Announcement: Dr. Todd Webster appointed as Regional Academic Director for Grey-Bruce

Dr. George Kim, Assistant Dean, Rural & Regional Community Engagement at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, is pleased to welcome Dr. Todd Webster as the newest Regional Academic Director (RAD) supporting Distributed Education in Grey-Bruce.

As the inaugural RAD in this region, Dr. Webster is looking forward to continuing to support rural medical education. He has been a faculty member with Schulich Medicine & Dentistry for the past decade, mentoring many learners in his Owen Sound urology practice.

“I think it’s beneficial for all physicians, even those who ultimately may end up in the academic centres, to find out what it’s like in community practice,” he said. “When you are deciding where to hang your shingle you should understand the practice pattern in each unique setting.”

Now, as the newest Regional Academic Director (RAD) as part of Schulich Medicine’s Distributed Education program, Dr. Webster will help guide the medical education program in Grey-Bruce.

In this role, he will be responsible for promoting and fostering the perspective of rural and regional health care in the undergraduate and postgraduate curriculums, while liaising with rural and regional faculty members in the school’s education and continuing professional development programs.

The RAD positions are part of a new structure at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry supporting the achievement of the goals mapped out through the School’s Distributed Education Strategic Plan.

The RADs provide leadership in all educational programs and processes across the medical education spectrum in officially designated Distributed Education academies. They work collaboratively with the undergraduate and postgraduate education programs, and Continuing Professional Development. There are at total of six academies across the Southwest region.

“I am very excited to have Todd join our team with the Office of Distributed Education,” said Dr. Kim. “He has come highly recommended and will helps us further our relationship with the Grey Bruce Health Service and the Grey-Bruce Academy in the coming years. It is an exciting time for us as we work with an engaged partner to build upon the great many relationships with have and look to building new relationships with others.”

Dr. Webster also served as chief of surgery at Grey-Bruce Health Services Owen Sound hosptial, and now also serves as the hospital’s Chief Medical Information Officer building bridges between physicians and information services to bring people together to embrace technology.

“I think the collegiality amongst colleagues is one of the greatest advantages of working in a smaller centre,” he said. “I am looking forward to working with the Distributed Education program at Schulich Medicine to guide the model and continue to improve the learners’ experiences here in Grey-Bruce.”