Council Award
Visionary leader for pediatric medicine honoured
Dr. William Gary Smith
photo: claudia hung
Dr. William Gary Smith, a nationally recognized authority on pediatric medicine, received a Council Award at the May Meeting. In a career that has spanned almost 40 years, Dr. Smith has played a principal role in the development of a regional maternal, child and youth program in Orillia that today is an acknowledged centre of excellence for pediatric patient care, academics, research and training. He has done this in his roles as a pediatric consultant, as Chief of Pediatric and Neonatal Medicine and the Family and Community Program Medical Director at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital( OSMH), as a researcher, teacher and in countless other leadership positions. Along the way, Dr. Smith has firmly established himself as an expert in neonatal intensive care, pediatric asthma, diabetes and sports medicine. Dr. Smith was the driving force behind the development of a regional clinic model in which pediatricians work with allied health-care professionals to manage numerous chronic conditions within the local community. Today, thanks to his vision, Orillia and the surrounding region boast pediatric multi-discipline teams in diabetes, eating disorders, developmental disabilities and assessments, sexual assault and child abuse, and a neo-natal follow-up clinic. While multi-discipline teams are common today, when Dr. Smith proposed establishing them in Orillia 30 years ago, it was a novel concept for the community. Dr. Smith grew up in Timmins and earned his medical degree at the University of Toronto. He settled in Orillia in the early 80s where he earned a reputation as a clinician deeply committed to the well-being of every child and family that came under his care. That commitment was the impetus for his push to develop specialized pediatric programs, as well as for his research, and his leadership at the provincial and regional levels to develop pediatric standards. Dr. Smith’ s published research covers a broad range of issues from diabetes in First Nations children, nonsurgical treatment of protruding ears, screening for congenital heart disease, apnea in premature infants, and evaluation of sexual assault in children, just to name a few. In almost every instance, his research has led to new standards in care and system management. His academic appointments at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine as well as McMaster, Toronto, and Western universities have extended his influence to the next generation of physicians, nurses and trainees, many of whom describe him as an outstanding mentor who made a significant impression on their careers.“ He is a builder,” said Dr. Nancy Merrow, Chief of Staff at OSMH.“ His patients and thousands of patients across the province have benefited from his contribu-
Issue 2, 2017 Dialogue 19