Director of the Centre for Patient Safety Appointed

The President and CEO of The Hospital for Sick Children, Mary Jo Haddad, the President and CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Barry McLellan, and the Dean of Medicine, Catharine Whiteside, are very pleased to announce that Dr. Kaveh Shojania has been appointed as the inaugural Director of the new University of Toronto Centre for Patient Safety. 

This Centre was created through partnership between the two lead hospitals, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Hospital for Sick Children, and the Faculty of Medicine. It will foster novel research and education projects aimed at improving patient safety both locally and internationally. The Centre will provide a focus for collaboration across the Toronto Academic Health Science Network including all the affiliated hospitals and all of the health science and related programs at the University. 

Dr. Shojania is appointed in the Department of Medicine and holds a Canada Research Chair in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement. He is recognized internationally for his work in these fields, especially his application of the principles of evidence-based medicine to the quality of care and patient safety agendas.  He has published widely, including numerous peer-review publications and recently a book for a general audience on patient safety which has sold approximately 50,000 copies. Prior to his recent recruitment to the University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Dr. Shojania held faculty positions at the University of Ottawa and the University of California San Francisco.

We wish to thank Professor Robert Byrick who has served as the Interim Director of the Centre. Dr. Shojania will assume a 5 year term as Director commencing January 1, 2009. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Shojania and welcoming him to this important new academic leadership position.