We have been fortunate to have leadership roles within the Department filled by a series of committed and effective individuals, some of whom have also gone onto other leadership positions.

In the international forum, Professor Robert Lee has been invited to act as an “ambassador” for Problem Based Learning (PBL) in medical education to Taiwan and Malaysian universities: both requested assistance in establishing PBL in their medical schools. Dr. Janet Farrell is clinical chief at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton is the deputy chair of the Canadian Anesthesia Society International Education Foundation (CASIEF). For many years, Dr. Dauphin has contributed to anesthesia education in Haiti, Uganda and Guyana. The department also supports Dr. Stephen Ttendo as an associate faculty member in our department and the chair and chief of anesthesia at Mbarara University, Uganda. Each year, one McMaster anesthesia resident is eligible for an elective in Uganda under his supervision. The Department trains residents from Guyana, Haiti and Uganda at McMaster University at a minimal cost. Most importantly, the rate of return of these residents to their country of origin is 100%. This type of return is essential if the quality of care in those countries is to be positively affected.

Dr. Lehana Thabane and Dr. Lawrence Mbuagbaw, methodologists from the Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact Department (previously known as Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics), are associate members of our department providing advice to our clinical faculty on research study design, with Dr. Mbaugbaw taking a lead on this role now that Dr. Thabane has become the Vice President Research at SJHH. We also support our statisticians to assist in design and analysis of research studies. Faculty members are being supported for the pursuit of further education, whether Master’s or PhD degrees, or other development, including training in echocardiography.

We are proud of our faculty who have taken up leadership roles in continuing education at the provincial, national, and international levels. Under the leadership of Dr. Chris Ricci, a small group of McMaster clinical faculty working with the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) executive and other Ontario academic departments, has expanded the annual anesthesia section meeting of the OMA from fewer than 80 registrants at inception to a meeting of nearly 400 registrants, with a full three-day academic program. This is now the second-largest meeting for anesthesia in Canada.