the recipients of our annual faculty awards and thanked our outgoing leaders. Despite the sweltering heat, it was a wonderful evening of celebration and thanks. My deep appreciation to those who organized a lovely send off for me as well! Click here to view the event program.
In the end, my hope was to lay the foundation for the DoM as a catalyst & enabler. With an outstanding team of staff and leaders, we did our best to make complicated things simpler, ensure transparency & fairness, establish a platform for more effective communication, build a sense of ‘pride of place’, and most of all, to evolve the culture of academic medicine towards one that promotes mutual respect, compassion, integrity, and inclusion, and thus fosters the wellbeing of our faculty and learners. While the work is not done, I do believe we have made progress. Thank you to all of you who have helped in this transformational change.
I am truly delighted to be handing the reins to Dr. Moira Kapral, whose first term as Chair will begin on September 1, 2024. A wonderful person, clinician, teacher, scientist, and division director for GIM for many years, she will be spectacular! My term as Chair ends this month and Dr. Arno Kumagai, the department’s Vice Chair of Education, will serve as interim Chair from July 1 to August 31. All to say, I leave you in extremely capable hands! Thank you.
