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Announcement: Dr. David Urbach appointed Chair/Department Head, Department of Surgery
Office of the Dean
We are pleased to announce that Dr. David Urbach has been appointed to the Department of Surgery as Chair (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University) and Department Head (London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s)).
The appointments are effective September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2031.
Dr. Urbach attended Western for undergraduate studies before moving to the University of Toronto Medical School where he graduated in 1993 and completed his General Surgery residency in 1998. During his general surgery training, Dr. Urbach undertook research studies as a graduate student and received his M.Sc. in Clinical Epidemiology in 1999. He then travelled to Portland, Ore., for a clinical fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at Legacy Health.
Dr. Urbach was first appointed to the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto in 2001, where he has served as a Professor of Surgery and Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and held the positions of Vice President and Lead Medical Executive (interim), Surgeon in Chief, Head of the Department of Surgery and Director of Perioperative Services at Women’s College Hospital.
In addition to being a practicing general surgeon, Dr. Urbach was a Senior Fellow at the Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, as well as a Senior Scientist at the Women’s College Hospital Research Institute and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Through his leadership, the Department of Surgery at Women’s College Hospital has become recognized for surgical service innovations such as same-day discharge for total joint replacement and other major surgery, virtual post-operative monitoring and single-entry referral models for surgical services.
Most recently, Dr. Urbach has been appointed Clinical Lead, Central Intake at Ontario Health, where he provides leadership and guidance for the implementation of central intake to improve access and reduce wait times for health services. His research focuses on surgery-related health services and is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and Canadian Foundation for Innovation. Dr. Urbach is especially interested in improving health policy related to surgical services in Canada, particularly access to care and the sustainability and cost of surgery in Canadian hospitals. He has written over 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles, including in top journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association, and has lectured around the world.
As the incoming Chair and Department Head of the Department of Surgery, Dr. Urbach looks forward to building on the department’s existing successes of high-quality clinical care and excellence in clinical training programs and research, as well as collaborating with faculty to navigate strategic challenges and emerging opportunities.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Urbach on his appointment.
Until Dr. Urbach’s arrival, Dr. Emil Schemitsch’s appointment to the Department of Surgery as Chair and Department Head will continue until August 31, 2026. We extend our thanks and appreciation to Dr. Schemitsch for his continued dedication and commitment to the Department of Surgery, LHSC, St. Joseph’s and Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
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John Yoo, MD, FRCS(C), FACS |
Adam Dukelow, MD, FRCPC, MHSc, CHE |