We are pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Dr. Avery Nathens as the Hospital's new Chief of the Department of Surgery.

Dr. Nathens takes over on September 17, 2012, from Dr. Robin Richards who has held the role since September 2001. During that time, Dr. Richards has provided strong, reliable and stable leadership to a diverse and busy surgical department that has made significant academic advances during his tenure.

Dr. Nathens was a trauma surgeon and Director, Surgical Critical Care at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA, where he was also the Director of the Acute Care Section of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center.

Since 2006, he has been the Director of Trauma and the Head of the Division of General Surgery at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto where he held a Canada Research Chair in Systems of Trauma Care. He holds appointments in the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation and the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto as well as the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Dr. Nathens is currently a Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and Chair of the Departmental Appointments Committee, Department of Surgery.

Dr. Nathens is an accomplished researcher and he has received several prestigious research awards over the years. He has published more than 220 peer reviewed journal articles where he was either the senior responsible author or co-author. He has contributed more than 30 book chapters as the principal author or co-author.

Dr. Nathens has an international reputation in trauma research, education and patient care. He is a highly sought after speaker and consultant on trauma system management and development. At the provincial level, he is Chair of the Ministry of Health Ontario Trauma Advisory Committee and the Ontario Trauma Registry Advisory Committee.

Nationally, he is involved with the Trauma Association of Canada and is a member of the Executive Committee and the Canadian Trauma Trials Collaborative Committee. On the international front, he is a member of the Board of Governors and the Executive of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. He has a significant focus on surgical quality improvement and has been the director of the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program since 2010.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Nathens and thanking Dr. Richards for his hard work and dedicated service to the role. We wish them both continued success.