Let me start by wishing everyone a relaxing holiday in the company of your family and friends. It is a well deserved break after a very successful year. We had a successful year in clinical innovations, education and research. The DOM contributed heavily to the Faculty of Medicine and the Institutes. The introduction of the Annual Report Online (ARO) went smoothly and the STAR reports were generally very well done and provided a wealth of data. The strength the department derives from its blend of GFT, Major Clinical and Fee For Service members was clear from the many

Dr. Subrata Ghosh, Zone Clinical Department Head, Department of Medicine

activities over the year, both clinical and scholarly. Many awards – local, provincial, national and international – were given to department members, which are listed in the Annual Report of the department: http://www.departmentofmedicine.com/documents/dom/reports/dom_ annual_report_10_11.pdf. Additionally, Drs. William Ghali, Marvin Fritzler and Jon Meddings were invited to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. We also recruited a number of high profile individuals who are already making their mark in the department.

We also had a very successful retreat in early December, involving clinical, academic, educational and operational leaders. This retreat will form the basis of our short- and medium-term strategies and long-term goals. I would like to extend my personal thanks to Drs. Jon Meddings, Dennis Kunimoto and Francois Belanger for their insight and discussion at this retreat – the feedback was just great. A draft of our vision and action plan will be distributed in the New Year for your review.

Over the year, we invested heavily in communications. We now have a DOM website providing a wealth of information that may be useful to DOM members: www.departmentofmedicine.com. In addition, we have initiated 'Meet the Department' events. The first such event was held on November 30th, 2011 at W21C. This event was very successful and included an informative talk and discussion session by Dr. Ed McCauley, VP Research, University of Calgary. 'Meet the Department' will rotate across the different sites, three to four times a year, and will help to engage members of the DOM with departmental activities. We will also initiate regular evening lecture events which will serve as further opportunities to meet and interact with DOM members.

With our offices for Quality Assurance, Quality Improvement and Safety, Physician Wellness and Vitality, and Patient Centred Care, we are committed to making ourselves a Person-Centred-Care Department. This commitment will improve the clinical experience and outcomes for our patients and we would aim to demonstrate this with evidence. Our philosophy for this endeavour is exemplified by the quote from Donald Berwick inscribed on the DOM awards: Every Patient is the Only Patient.

My sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to making this department a centre of excellence, both nationally and internationally, in more ways than one.