Dr. Conly’s leadership has impacted many. As Francois Belanger, Medical Director-Calgary Zone stated "Your passion for your department and your colleagues was equal to none. You have led by example in advocating for high quality patient care, and strong education and research programs."
At the celebration we journeyed through the history of the DOM to recognize the contributions of the past Chairs.
Dr. John Dawson was named as the 1st Head of the Division of Internal Medicine at the Foothills Medical Centre in 1965. He was later appointed as the first Head of Medicine for the University of Calgary (U of C) when the Faculty of Medicine began in 1967. During his term, he championed clinical excellence for the Department of Medicine.
He would like to be remembered as a good physician, who helped residents and students.
| JOHN DAWSON, 1965 - 1968 | |
| After DOM Head: | Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs for new Faculty of Medicine. |
| Where is he now: | Retired in Calgary, playing golf and enjoying time with his wife and four children. |
| Honours: | Queen's 25th Anniversary Medal in 1977 for founder's role in the creation of the U of C's Faculty of Medicine. The Department of Medicine Award for Clinical Excellence at FMC is named the Dr. John Dawson Award in recognition of his legacy as a clinician. |
In 1968, Dr Lionel McLeod became the 2nd Head of the DOM at U of C. During his term, he established the academic foundations for the DOM. He recruited individuals such as Dr. Mo Watanabe, Dr. Clarence Guenter, Dr. Henry Mandin and Dr. Lee from Neurology. All of them would later become academic leaders in Calgary and beyond.
| LIONEL MACLOED, 1968 - 1973 | |
| After DOM Head: | Second Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at U of C from 1973-1981, founding President of the Alberta Heritage Foundations for Medical Research (AHFMR) from 1981-1990 and former President of the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges (ACMC). |
| Honours: | Named as one of Alberta's 100 Physicians of the Century. The Dr. Lionel E. McLeod Health Research Scholarship was established in memory of Dr. McLeod to enable academically superior graduate students to undertake full time research training in health research. |
In 1974 Dr. Mo Watanabe was appointed the 3rd head of the DOM at U of C. At this time, only the 1st two years of the Internal Medicine Residency Program was offered. Residents had to go elsewhere to finish their training. He successfully attained his goal to double the residency program and offer all four years of core Internal Medicine training at the U of C.
| MAMORU (MO) WATANABE, 1974 - 1976 | |
| After DOM Head: | 3rd Dean of Medicine at U of C from 1981-1992, founding President and Chair of the Board of the Canadian Society of Telehealth and former President of ACMC. |
| Where is he now: | Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board of the Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation at the University of Calgary; Member of the Advisory Board of the Alberta Diabetes Institute at the University of Alberta; Advisory Board of Calgary Laboratory Services, Alberta Health Services; Campus Alberta Quality Council, Alberta Advanced Education and Technology. |
| Honours: | Medal of Service from Canadian Medical Association (CMA), Officer of the Order of Canada, one of Alberta's 100 Physicians of the Century and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. D.Sc (Hon), University of Alberta and LLD (Hon), University of Northern British Columbia. |
The appointment of Dr. Clarence Guenter as 4th Head of DOM in 1976 ushered in a time of innovation for the DOM. His goal was to build the Department’s research and educational strength through the creation of specialty programs accredited by the Royal College and he succeeded.
| CLARENCE GUENTER, 1976 - 1985 | |
| After DOM Head: | Vice President (Clinical Development and Research) and then President at Foothills Hospital (1985-93). Founder of Lao Human Resources for Community Health Program. |
| Where is he now: | Recently celebrated his 51st Anniversary with his wife Marie. He is a volunteer for health manpower training in developing countries. Especially satisfying are comprehensive, long term collaborations developed in two severely underserved regions of Asia through the Ateneo De Zamboanga University in the Philippines and the University of Health Sciences in Lao PDR. |
| Honours: | Member of the Order of Canada. |
In 1985 Dr. Eldon Smith was appointed the 5th Head of the DOM. This was a period of rapid growth in the faculty numbers as he effectively leveraged Heritage funding to build the research strength of the Department.
| ELDON SMITH, 1985 - 1990 | |
| After DOM Head: | Associate Dean (Clinical Affairs) in 1990 and 4th Dean of Faculty of Medicine 1992-1997. Dr. Smith was instrumental in the creation of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute. He also served as the President of both the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and ACMC and was the founder and President of the Lougheed Medical Research Foundation. |
| Where is he now: | Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta and recently completed a 13 year term as Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. |
| Honours: | Officer of the Order of Canada, Medal of Service from CMA, James Graham Award from the RCPSC and an ASTech Award from Alberta Research and Technology. |
Dr. Eldon Shaffer was appointed the 6th Head of the DOM in 1990. He is known for orchestrating the DOM in the three adult acute care sites under the new Calgary Health Region. It was during that time that the academic teaching programs expanded to the Peter Lougheed Centre and Rockyview General Hospital.
| ELDON SHAFFER, 1990 - 2001 | |
| After DOM Head: | Faculty member in Gastroenterology with a productive research career. |
| Honours: | Founder and first President of Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver (CASL). Distinguished Service and Meritous Achievement Award from CASL. Former President of: the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver (Founding President), Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation, Canadian Professors of Medicine. Distinguished Achievement Awards CAG, CASL and CSCI, respectively. |
In 2002 the 7th Head of the Department of Medicine was appointed. Dr. John Conly was a driving force in implementing the ARP, facilitating innovations such as the Ward of 21st Century and Central Access and Triage, expanding the Core Internal Medicine Residency to the Medical Teaching Unit at RGH, and developing outreach programs. During his term, the Department has grown to 340 members who bring strengths in all areas – clinical care, education, research and administration. He furthered the clinical and academic mission of all 3 acute care sites and expanded our presence in the community and outreach programs. He also took the time to be a mentor to many faculty and students.
| JOHN CONLY, 2002 - 2010 | |
| After DOM Head: | On Sabbatical in Geneva with the World Health Organization (WHO) receiving and revising the pandemic influenza guidelines. He is also studying MRSA screening and transmission with the Infection Control Unit of the University of Geneva Hospital. |
| Honours: | European Health Leadership Program (EHLP) - Alumni Success Story Award, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Chair, Board of Directors of the Canadian Committee for Antimicrobial Resistance. |