Physician Leadership Opportunities

The Chief provides leadership for one of the largest departments at NYGH, consisting of approximately 340 physicians including 133 Active Staff, 9 Active Secondary Staff, 40 Clinical Associates, and 158 Courtesy Staff. Of these physicians, 145 have a Faculty Appointment at the University of Toronto. These physicians are involved in a diverse range of clinical activities at NYGH. Community family physicians provide primary care to people in our community, refer patients to services at NYGH when required, and resume care following discharge from acute care.  Department members also provide patient care within the hospital, including the ED, Palliative Care, Obstetrics, Mental Health, Hospitalist Medicine and Long-term Care.

The Chief is a member of the Executive Committee of the University’s Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM).  In this capacity, he or she assists in the development, planning, implementation and administration of the Hospital’s teaching and research programs with the University of Toronto and any other educational/training organizations working with the hospital.  A critical function is to recruit and guide exceptional academic leaders in the key portfolios of Undergraduate Education, Postgraduate Education, Professional Development and Research. As a seasoned leader, innovator and champion of Quality of Care, the next Chief / Program Medical Director will enjoy an exceptional platform from which to lead the Department and Program into a bright future at NYGH.

The Department of Family and Community Medicine includes national and international leaders in family medicine research, quality improvement and patient safety, undergraduate and postgraduate education. The department produces a wealth of academic work in these fields, which are consistently awarded within the University of Toronto and Canada. NYGH founded The Gordon F. Cheesbrough Research Chair, who jointly holds the position of Director of UTOPIAN – the University of Toronto Practice-Based Research Network. This research chair was established to support an individual with a demonstrated track record of research excellence oriented towards primary care practice-based research networks.

Recognizing the complex nature of the program, its interface with almost every area of the hospital and its size and need for ongoing development and evolution, the Search Committee would be open to ideas around structure, leadership partnerships and other ways of making the position attractive to those who might otherwise consider it too comprehensive.

Equity, diversity and inclusion are a core part of the culture at NYGH. In keeping with our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework, we encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds

The Chief works in partnership with:

• Board of Governors
• Medical Advisory Committee
• Senior Leadership Team
• North York Toronto Health Partners
• Program Directors and Clinical Team Managers
• Other Departmental Chiefs and Medical Directors
• Physicians, Staff and Volunteers
• Patient Experience Partners
• Learners
• Hospital Foundation
• Other external partners and stakeholders
  • Ministry of Health and Ontario Health
  • Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
  • Partner Hospitals
  • Other community partners

Key Leadership requirements for the new Chief/Program Medical Director 

• Advance the Program’s vision by ensuring alignment with NYGH’s strategic mandate and continue to build on the Department’s clinical and academic strengths
• Identify, develop, and implement key program initiatives that can enhance the Department’s organizational impact and profile, while maximizing quality outcome and best practices across the continuum of the patient journey
• Enhance and continue to build excellent relationships with academic partners and collaborators
• Continue to enhance a culture of collegiality and collaboration by partnering with internal and external clinicians, teams, stakeholders and leaders to ensure optimal team performance and the provision of the highest quality and safest care to patients and families

• Lead the Department of Family and Community Medicine Program’s involvement in the Patient Tower and our new Long-Term Care Building. Take advantage of these expansions to innovate in our clinical, teaching and research roles

Management  

• Demonstrate ability to balance patient & provider priorities.
• Be highly strategic in setting objectives and goals in the context of and contributing to the organization’s strategic plan.
• Understand the broader issues in health care systems and incorporate and adjust for relevant issues.
• Demonstrate ability to manage complexity and associated logistics.
• Be committed to strong Nurse –Health care team–Physician collaboration.
• Support interdivisional collaboration with regular meetings with the Heads of Divisions.
• Demonstrate the values of fiscal responsibility.
• Understand their strengths and weaknesses and where they will need the support of others to make the department a success.

Medical

• As an outstanding role model for a practicing Physician, have strong clinical expertise and clinical leadership skills, including the ability to recruit physicians
• Have the ability to:
  • Mentor clinicians and future medical leaders
  • Commit to Physician Wellness as a high priority.
  • Demonstrate expertise in quality and safety improvement.
  • Dedicate the Department to the academic mission in teaching and research.
  • Embrace new innovative approaches to care.

Communication & Leadership 

Be a:

• Visionary, visible and forward thinking leader with the goals of developing a unified Departmental vision and strategy that fosters intra-divisional collaboration and teamwork.
• Strong communicator with passion, commitment, transparency, positivity and competency.
• Leader that enables Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
• Leader with courage and integrity to navigate difficult conversations.
• Leader that embraces complexity.

Education/Professional Credentials 

The new Chief/Program Medical Co-Director will be an experienced, inclusive and visionary leader with experience in medical leadership, clinical practice, strategy and operations. Recognized as an effective change leader, you have demonstrated your commitment to improving service and operations in a clinical setting as well as participating in broader systems-level change

• Possess certification in Family Medicine (CCFP) by the College of Family Physicians of Canada
• Possess or be eligible for an Ontario license
• Possess significant clinical and teaching experience
• Have or be eligible for an academic appointment with the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
• Have experience as an academic family physician

NYGH serves a local population of approximately half a million people in North Central Toronto. The 2022-23 services included:

• 110,558 Emergency visits
• 27,795 inpatient visits
• 480 acute care beds
• 4,233 live births
• 192 long-term care beds
• 29,707 surgical procedures including endoscopy
• 248,764 outpatient visits

In 2022-23, we had 4101 staff, 931 physicians, 287 volunteers, and 27 patient experience partners. North Central Toronto is one of the city’s most diverse and rapidly growing areas. Our catchment area is comprised of a growing seniors population, with more than 50% of people being immigrants to Canada. Additionally, 53% of our catchment population are considered visible minorities and 20% struggle with financial insecurity.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are a core part of the culture at NYGH. In keeping with our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Framework, we encourage applications from people who reflect the population we serve.

North York General’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, Thinking Beyond 

NYGH is guided by a transformational five-year Strategic Plan, Thinking Beyond. This Plan will place NYGH at the forefront of quality, equity and safety, enabling exciting new partnerships to drive improvements in population and community health. Integrated care is central to our Plan, with an ambitious Clinical Services Plan, Digital Health agenda, and NYGH’s leadership in North York Toronto Health Partners, one of the province’s first and largest Ontario Health Teams (OHTs). The Plan enables NYGH to shape the health system of tomorrow through a commitment to exceptional learning and world-class, applied health research. Over the next five to 10 years, we will embark on the most significant expansion and modernization in the organization’s 50 plus history.

Here are our four Strategic Directions:

People come first in everything we do. At NYGH, we view people in the broadest sense

– patients, families, caregivers, community members, physicians, staff, learners and volunteers. We are proud to have a comprehensive framework for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to guide our actions. Our Wellness framework, based on international best practices, cultivates the health and wellbeing of our team. We seek empowerment for all in an environment of discovery and development.

Driving the future of integrated care. Partnerships and collaboration are vital to our work and to our pursuit of continuous improvements for our people and patients. We are part of the Toronto Region, and our broad partners include North York Toronto Health Partners, our local Ontario Health Team; Ontario Health; the Ministry of Health of Ontario; and City of Toronto. We partner with Sinai Health through the Schwartz/Weisman Emergency Medicine Institute, a not-for-profit research, education and health policy institute. We have expanded our digital platforms and virtual care to help achieve health and wellness throughout our communities.

Being an exceptional learning community. With a passion for learning and teaching, we provided clinical placements for 1500 learners in 2022-23. We have five on-site Research Chairs guiding us to leverage data and analytics and carry out applied community health research on a provincial, national, and international scale. The University of Toronto is a significant partner in our scholarly endeavours.

Investing in a better tomorrow. We are undergoing the largest expansion in our history, with a new, advanced inpatient care tower and a new long-term care home and integrated seniors’ campus of care, across the road from the hospital. These are being designed with the guidance of our Patient Experience Partners and our Environmental Sustainability Committee.

The position is comprised of Chief of the Department of Pathology and Medical Director of Laboratory Medicine. The Chief works closely with the Administrative Director of Clinical Diagnostics and the Managers of the Laboratory Medicine Program. This position reports jointly to the Chair of MAC as Chief of Pathology, and to the Vice President, Medical and Academic Affairs and Vice President, Planning, Redevelopment and Clinical Support as Medical Director of Laboratory Medicine.

The Department of Laboratory Medicine includes 10 FTE physicians and 100 FTE technical staff.  It provides services in Hematology, Transfusion Medicine, Biochemistry, Diagnostic Surgical Pathology and Cytology, as well as Autopsy Services for perinatal deaths. The outpatient laboratory serves specific subsets of patients, including Chemotherapy patients.  A busy point-of-care testing program provides the necessary quality structures to supervise bedside testing across all sites of NYGH. Microbiology services are provided exclusively by the Shared Hospital Lab at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, run in collaboration with three other hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

The highly sophisticated genetics lab is the dominant provider of Maternal Serum Screening for various congenital abnormalities in Ontario, as well as providing services nationally. The genetics lab is staffed with two full-time Lab Geneticists who report to the Chief of Laboratory Medicine and 50 FTE technical staff.

Key Leadership requirements for the new Chief/Program Medical Director:

• Align with NYGH’s strategic mandate while continuing to build on the Department’s clinical and academic strengths.

• Demonstrate a commitment to quality healthcare delivery and patient safety, and actively promote and support the academic mandate of the organization.

• Foster collaborative relationships with academic partners to maintain excellence and ensure ongoing innovation.

• Promote a culture of collegiality and collaboration by partnering with external laboratories and referral centers to provide the highest quality and safest care to patients and families.
• Maintain an organized and systematic approach for professional quality control.

Key roles for the new Chief/Program Medical Director:

Clinical Care

• Responsible for the quality of care provided by the clinicians in the Department.
• Participate as an active staff member in the Department of Laboratory medicine, including a clinical case load as part of the regular schedule.
• Ensure the clinical laboratory practice is in accordance with best evidence.
• Oversee the introduction and implementation of new equipment and techniques.

Administrative

• Review the credentials and recommend privileges for Departmental members.

• Manage physician/professional staff scheduling, expenses, and payroll within the Department.
• Ensure compliance with by-laws, policies, objectives, and rules.
• Effectively manage any performance or professionalism issues that may arise among the credentialed medical staff.
• Work with the Program director and Laboratory managers for program planning and development, budgets, and capital equipment.
• Represent the Department on the Medical Advisory Committee and the Program Leadership Committees.

Education & Academic Development

• Coordinate the academic program and establish a process for continuing medical education within the Department.
• Ensure staff participation in hospital initiatives such as professional development, physician engagement, and other projects and programs.
• Be actively involved in the University Department and encourage and support academic promotion and advancement of members of the Department.
• Encourage and support teaching, education, and research initiatives in keeping with NYGH’s strategic plan.

Health Human Resources

• Recruit physicians and technical staff as appropriate.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and evaluations for all medical staff within the respective department.
• Encourage staff participation in Hospital initiatives such as professional development, physician engagement, and other projects and programs.

Leadership & Community Engagement

• Understand the needs of the communities surrounding NYGH and support programs to create health equitably across the community.
• Foster collegial and constructive relationships with other leaders at NYGH and in the broader health care system.
• Continue as a leader in the Shared Hospital Lab to ensure ongoing access for our patients to the highest level of care available in Ontario.

• Facilitate effective communication within the Program and with other programs and services in the hospital, other Chiefs, the hospital Foundation, external stakeholders, and with the broader healthcare system.
• Foster a culture of safety, teamwork, and learning at NYGH.

Experience/Competencies

• Possess a high level of professional competency with both clinical and leadership experience.
• Champion service excellence, patient and laboratory quality of care and safety.
• Adapt to continually changing priorities.
• Be aware of program planning and evaluation.
• Demonstrate the ability to achieve goals and objectives within specified time frames.

Management

• Demonstrate the ability to balance patient and technical priorities with cost effective strategies for innovation.
• Be highly strategic in setting objectives and goals in the context of and contribution to the strategic plan for the organization.
• Understand the broader issues in health care systems and incorporate and adjust for relevant issues.
• Demonstrate ability to manage complexity and associated logistics.
• Possess good negotiation and conflict management/resolution skills.
• Demonstrate the values of fiscal responsibility.

Medical

• Have strong clinical expertise and clinical leadership skills, including the ability to recruit physicians.

Have the ability to:

• Mentor clinicians and future medical leaders.
• Commit to Physician Wellness as a high priority.
• Demonstrate expertise in quality and safety improvement.
• Dedicate the Department to the academic mission in teaching and research.
• Embrace new innovative approaches to care.

Communication & Leadership

Be a:

• Visionary, visible, and forward-thinking leader with the goals of developing a unified Departmental vision and strategy that fosters collaboration and teamwork.
• Strong communicator with passion, commitment, transparency, positivity, and competency.
• Leader with courage and integrity to navigate difficult conversations.

Education/Professional Credentials

The individual will demonstrate a commitment to quality healthcare delivery and patient safety, and actively promote and support the academic mandate of the organization.

• Licensed by the College of Physicians Surgeons of Ontario, or eligible for licensure.
• Eligible for, or already have an academic appointment at the University of Toronto.

• Meets the Accreditation Canada Diagnostics requirements for Medical Director of Hospital Laboratories

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

The leader will consider EDI in everything they do.

• Recruits candidates from all walks of life in alignment with the Hospital’s EDI Framework
• Keeps an open-door policy, fosters a culture of belonging, and communicates with staff in an inclusive manner
• Considers NYGH’s health equity goals and the diverse population we serve when proposing and developing clinical initiatives.

NYGH serves a local population of approximately half a million people in North Central Toronto. The 2022-23 services included:

• 110,558 Emergency visits
• 27,795 inpatient visits
• 480 acute care beds
• 4,233 live births
• 192 long-term care beds
• 29,707 surgical procedures including endoscopy
• 248,764 outpatient visits

In 2022-23, we had 4101 staff, 931 physicians, 287 volunteers, and 27 patient experience partners. North Central Toronto is one of the city’s most diverse and rapidly growing areas. Our catchment area is comprised of a growing seniors population, with more than 50% of people being immigrants to Canada. Additionally, 53% of our catchment population are considered visible minorities and 20% struggle with financial insecurity.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are a core part of the culture at NYGH. In keeping with our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Framework, we encourage applications from people who reflect the population we serve.

North York General’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, Thinking Beyond

NYGH is guided by a transformational five-year Strategic Plan, Thinking Beyond. This Plan will place NYGH at the forefront of quality, equity, and safety, enabling exciting new partnerships to drive improvements in population and community health. Integrated care is central to our Plan, with an ambitious Clinical Services Plan, Digital Health agenda, and NYGH’s leadership in North York Toronto Health Partners, one of the province’s first and largest Ontario Health Teams (OHTs). The Plan enables NYGH to shape the health system of tomorrow through a commitment to exceptional learning and world-class, applied health research. Over the next five to 10 years, we will embark on the most significant expansion and modernization in the organization’s 50 plus history. Here are our four Strategic Directions:

People come first in everything we do. At NYGH, we view people in the broadest sense – patients, families, caregivers, community members, physicians, staff, learners, and volunteers. We are proud to have a comprehensive framework for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to guide our actions. Our Wellness framework, based on international best practices, cultivates the health and wellbeing of our team. We seek empowerment for all in an environment of discovery and development.

Driving the future of integrated care. Partnerships and collaboration are vital to our work and to our pursuit of continuous improvements for our people and patients. We are part of the Toronto Region, and our broad partners include North York Toronto Health Partners, our local Ontario Health Team; Ontario Health; the Ministry of Health of Ontario; and City of Toronto. We partner with Sinai Health through the Schwartz/Weisman Emergency Medicine

Institute, a not-for-profit research, education, and health policy institute. We have expanded our digital platforms and virtual care to help achieve health and wellness throughout our communities.

Being an exceptional learning community. With a passion for learning and teaching, we provided clinical placements for over 1500 learners in 2022-23. We have five on-site Research Chairs guiding us to leverage data and analytics and carry out applied community health research on a provincial, national, and international scale. The University of Toronto is a significant partner in our scholarly endeavors.

Investing in a better tomorrow. We are undergoing the largest expansion in our history, with a new, advanced inpatient care tower and a new long-term care home and integrated seniors’ campus of care, across the road from the hospital. These are being designed with the guidance of our Patient Experience Partners and our Environmental Sustainability Committee.