Volume 7 no 1

Call to Action Physician Leadership in 2020

Volume 7 Number 1 In This Issue

https//doi.org/10.37964/cr24719

EDITOR’S NOTE: CSPL celebrates the 25th issue of CJPL

Johny Van Aerde, MD, PhD

Our team would like to thank all the authors, reviewers, and members of the editorial board for helping CJPL grow over the last six years.  We also thank our small and dedicated team who have tried to deliver a quality product with limited tangible resources, but with many intangibles, such as passion and dedication. read article

Taking action toward gender diversity and equity in medical leadership

Lina Abouzaid, Ann Brown, Lyne Filiatrault, MD, Neli Remo, Lynn Straatman, MD

In fall 2018, senior women physician leaders at Vancouver Coastal Health sounded the alarm on the lack of gender diversity among physician leaders. An appreciative inquiry was undertaken to look into the barriers women physicians were facing in assuming formal leadership roles. As women physicians, we could wait for the change or make it happen; we chose the latter option. Although our journey is not over, we wish to share our experience in the hope that it will assist others who may be tackling the same challenges. read article

Physician burden — not just for physicians anymore

Colleen Grady, DBA

It is well known that physician burnout is reaching epidemic levels, and this should be a critical concern for anyone in health care. Health care leaders are dedicated to environments where compassionate care is provided to patients; however, non-clinical leaders are often unaware of the gravity of physician burnout and the impact it has on patient care. read article

ADVICE: Coaching competencies for physicians: goals, values, and beliefs

Nancy M. Merrow, MD

In this series of articles on coaching competencies, we have been exploring how the coach approach fits into medical practice and leadership. In coaching, artful questions and deep listening skills are used to identify the person’s goals, intentions, and inner resources that will be drawn on to move forward. In this article we explore how a professional coach would use additional tools and techniques to augment the structured conversation. read article

OPINION: Take Black excellence all the way to the top

Henry Annan, MD

Since 1867, the Canadian Medical Association has served as the national representative body of the medical profession in Canada. Of the 153 people who have headed the organization, none of them has been Black. The first Canadian medical school was founded in 1824; Canada now boasts 17 medical faculties. Of the scores of individuals who have served as medical faculty dean in Canada, none has been Black. Each year, six Canadian “role models of excellence in health in Canada and the world” are inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. Of the 137 people on whom this honour has been bestowed, none of them has been Black. read article

A framework for inclusive crisis leadership in health care

Javeed Sukhera, MD, Lisa Richardson, MD, Jerry M. Maniate, MD, Ming-Ka Chan, MD

In a crisis, leadership is often driven by a sense of urgency. Leaders find themselves looking inward with a narrow focus and surrounding themselves with those who share similar values and ideas. We propose an empirically informed framework for maintaining inclusive leadership and creating an environment that fosters inclusion throughout a crisis situation. Its three components are rooted in constructive tensions that inclusive leaders can leverage to bring balance, predictability, and moderation to their teams and organization. read article

OPINION: Fourteen health care systems versus COVID-19

R. Douglas Wilson, MD, MSc

COVID-19 has revealed “cracks” in Canada’s health care system. Our 14 health care systems have no evidence-based process for prioritizing health care needs or services with a politically directed component. There is no real collaboration, administrative functions are duplicated, provincial borders create patient access restrictions and barriers to collaboration around academic institutions and centres of excellence, and hospital/provincial human resource budgeting is becoming more difficult to support. Has the time come for recognition, discussion, debate, and decision about health care delivery and how it could be provided in a more cost effective, cost benefit process, for both patient and provider enhancement, for all regions of Canada? read article

Gender disparity in academic radiology: leaky pipeline by design or default

Emaan Amin, MBBS, Tiara Safaei, Muhammad Mustafa Memon, MBBS, Emily Bretsen, Faisal Khosa, MD, MBA

Although the success rates of both female and male applicants are comparable for matching in radiology, there have been fewer practising female radiologists than men in the past decade. We discuss the gender gap in leadership positions and research productivity in subspecialties of academic radiology, radiology professional societies, and editorial boards of radiology journals. We also highlight reasons for ongoing disparity and remedial actions for achieving parity. read article

Ecological resilience and crisis leadership in the COVID-19 pandemic

Raphaël Kraus, MD

The COVID-19 pandemic has applied unprecedented pressure to health care systems around the globe and demanded dynamic adaptation of delivery and structure. In so doing, the pandemic has unmasked remarkable rigidity and, therefore, vulnerability in our systems. In this article, we explore concepts of systems resilience, in particular ecological resilience, and their application to crisis leadership, guided by conversation with Dr. Michael Gardam, chief of staff at Humber River Hospital, Toronto. Furthermore, we argue that resilient systems respect minimum specifications, breed innovation, and are diverse, engaged, and humble. read article

The health system is on fire — and it was predictable

Johny Van Aerde, MD, PhD

COVID-19 has created stresses in all systems, including health care, and the alignment of weaknesses has caused a syndemic. This paper describes how COVID-19 accelerated a collapse that was already in the making. Using a panarchy model, it highlights necessary changes to be made and questions what part of “normal” is worth going back to. Finally, it summarizes experiences and reflections of Canadian health care leaders revealed in interviews held during the first four months of the pandemic. read article

Re-thinking conferences in medicine: opportunities and challenges of virtual delivery

Hilary Pang, MSc, David Wiercigroch, MPA, and Abi Sriharan, DPhil

As the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need for physical distancing, an opportunity to reimagine conference design and delivery has emerged. Conferences should consider widespread adoption of virtual strategies to support professional connection and knowledge exchange driven by thoughtful design and implementation. Although virtual conferences represent a significant paradigm shift, opportunities to improve systemic inclusivity, increase financial accessibility, reduce environmental impact, and increase engagement and interactivity present compelling arguments for change. read article