council award
tions through his work and research . His colleagues have had a mentor and a reliable practice partner , and the hospital has had a visionary leader .”
We recently spoke to Dr . Smith about his life and work :
How did you end up practising medicine and pediatrics in particular ? I always liked the sciences . One summer , I worked for a local pharmacist in Orillia and after that I went to the University of Toronto to study pharmacy . But by the time I finished my first year , I knew pharmacy wasn ’ t for me – I wanted to write the prescriptions , not just fill them . And I wanted to take care of people . My medical training included several rotating internships in different specialities as well as electives at the Hospital for Sick Children . In the end , I found pediatrics to be the most fulfilling . Adult medicine tends to be all about disease . But with kids , the care is mostly about wellness . Yes , children get sick , but for the most part they get better .
What was your vision ? I really believed that patients in the region needed and deserved the same standard of care available at any tertiary level centre in other parts of the province . That meant having multi-discipline teams for a variety of health conditions . Thirty years ago , medicine in Orillia was very much steeped in the idea of physicians managing all aspects of care through their office . Kids with chronic illnesses were often sent to Toronto for treatment as we didn ’ t have the resources to properly manage severe incidents . I knew there was a better way to do this , that we needed a model that brought all allied health-care workers together so that , for example , when a kid with diabetes walked through the door , he or she could see not only a pediatrician , but also all the other professionals , such as dieticians , social workers and education specialists , necessary to meet the child ’ s needs .
You have expertise in a variety of sub-specialities , why did you choose to so broadly expand your knowledge ? I didn ’ t exactly choose them ! They ’ ve usually come to me because of a problem or issue I had to deal with in the community or at work . It ’ s just the way my mind works : when I see a problem and that problem doesn ’ t sit right with me , I have to do something about it . The sports medicine grew out of my kids ’ involvement in figure skating . At skating events , other parents would often ask me about their children ’ s sport-related injuries . I didn ’ t know enough to give proper advice so I decided to take additional training in pediatric sports medicine . Over time , pediatric sports medicine grew to become a regular part of my practice . It was the same with other areas – kids with asthma , diabetes or developmental disabilities were presenting in my clinic or at the hospital and we needed to find better ways to help them .
Was it difficult to rally your colleagues and the community around the new idea of multi-discipline teams ? Not at all . It was an easy sell . People ’ s only concern was where to find the money to fund it – that ’ s a problem that continues in health care today . But there ’ s no doubt that it was a move away from the idea of the physician knowing and doing everything . Now we have multi-discipline clinics in so many areas – it ’ s the standard that is whole-heartedly accepted .
You recently accepted a part-time position as Chief of Neonatal and Pediatric Medicine at the Timmins and District Hospital . What compels you to keep contributing ? I like finding solutions to system problems . I did a master ’ s in health administration a few years back , which gave me insight into how hospitals and health systems work . Over the years , I did locums in Timmins – unfortunately they have limited health resources . Right now there is only one acute care pediatrician in Timmins with locums providing additional coverage . I have a bit of a fix it role at Timmins to help reshape their pediatric program . We are actively hiring more pediatricians and working on a plan to move them forward into a more modern health-care delivery model . They have huge potential and the work is a new challenge I enjoy . MD
About the Council Award The College is now accepting nominations for the 2018 Council Award . Further details can be found on page 18 and on the College ’ s website www . cpso . on . ca .
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Dialogue Issue 2 , 2017