David Eidelman named Dean of Medicine and Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) Now Chair of the Department of Medicine, leading researcher is a McGill grad, native Montrealer
Principal Heather Munroe-Blum announced that today the Board of Governors of McGill University has approved the appointment of one of McGill’s own leading medical researchers and administrators, David H. Eidelman, as Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean of Medicine.
“We are delighted that an administrator, teacher, clinician and researcher of Dr. Eidelman’s outstanding stature will assume the important role of McGill Dean of Medicine and Vice-Principal (Health Affairs),” said Prof. Munroe-Blum. “David has demonstrated superb leadership in his Department, in the Faculty and, broadly, in the research, clinical and teaching milieux and he will bring his deep intelligence, high standards, strong executive ability and collegial style to this key new role.”
Dr. Eidelman currently serves as Chair of the University’s Department of Medicine. A McGill graduate and a native Montrealer, Dr. Eidelman has been a leading clinician-scientist based at the Meakins-Christie Laboratories, where his work has focused on the development of important models of asthma in animals and the application of tissue culture techniques to the study of the mechanisms of respiratory disease. Currently President of the Canadian Association of Professors of Medicine, Dr. Eidelman has been an active leader in clinical medicine and research in Canada and internationally. In addition to his research and leadership skills, Dr. Eidelman brings to this position extensive knowledge of the health care system having served as Physician-in-Chief at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) since 2004 and previously as the Director of McGill’s renowned Division of Respiratory Diseases.
“He knows McGill and he knows Medicine. He has a simply stellar track record and great promise. We all look forward to working with him in building further our Faculty of Medicine and the McGill Academic Health Network as innovators and leaders in medical education, research, and service, for Quebec, and for Canada, broadly, and reflecting the highest international standards,” Principal Munroe-Blum noted.
“I am very excited to be tackling this challenging position as we make a major transition to new hospital facilities,” Dr. Eidelman said. “The teaching of medicine and the development of new forms of patient care are changing rapidly and I look forward to McGill contributing at the leading edge of these new opportunities, and to building on the remarkable work of each of my predecessors. McGill’s Faculty of Medicine enjoys exceptional international recognition and has a remarkable history. It is humbling to be asked to lead it. No one does it alone and I am looking forward to building partnerships within and outside of the University. I am most eager to continue working with an incredibly talented and hard-working team as we move ahead to lead in these new frontiers.”
Following completion of his undergraduate medical education at McGill in 1979, Dr. Eidelman pursued training in internal medicine at the University of Toronto, first at St. Michael’s Hospital and subsequently at the Toronto General Hospital. He then returned to McGill to undertake advanced training in respiratory medicine. Upon completion of his sub-specialty training, Dr. Eidelman undertook research training first at the Royal Victoria Hospital and subsequently at the Meakins-Christie Laboratories.
Dr. Eidelman then joined the faculty of the Department of Medicine in the Respiratory Division and as a member of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories. His research interests have been focused on the physiology of the airways, particularly as applied to inflammatory disorders such as asthma and cystic fibrosis. His current work is focused on the immunology of obstructive lung diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease.
Dr. Eidelman’s clinical appointments took him from the Montreal Chest Hospital (later Institute) to the Royal Victoria Hospital and eventually to the Montreal General Hospital.
In his role as Chair, Dr. Eidelman supervised a department with more than 800 faculty members of whom 420 are full time, including approximately 250 clinician-teachers based in McGill’s teaching hospitals, primarily the Montreal General and Royal Victoria Hospitals of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), and the SMBD-Jewish General Hospital. Organized into 13 divisions, the Department is the major clinical teaching unit of the Faculty and generates more than $40 million in peer-reviewed research grants per year.
Dr. Eidelman will assume his responsibilities as Dean and Vice-Principal on Jan. 1, 2012, after returning from his leave at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Teaching Affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
For more information:
Douglas Sweet
Director, Media Relations
McGill University
514 398-6752
douglas.sweet@mcgill.ca
About McGill University
Founded in Montreal, Que., in 1821, McGill is Canada’s leading post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 11 faculties, 11 professional schools, 300 programs of study and more than 36,000 students, including 8,300 graduate students. McGill attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, with more than 7,200 international students making up 20 per cent of the student body. Almost half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including more than 6,200 francophones.
About the Faculty of Medicine
Recognized as one of the top medical schools in North America and internationally renowned, McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine has a long tradition of excellence. Founded in 1829, it was McGill’s first faculty and the first medical faculty in Canada. As a leading Canadian medical research university, McGill has been at the helm of breakthroughs in key areas such as biomedical science, epigenetics, neuroscience and stem cells and regenerative medicine. Recent discoveries include the identification of genes that lead to breast cancer, memory loss, spina bifida and type-2 diabetes. Our Faculty comprises over 3,500 faculty members, close to 4,500 students, and more than 600 administrative, technical and other support staff. It encompasses three allied health sciences schools – Nursing, Physical & Occupational Therapy, and Communication Sciences and Disorders – over twenty departments, and numerous institutes and centres, among them, the Life Sciences Complex, the renowned Centre for Studies in Aging, the cutting-edge Arnold and Blema Steinberg Medical Simulation Centre, the McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre, and the Montreal Neurological Institute.