Senior medical advisory committee established for School of Medicine proposal
A new Senior Medical Advisory Committee will lend their expertise to the university to design curriculum and train the next generation of health-care professionals.
To support the planning and development of the university’s proposal for a School of Medicine in Brampton, President Mohamed Lachemi has established a Senior Medical Advisory Committee (SMAC). Composed of nine physicians, the SMAC will provide clinical and organizational expertise for the medical school and health sciences initiatives, clinical learning environments, and recommendations on research areas, curriculum development and clinical dimensions of projects included in the university’s proposal.
The Senior Medical Advisory Committee is chaired by Dr. Andrew Padmos. A hematologist by profession with over 40 years of clinical experience and more than 28 years as a professor of Medicine, Dr. Padmos is highly respected and recognized for his work both in practice and medical education. From 2006-2020, he was CEO of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada where he led an ambitious agenda of change, development and expansion to enhance postgraduate medical education and training, membership engagement and recognition, volunteer programs, health policy, external relations and international outreach.
“The leadership that Dr. Padmos provides as chair of the Senior Medical Advisory Committee will be invaluable to ensuring that our medical school proposal meets the needs of health care in Peel region, while reflecting the current best practices in medical education and aligning with our university’s values,” said President Mohamed Lachemi. “We are fortunate to have his, and all of the members’ expertise and guidance, as we create our proposal for the future of health care in our province.”
The Senior Medical Advisory Committee members come from organizations and specialties within the field of medicine, with a variety of skill sets, experiences and perspectives. Their work will build on the considerable reporting, investigations and consultations that have already been undertaken by the internal working groups and committees supporting the development of the university’s proposal.
“The team we have put together represents a variety of strengths in medical expertise, with strong relevance to the future of health care,” said Dr. Padmos. “Once you know what it is that the future of health care might look like from those working in the field, you can better design and train the next generation of health-care professionals.”
Committee members:
Chair - Dr. Andrew Padmos
Professor, Medicine at Dalhousie University, Chair of the Canadian International Health and Education Association, former CEO of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and former President and CEO of Royal College International
Dr. Sarah Forgie
Chair, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry - Pediatrics Department, and former Vice-Provost, Learning Initiatives, at the University of Alberta
Dr. Kevin Imrie
Clinical Hematologist and former Physician-in-Chief and Chief of the Community Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and former President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Dr. Tom Marrie, C.M.
Former Deputy Minister of the Nova Scotia Health Department, former Dean of Dalhousie Medical School, and former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta
Dr. Frank Martino
Corporate Chief of Family Medicine at William Osler Health System, Primary Care Lead at Central West LHIN, Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University, and former President of the Ontario College of Family Physicians
Dr. Viren Naik
Professor of Medical Education and Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Ottawa, Director of Assessment for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and Vice President of Royal College International
Dr. Kent Stobart
Vice-Dean of Education at the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, and former President of the Canadian Association for Medical Education
Dr. Claire Touchie
Chief Medical Education Advisor at the Medical Council of Canada, and Professor, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa
Dr. Rardi Van Heest
Vice President Medical Affairs and former Chief of General Surgery at William Osler Health System
The SMAC will work closely with the established Ryerson committees currently developing the university’s proposal and will align their work and recommendations with the five pillars around which a School of Medicine at Ryerson will be designed:
- Focusing on community-centric primary care and the social determinants of health
- Providing culturally respectful care to communities
- Leveraging innovation and technology in practices to improve quality of care and patient outcomes
- Providing future physicians with the skills to develop interprofessional networks of health care to achieve better outcomes for patients
- Focusing on the aging and supporting seniors as a growing portion of our society gets older
A primary aim for the group, which has been meeting regularly since August, is the examination of different aspects of undergraduate medical education and the future of medicine and healthcare in Canada, Brampton and Peel, so that education and training is tailored to the local circumstances and with the support of the community. Its work will entail interviews, meetings, conference calls and facilitated workshops with stakeholders and key opinion leaders in healthcare both locally and nationally.