MUHC hires two new clinical leaders

MONTREAL – Dr. Pierre Gfeller, president and executive director of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), is proud to announce the two most recent appointments to the organization’s world-class clinical team. Effective January 1, 2020, Dr. Marc Rodger (pictured on left) will assume the functions of physician-in-chief and medical director of the Medical Mission of the MUHC, while Dr. Diego Martin (pictured on right) will become diagnostic radiologist-in-chief of the MUHC.

“For the last year, the MUHC has been taking important steps to support and increase the talent of its administrative, clinical and research teams,” said Dr. Gfeller. “The recruitment of two highly skilled and respected healthcare professionals, such as Dr. Rodger and Dr. Martin, is a sign that we offer not only an attractive and stimulating environment for career development, but also one in which to make a significant impact on health outcomes.”

As physician-in-chief and medical director of the Medical Mission of the MUHC, Dr. Rodger will oversee 15 general and specialty divisions at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal General Hospital, Lachine Hospital, and Montreal Chest Institute.

As diagnostic radiologist-in-chief at the MUHC, Dr. Martin will be responsible for assuring consistent service excellence, quality, safety and the organization of clinical care delivery across all MUHC sites. The Faculty of Medicine at McGill University also appointed Dr. Rodger as chair of its Department of Medicine and Dr. Martin as chair of its Department of Diagnostic Radiology.

“We are delighted to welcome Drs. Rodger and Martin into the McGill community,” noted Dr. David Eidelman, vice-principal (Health Affairs) and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. “Their strong leadership and expertise will advance our teaching and research mission in the clinical environment, building on the academic excellence that resides there.”

Dr. Rodger, a native of Chibougamau, Québec, has been a hematologist at the Ottawa Hospital since 1998. Until June 2019, he also served for a decade as chief and chair of the Division of Hematology. He led the development of the Ottawa Blood Disease Centre, which opened in 2012, and founded the Regional Thrombosis Program that provides world-class thrombosis care. A senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute since 2006, Dr. Rodger co-directs the Canadian Venous Thrombosis Clinical Trials and Outcomes Research Network, which he co-founded, and the International Network of Venous Thrombosis Clinical Research Networks, which he founded.

Dr. Martin, who is trilingual, served most recently as the Cosden Endowed Professor of Medical Imaging, Biomedical Engineering and Physiology and Chair of the Medical Imaging Department at the University of Arizona. He was also on faculty at the University of Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson.

An internationally recognized leader in MRI, Dr. Martin has published widely with regard to improving the precision diagnosis of cancer, cardiovascular and inflammatory disorders, amongst other disease processes. He has stated that he is looking forward to developing high impact initiatives that will solve major challenges in healthcare through education, imaging, computational sciences and technology affecting precision medicine.

“The MUHC has a rich heritage of excellence and innovation,” added Dr. Gfeller. “These appointments and those that will follow shortly reflect our desire to be a future-ready academic health centre.”