Dr. Michael Howlett’s installation as President of the national professional association is a first for a Lakeridge Health physician
(Durham Region) – June 13, 2022 – Dr. Michael Howlett, Chief and Medical Director, Emergency Services, Lakeridge Health is the newest President of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP), a national professional organization that represents more than 2,300 emergency room doctors from across Canada. This is the first time a physician from Lakeridge Health has served in this role.
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity and am looking forward to collaborating and learning from my emergency medicine colleagues across Canada,” said Dr. Howlett. “With the events related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts on our emergency departments, patients, staff, and physicians across the country, we recognize that care for people in our communities has to be done differently. Emergency medicine is a window to the health of our society. And we are seeing a level of individual and collective emotional exhaustion in our communities we haven’t seen before.”
Together with other emergency department (ED) physician leaders and experts, Dr. Howlett will be leading collaborative efforts to find innovative and novel solutions to help improve access to and delivery of vital emergency services at hospitals across Canada.
“We are extremely proud of Dr. Howlett and his continued leadership in Lakeridge Health’s EDs,” said Dr. Tony Stone, Chief of Staff, Lakeridge Health. “With the high volume of patients and health human resources challenges facing many hospital EDs, the work of the CAEP will be critical in assisting hospitals such as Lakeridge Health. The collaborative expertise and knowledge-sharing will help to find new models of care that will improve the quality of care and patient experience in our EDs.”
“This is a tremendous accomplishment and wonderful moment for Lakeridge Health,” said Cynthia Davis, President and CEO, Lakeridge Health. “Dr. Howlett will be on the cusp of the newest evidence-informed practices in emergency medicine. We are so thankful for his dedication and commitment to ensuring the highest quality of care at Lakeridge Health. And together with the expertise from others, we will be one step closer to achieving our goal of One System. Best Health.”
Dr. Howlett will continue in his role as Chief and Medical Director, Emergency Services at Lakeridge Health, while serving as President of the CAEP. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Queen’s University and associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Dalhousie University. He says he is looking forward to collaborating and learning from his emergency medicine colleagues from across Canada.
“We need to learn to hear each other and build on our creative capacity,” said Dr. Howlett. “We have some of the brightest and most thoughtful people in the world, and we are better when we work with each other. We can lead a call for this change by working with each other in synergy.”
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About Lakeridge Health
With five hospitals, four emergency departments, three critical care units, a long-term care home, a full range of medical and surgical specialties, and more than 20 community health-care locations, Lakeridge Health offers some of the broadest and most comprehensive range of acute care, ambulatory care, and long-term care services in Ontario.
Lakeridge Health is home to several regional specialty centres and services, including the Central East Regional Cancer Program, R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre, The Shoulder Centre, and eye care and chronic kidney disease services. Additionally, we are proud to serve our community with a full suite of inpatient, ambulatory, and community-based mental health and addictions services, and provide safe, high-quality, compassionate care in our state-of-the-art long-term care home, Lakeridge Gardens.
Guided by our vision of One System. Best Health. and supported by a dedicated team of more than 7,700 staff, physicians, and volunteers, Lakeridge Health is working in collaboration with its Durham Ontario Health Team, primary care, and community partners to foster a truly integrated, regional system of care. Together, we are focused on empowering people to live their best health and fostering an accessible, inclusive, and equitable environment for all.
For more information, please contact:
Sharon Navarro
Manager, PR and Digital Communications
Lakeridge Health snavarro@lh.ca 905-435-7889
