March 15, 2023

Dear Colleagues:

We are happy to share that we now have new surgeon champions appointed in each zone to help us continue leveraging the data and insights gained through the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP).

Our participation in NSQIP helps drive numerous quality improvement initiatives and at the centre of our success is our team of surgeon champions and surgical clinical nurse reviewers. Together they facilitate and encourage uptake of our qualitive improvement (QI) toolkits and help effectively share zone and site-based NSQIP outcome data with their surgeon and zone colleagues.

In January we announced that Dr. Michelle O'Neill and Dr. Rhys Kavanagh had taken on the surgeon champion roles in the Eastern and Western Zones. We are now pleased to be welcoming Dr. Richard Hurley and Dr. Ahmed Jad as our new NSQIP surgeon champions in the Central and Northern Zones. All have a strong interest in surgical quality and will bring his passion for quality improvement to these roles.

Dr. Richard Hurley, NSQIP Surgeon Champion, Central Zone

Richard is an orthopedic surgeon who has been with Nova Scotia Health since 2018, working primarily out of the Dartmouth General Hospital. He earned his MB. ChB. from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Toronto, going on to complete arthroplasty and trauma fellowships at Sunnybrook and Lower Limb Reconstruction at Mount Sinai. 

Dr. Ahmed Jad, NSQIP Surgeon Champion, Northern Zone

Ahmed is a graduate of The Dalhousie University School of Medicine and went on to complete his general surgery training at Dalhousie as well. He completed a fellowship in bariatric and metabolic surgery at Laval University. He has been a staff surgeon at both St. Martha’s Regional Hospital and Colchester East Hants Health Centre.  

Dr. Michelle O’Neill, NSQIP Surgeon Champion, Eastern Zone

Michelle completed her medical studies and orthopedic residency at Dalhousie University, and a fellowship at the University of Ottawa. In addition to a busy surgical practice, she is Co-division Head of Orthopedics in Eastern Zone, Co-chair of the Quality Improvement and Safety Council and a Co-chair of the Provincial Orthopedic Working Group. 

Dr. Rhys Kavanagh, NSQIP Surgeon Champion, Western Zone

Rhys is a general and bariatric surgeon who trained at both Dalhousie University and the University of Iowa. He is keenly interested and committed to quality improvement and has received various awards for teaching and leadership. In his volunteer activities he promotes health and wellness among students in Nova Scotia.

Please join us once again in acknowledging the tremendous leadership provided by our outgoing surgeon champions. These leaders have been part of our NSQIP team since our launch in 2018 and have left a lasting mark on the quality of surgical care offered:

• Dr. Rod McGory, Eastern Zone
• Dr. Trevor Butler, Western Zone
• Dr. Mark Walsh, Central Zone, and
• Dr. Andrea Faryniuk, Northern Zone

Thank you all for your continued support and your efforts, past and present, to translate our NSQIP data into improved care and outcomes for our patients.

Regards,

Dr. Greg Hirsch, Senior Medical Director

Nova Scotia Health Perioperative (Surgical) Services Network

Cindy Connolly, Director, Clinical Networks

Nova Scotia Health Perioperative (Surgical) Services Network

ABOUT NSQIP

Nova Scotia Health joined the American College of Surgeon’s National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) in 2018. The program, developed by surgeons, makes hospitals aware of issues patients may have had after surgery. Knowing these issues helps us find ways to improve.

Nova Scotia Health has 11 hospital sites taking part in the program. They are among more than 800 other hospitals and programs involved worldwide. We receive semi-annual reports (SARs) related to our performance and zone specific summaries are produced and shared with zone teams and leaders.

Past reports and post-operative engagement with patients has led to the development of toolkits supporting the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs), including a care directive enabling prompt, appropriate catheter removal. These efforts have also resulted in improved patient education tools, discharge checklists for general surgery patients, more formalized morbidity and mortality review processes and more.

Want to learn more?

Connect with your local NSQIP Surgeon Champion,

Surgical Clinical Nurse Reviewer, or click HERE.