introducing
The Year
Ahead
The College’s new President,
Dr. Joel Kirsh, talks about
his role and expectations
M
eet Dr. Joel Kirsh, the new
President of the College of Physician and Surgeons of Ontario.
Dr. Kirsh, a pediatric cardiologist specializing in heart rhythm disorders at
the Hospital for Sick Children, recently spoke
to Dialogue about a variety of issues, including his efforts to get more defibrillators in
public places, the summer camp that he
founded, and of course, his expectations
for the coming year at the College.
photo: D.W. Dorken
Q&A
What led to your decision to participate
at the College?
A. I’m fortunate to be in an AFP (Alternate
Funding Plan) – AFPs work well in academic
medicine as they support a blend of clinical
care, teaching, research and creative professional activities. As a result of being in an AFP,
I’ve had the opportunity to work on new methods of safer catheter ablation in children, lead
advocacy for school-based and public-access
automatic external defibrillators, and represent
my colleagues at university and hospital-level
governance. After two terms as a Faculty Governor at the University of Toronto and then a
term as President of SickKids’ Medical Staff, I
felt that I was ready to contribute to the work
of the College – I ran for Council and was
fortunate to be elected in District 10.
Issue 4, 2015 Dialogue
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2015-12-16 9:35 AM