James Rutka Appointed Chair of the Department of Surgery
James Rutka
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I am delighted to announce
that the Academic Board has
approved the appointment of
Professor James Rutka as Chair
of the Department of Surgery,
for a five year term commencing
April 1, 2011.
Professor Rutka, a neurosurgeon
at the Hospital for Sick
Children, is highly regarded
by his colleagues locally, nationally and internationally.
He has been a member of the Department of Surgery
since 1990 and has just completed an 11-year term
as Chair of the Division of Neurosurgery. He is cofounder
and co-director of the Arthur and Sonia Labatt
Brain Tumour Research Centre at SickKids and he
currently serves as the President-Elect of the American
Academy of Neurological Surgery, and the President
of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons
(AANS). Professor Rutka has won numerous awards
and honours including: the Medical Research Council of
Canada Career Scientist Award (1999); the Grass Award
from the Society of Neurological Surgeons (2004);
the George Armstrong-Peters Prize (1994), the Lister
Award (2001), the Charles H. Tator Surgeon-Scientist
Mentoring Award (2006) in the Department of Surgery,
University of Toronto; and the Honored Guest Award
from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (2009).
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Professor Rutka's primary research and clinical interests
relate to the treatment of paediatric brain tumors,
as well as the surgical treatment of epilepsy in children.
A prolific author, Professor Rutka has published more
than 300 peer-reviewed publications, and over 50 book
chapters. He has presented at more than 300 meetings
and conferences worldwide, and has given several prestigious
named lectures including the Charles Elsberg and
Wilder Penfield Lectures in 2010. Dr Rutka has served
as a member of the editorial board for several neurosurgical
journals and has been a member of numerous
hospital and university boards and committees.
May I extend sincere thanks to Professor David
Latter for serving as Interim Chair of Surgery since July
1, 2010. I am most grateful for his leadership of the
Department during this period.
Please join me in warmly congratulating James Rutka
on his new role in the Faculty of Medicine, University of
Toronto.
Catharine Whiteside, Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Vice Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions
In the next issue of the Spotlight, we will feature an interview
with our new chair to learn his early impressions and
plans for the Department. Ed.
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