GBGH names new chief of staff to lead hospital’s medical staff

December 17, 2019 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) and its Board of Directors has appointed Dr. Vikram Ralhan as chief of staff for a three-year term, effective February 1, 2020. Dr. Ralhan, who was one of six internal and external candidates considered, will begin his transition into the role in January 2020.

“In addition to being a dedicated, compassionate and thorough physician in GBGH’s Emergency department (ED) since 2009, Dr. Ralhan has also embraced many administrative, quality improvement and educational roles beyond direct patient care,” says Dr. Patrick McNamara, chair, GBGH Board of Directors. “We look forward to many valuable contributions as Dr. Ralhan leads our medical staff over the next several years.”

In addition to being a valuable member of GBGH’s ED team, Dr. Ralhan is a coroner, an assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University and an assistant professor of Clinical Sciences with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). He is also the GBGH site liaison lead for students from NOSM, helping bring future physicians to the hospital to learn from a skilled team.

Dr. Ralhan is as passionate about developing physicians and frontline care as he is about quality and safety. As GBGH’s medical quality lead since 2018, Dr. Ralhan has played an integral role in developing and implementing continuous improvement initiatives at the hospital, always bringing his innovative and unique clinical perspective to help improve quality of care.

“When considering applying for the chief of staff, my primary motivation was to help improve care in the hospital for all our patients,” says Dr. Ralhan. “I want to drive quality improvement in all the things we do, while fostering a positive culture with the GBGH medical staff and administration. We have a strong executive team with a vision that not only reflects providing good care in the hospital, but working with our community partners as a whole.”

This past June, Dr. Ralhan was a recipient of one of the highest honours presented to a staff or credentialed staff member by the GBGH Foundation – the Hartogg Innovation in Health Award. Not only recognized for his many professional contributions to the hospital and quality improvement, Dr. Ralhan is a committed supporter of and advocate for the hospital’s Foundation, speaking with donors to offer the physician’s perspective on why equipment is vital to the care GBGH provides.

Contact:
Jennifer Moore
Communications Officer, GBGH
705-526-1300 ext 5177
moorejen@gbgh.on.ca