On Friday, Jul. 1, 2022, John Sheridan will be taking over as Chair of the Governing Committee for SEAMO, the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization. Susan Fitzpatrick has also joined the Governing Committee as Vice-Chair.
SEAMO is an association whose members are the Clinical Teachers’ Association of Queen’s University, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Providence Care and Queen’s University, who support the delivery of “outstanding health care, foster excellence in research and education, and facilitate the transformation of academic medicine in Southeastern Ontario.” According to a release from the association, SEAMO was created to establish policies that enable the delivery of clinical service, health professional education, health-related research and medical leadership related to the Alternative Funding Plan Agreement (AFP) between the members of SEAMO, the Ministry of Health and the Ontario Medical Association.
Sheridan and Fitzpatrick will both serve three-year terms, according to the organization. SEAMO CEO Dr. Jane Philpott thanked outgoing chair, George Thomson, for his outstanding service and commitment to SEAMO during his term, where he oversaw the introduction of both a new Accountability Framework and a Strategic Plan for the organization. Dr. Philpott said that she is excited to “welcome John and Susan in their new roles and looks forward to working with them in the future on the continued growth of SEAMO.”
Sheridan brings extensive business and governance experience to the role, according to the release, having been President of three major corporations and having served as Chair and Director of numerous not-for-profit organizations. He is currently Vice-Chair of SEAMO as well as a Director on the boards for Payments Canada, Elentra Corp and the Centre for Health Innovation.
According to the association, Fitzpatrick is a recognized leader in Canadian healthcare, having had many senior leadership roles, most recently as the Head of the Canadian Drug Agency at Health Canada, and Chair of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research.
In their new Chair and Vice-Chair positions, Sheridan and Fitzpatrick will work actively with Dr. Philpott and the other SEAMO Governors to guide the implementation of SEAMO’s strategic plan, with priorities which include strengthening the engagement of SEAMO members, investigating value-based healthcare in Kingston, and exploring regional partnerships across southeastern Ontario, according to the release.
“I really feel that we have a great opportunity at SEAMO to demonstrate innovation in integrated healthcare in our communities, given the renowned talent of our member physicians and our unique structure,” Sheridan said.
“SEAMO is an entirely unique entity in the Canadian healthcare landscape and has the potential to grow the profile of our incredible physicians and the work they do in research, education, and clinical care,” Dr. Philpott echoed. “Our five-year Strategic Plan will guide SEAMO as a healthcare leader in Ontario and I am thrilled to work with John, Susan, and the SEAMO management team to ensure that continues.”