Announcement: Dr. Davy Cheng appointed Acting Dean

I am pleased to inform you that Dr. Davy Cheng has agreed to serve as Acting Dean of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry for the period October 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, and that his appointment enjoys the support of Western’s Board of Governors through its Senior Policy & Operations Committee.

Dr. Cheng is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine and he also currently serves as the Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs for the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. He is recognized as a world expert in perioperative outcomes and resource utilization in cardiac surgery/anesthesia, critical care medicine, and perioperative evidence-based medicine.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Cheng served as the Chair/Chief of the Department of Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine (2001-2017) and also as Chair of the Committee of Clinical Chairs (2012-2016). He holds a BSc (Hon) in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa, an MSc in Biochemistry from Western University, and his MD from the University of Toronto, where he completed his internal medicine internship and anesthesia residency in 1987. Dr. Cheng joined the faculty at the University of Toronto following a Clinical Research Fellowship and a Cardiovascular Anesthesia Fellowship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Prior to joining Western in 2001, he was a Professor and Deputy Chief of Anesthesiology at Toronto General Hospital and he also served as Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Surgery Program for the University Health Network in Toronto.

Dr. Cheng was nominated for the acting decanal role by several members of the School, which was considered within the context of a strong pool of other nominees. In reaching my decision to recommend his appointment to the Board, I consulted with outgoing Provost Janice Deakin, Vice-Provost (Academic Planning, Policy & Faculty) Karen Campbell and President Amit Chakma, and we are unanimous in our view that Dr. Cheng has the necessary experience and competencies to carry out the role.

I am delighted that Dr. Cheng has agreed to take on these responsibilities. With the support of colleagues within the School, across campus and among our external institutional partners, I am confident he will provide strong leadership during the interim period that we undertake the search for the next Dean of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Please join me in thanking and congratulating Dr. Cheng for taking on this important role for the School and the University.

Sincerely,

Andrew Hrymak, PhD
Provost & Vice-President (Academic)