2024 Call for Nominations

 

Nominations are being sought for the Chris Carruthers Excellence in Medical Leadership Award. The Award shall be presented to a physician who has made an outstanding contribution to the development and mentorship of medical leaders in the field of health services leadership and management.

 

Nominees must be Canadian physicians who are members of CSPL. Nominations may be submitted, accompanied by the required documentation, by any physician member of CSPL. Documentation must include a completed nomination form, a detailed letter qualifying the nominee, the nominee’s curriculum vitae and at least two letters of support. Nominations should be submitted in typewritten form and can be sent electronically or by mail.

 

 

Deadline for Submission: March 1, 2024

 

 

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2023 Chris Carruthers Excellence in Medical Leadership Award

 

Dr. Preston Smith

Dean, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

 

Dr. Smith’s vast leadership experience spans the clinical and hospital setting, regulatory system and academic sphere. His leadership career has been described as one person starting a cascade of culture change and system transformation through knowing and developing oneself, building relationships and coalitions, taking action, and supporting and developing new leaders.

 

Dr. Smith established himself as a leader early in his medical career. After only a year in practice he became Director of the first sexual health clinic in New Brunswick, which was then replicated in other locations. Three years later he took on the role of Department Head of Family Medicine at Moncton Hospital in New Brunswick. By building relationships, initiating quality improvement activities and providing leadership training the engagement of family physicians in hospital leadership increased and the dyad leader model was adopted. Dr. Smith now sees physicians he mentored at Moncton Hospital leading these dyads, with a couple becoming VP of Medicine.

 

Dr. Smith has considerable experience in governance, serving four years as a board member of IWK Health Centre in Halifax. He was a member of the inaugural board of directors of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and was part of the physician advisory group for the transition team with the Ministry of Health, tasked with creating the new SHA. He advocated for the creation of Provincial Department Heads (PDHs), which established joint leadership appointments between the College of Medicine academic departments and SHA clinical departments. The strategic PDH role has been crucial in bringing clinicians together as a coalition to become and train even more effective healthcare leaders.

 

Dr. Smith has also served as a council member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, the College of Physicians and Surgeon of Saskatchewan, was the New Brunswick Chapter President with the College of Family Physicians of Canada and served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Education with the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada.

 

After 25 years in community practice Dr. Smith entered academic medicine. He became Department Head of Family Medicine at Dalhousie where he directly mentored local medical educators, site directors, and family medicine leaders and educators in Prince Edward Island to establish a new family medicine residency site in Charlottetown and in Annapolis Valley and Yarmouth in Nova Scotia.

 

Dr. Smith was offered, at the same time, the Deanship at both the University of Saskatchewan, which he accepted and Dalhousie University. Under his leadership the College of Medicine, USask underwent remarkable culture change and system transformation culminating in the best accreditation status the College has had in the last 20 years. He also addressed the critically important issue of Indigenous health and representation in medicine. Engaging with Indigenous leaders, faculty, staff and physicians Indigenous health became one of the key priorities of the College’s strategic plan. Following through with that commitment, Dr. Smith established the new role of Vice Dean of Indigenous Health and with his guidance and support, the Department of Indigenous Health and Wellness, the first of its kind in Canada, is being developed.

 

In addition to these leadership achievements, Dr. Smith’s leadership style has been described by his colleagues and mentees as being considerate, thoughtful, collegial, respectful and reflective.

 

“Dr. Smith is an artful leader, demonstrating the ability to listen deeply, acknowledge differences, seek consensus and advocate for those with less powerful voices. He is also an artful mentor, recognized locally, nationally (and internationally) for his own skills as a mentor, and also for his recognition of the importance of mentorship as a vital tool for personal and leadership growth.” – Dr. Anna Karwowska

 

 

 

 

2024 Call for Nominations

 

Nominations are being sought for the Chris Carruthers Excellence in Medical Leadership Award. The Award shall be presented to a physician who has made an outstanding contribution to the development and mentorship of medical leaders in the field of health services leadership and management.

 

Nominees must be Canadian physicians who are members of CSPL. Nominations may be submitted, accompanied by the required documentation, by any physician member of CSPL. Documentation must include a completed nomination form, a detailed letter qualifying the nominee, the nominee’s curriculum vitae and at least two letters of support. Nominations should be submitted in typewritten form and can be sent electronically or by mail.

 

 

Deadline for Submission: March 1, 2024

 

 

READ MORE

 

2023 Chris Carruthers Excellence in Medical Leadership Award

 

Dr. Preston Smith

Dean, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

 

Dr. Smith’s vast leadership experience spans the clinical and hospital setting, regulatory system and academic sphere. His leadership career has been described as one person starting a cascade of culture change and system transformation through knowing and developing oneself, building relationships and coalitions, taking action, and supporting and developing new leaders.

 

Dr. Smith established himself as a leader early in his medical career. After only a year in practice he became Director of the first sexual health clinic in New Brunswick, which was then replicated in other locations. Three years later he took on the role of Department Head of Family Medicine at Moncton Hospital in New Brunswick. By building relationships, initiating quality improvement activities and providing leadership training the engagement of family physicians in hospital leadership increased and the dyad leader model was adopted. Dr. Smith now sees physicians he mentored at Moncton Hospital leading these dyads, with a couple becoming VP of Medicine.

 

Dr. Smith has considerable experience in governance, serving four years as a board member of IWK Health Centre in Halifax. He was a member of the inaugural board of directors of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and was part of the physician advisory group for the transition team with the Ministry of Health, tasked with creating the new SHA. He advocated for the creation of Provincial Department Heads (PDHs), which established joint leadership appointments between the College of Medicine academic departments and SHA clinical departments. The strategic PDH role has been crucial in bringing clinicians together as a coalition to become and train even more effective healthcare leaders.

 

Dr. Smith has also served as a council member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, the College of Physicians and Surgeon of Saskatchewan, was the New Brunswick Chapter President with the College of Family Physicians of Canada and served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Education with the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada.

 

After 25 years in community practice Dr. Smith entered academic medicine. He became Department Head of Family Medicine at Dalhousie where he directly mentored local medical educators, site directors, and family medicine leaders and educators in Prince Edward Island to establish a new family medicine residency site in Charlottetown and in Annapolis Valley and Yarmouth in Nova Scotia.

 

Dr. Smith was offered, at the same time, the Deanship at both the University of Saskatchewan, which he accepted and Dalhousie University. Under his leadership the College of Medicine, USask underwent remarkable culture change and system transformation culminating in the best accreditation status the College has had in the last 20 years. He also addressed the critically important issue of Indigenous health and representation in medicine. Engaging with Indigenous leaders, faculty, staff and physicians Indigenous health became one of the key priorities of the College’s strategic plan. Following through with that commitment, Dr. Smith established the new role of Vice Dean of Indigenous Health and with his guidance and support, the Department of Indigenous Health and Wellness, the first of its kind in Canada, is being developed.

 

In addition to these leadership achievements, Dr. Smith’s leadership style has been described by his colleagues and mentees as being considerate, thoughtful, collegial, respectful and reflective.

 

“Dr. Smith is an artful leader, demonstrating the ability to listen deeply, acknowledge differences, seek consensus and advocate for those with less powerful voices. He is also an artful mentor, recognized locally, nationally (and internationally) for his own skills as a mentor, and also for his recognition of the importance of mentorship as a vital tool for personal and leadership growth.” – Dr. Anna Karwowska