Jan 30, 2017

Rheumatology: Departmental Division Director's Message

Rheumatology
Heather McDonald-Blumer
By

Jenn Kanoza

Heather McDonald-Blumer
As we begin 2017, the following divisional updates may be of some interest:

The Executive Committee is currently composed of the hospital division heads (Jorge Sanchez Guerrero, Dana Jerome, Gregory Choy, and Louise Perlin) and myself. We have met several times over the past three months. The goal is to discuss issues that are relevant across all sites and to increase understanding of the divisional leadership regarding how hospital related issues may impact on the division at large. We have been discussing a city wide approach to:

  • recruitment of clinical associates
  • recruitment of new faculty
  • transition clinics ( for paediatric patients to adult rheumatology  care)

Each hospital based division has had [or will be having] planning meetings to determine their local priorities for clinical activity, education, and research in advance of the city wide divisional retreat which will take place on April 24, 2017.

The Research Committee is a new venture that is being formed to advise the divisional executive regarding research activities within the division - to ensure that collectively, we advance research, scholarship and innovation within the division.  The inaugural group includes Christian Pagnoux, Lihi Eder, Sindhu Johnson, Nigil Haroun and Joan Wither as the faculty mentor. Further membership will be determined by the group. Terms of Reference will posted shortly to the rheumatology website and will be presented at the upcoming retreat for review and discussion. The first meeting of this group will take place in the upcoming months.

The Division of Rheumatology Website is being developed as part of the Department of Medicine’s newly redesigned designed webpages. The website will keep the rheumatology community up-to-date regarding announcements, news items, events, city wide rheumatology rounds [ICC rounds], and resources.  The link for the website is: www.deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/rheumatology