NEWMARKET, Ont. – Dr. Alan Lossing (pictured), chief of vascular surgery at Southlake Regional Health Centre, has been honoured with a Champions of Telemedicine Award by the Ontario Telemedicine Network.

“I am thrilled to receive this award. It’s amazing to see how with videoconferencing on computers, tablets and iOS devices we are able to give patients easy and convenient access to specialized care,” said Dr. Lossing. “It’s a gift to eliminate the patient’s stress around travelling long distances for consultations.”

Dr. Lossing was chosen as a recipient of the award for his enthusiasm and support for telemedicine, and for wholeheartedly embracing OTN’s telemedicine solutions into his practice.

Traditionally, patients requiring specialized care may travel long distances so they can see a particular specialist. Now, with the help of telemedicine technologies, patients from all over the province have the ability to consult with Dr. Lossing from their own communities for pre/post-op visits, making his specialized techniques for aortic aneurysm repair more accessible.

Dr. Lossing has been an advocate for telemedicine within the healthcare network and is always eager to help OTN develop, test, and deploy new solutions, such as personal computer videoconferencing and its new “send invite” feature which allows providers to invite those outside the network, such as patients and caregivers, to a videoconference call.

The Champions of Telemedicine Award has been established to commemorate the outstanding contributions of leaders in each of Ontario’s 14 LHINs who have helped develop, test and deploy new technologies to improve care delivery.

“OTN’s Champions of Telemedicine have pioneered the adoption of telemedicine solutions in various healthcare settings across the province,” said Ed Brown, CEO, OTN. “Their forward-thinking, hard work and commitment to integrating innovative technologies into their communities has formed one of the largest networks of connected care providers in the world, and has paved the way for a new model of care – one that puts the patient first.”

In addition to his role at Southlake, Dr. Lossing is the Medical Director of Telemedicine at St. Michael’s Hospital, and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.

In 2014, Dr. Lossing was also honoured with the Squires-Hyland Trust James Waddell Mentoring Award at St. Michael’s Hospital, which pays tribute to those individuals who have made extraordinary efforts to support young staff during the early years of their career.

About Southlake Regional Health Centre

Southlake Regional Health Centre is a state-of-the-art regional hospital offering advanced levels of care to the more than one million people who live in northern York Region and south Simcoe County. Advanced, specialty services include cardiac and cancer care, child and adolescent eating disorders, mental health services for children, paediatrics and perinatal care, thoracic and cataract surgery, and arthritis care. Affiliated with the University of Toronto in the training of medical residents as part of the Academic Family Health Team at Southlake, the Hospital has developed a partnership with York University to bring ground-breaking research to Newmarket through the creation of the Research Institute. Southlake’s team of more than 3000 employees, 530 physicians, and 1,100 volunteers are committed to providing each and every person who walks through the doors with a shockingly excellent experience.