Chief of Pathology and Medical Director of Laboratory Medicine

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.

The Person

Required attributes of the candidate fall into the following categories:

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.

The Organization

North York General Hospital (NYGH) is a community academic hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. In 2023, NYGH was named #1 community academic hospital in Canada by Newsweek Magazine for the fifth year in a row and named one of Canada’s Best Employers by Forbes Magazine. NYGH was most recently recognized as one of the World’s Best Smart Hospitals for adopting advanced technologies for patient care. Through partnerships, collaboration and academic endeavors, NYGH fulfills its purpose of Making a World of Difference. With a strong financial track record over the last 10+ years, NYGH continues to advance excellence in care while ensuring fiscal accountability and efficiency.

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.

For more information about NYGH, please visit our website at: .

Qualified applicants are encouraged to respond in confidence to Dr. Amanda Murphy – Chair of the Chief of Pathology and Medical Director of Laboratory Medicine Search Committee, c/o Rachel Younker via email to