Dr. Michael Kidd steps down as DFCM Chair

I am writing to announce that Professor Michael Kidd will be stepping down as Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine to accept an appointment as Principal Medical Advisor to the Department of Health of the Government of Australia, and Professor of Primary Care Reform at The Australian National University. This is a tremendous opportunity for Michael and I extend my very best wishes to him. His last day at the University of Toronto will be March 31, 2020.

Professor Kidd joined the U of T in May 2017 from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia where he served as Executive Dean at the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. During his time as Chair of DFCM, the department became a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Family Medicine and Primary Care, the first in the world to focus on family medicine, and its postgraduate program was the first in North America to be accredited by the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA). He also oversaw the release of the first-ever University of Toronto Family Medicine Report and strengthened DFCM’s commitments to health equity by creating DFCM’s first Indigenous Health and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion leads, among many other accomplishments.

I am pleased to announce that the Agenda Committee of the Academic Board has approved the appointment of Professor David Tannenbaum as Interim Chair, effective April 1, 2020. Dr. Tannenbaum is Associate Professor and Vice Chair (Partnerships) in the Department of Family & Community Medicine, and also Family Physician-in-Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital. He previously served as Interim Chair in 2017.

Please join me in wishing Michael the very best in his new endeavours, and thanking David for his willingness to take on this leadership role. Further announcements concerning the search for the next chair will be forthcoming.

Sincerely,
Sal Spadafora, MD, FRCPC, MHPE
Acting Dean, Faculty of Medicine