Dialogue Volume 14 Issue 3 2018 | Page 7

INTRODUCING Meet the Registrar Dr. Nancy Whitmore looks forward to developing a collaborative relationship with profession I n her various roles as physician, chief of staff, and hospital CEO, Dr. Nancy Whitmore has always kept a tight focus on the patient care experience. It’s fitting, then, that she is now able to bring that passion to her new position as Registar and CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Dr. Whitmore, an obstetrician-gynecologist, joined the College in early June. Most recently, she had served as President and CEO of St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) where she had previ- ously served as Vice-President and Chief of Staff. Dur- ing her time at STEGH, Dr. Whitmore was credited with making substantial improvements throughout the hospital and for being instrumental in making the hospital a leader in reducing emergency department wait times. Dr. Whitmore received her medical degree from the University of Manitoba and completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at Western University. She is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Sur- geons of Canada and a graduate of the MBA program at the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University. Q&A Dialogue recently spoke to Dr. Whitmore about her new role. Why did you choose to move from clinical practice into leadership positions? As a physician in clinical practice, there is that opportu- nity to make a difference, one patient at a time, which is highly rewarding. However, over the years I began to see an increasing number of system issues that presented significant challenges to the delivery of excellent clinical care. After completing my MBA, I decided to take my business knowledge and clinical experience and make the move to a leadership position where I felt I could have an impact on a broader scale. It was an opportu- nity to make system-wide change and improvements. ISSUE 3, 2018 DIALOGUE 7