Local doctors to head regional medical school campuses
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Morris_Cathy.jpg” caption=”Dr. Cathy Morris is the new regional assistant dean of the Waterloo campus of McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and Dr. Karl Stobbe is the new regional assistant dean of the Niagara campus. Photos courtesy of FHS.”]The chief of staff of Cambridge Memorial Hospital and a Beamsville family physician have been appointed to head up the new Waterloo and Niagara campuses of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University.
Dr. Cathy Morris, chief of staff and a hospitalist for the Cambridge hospital, has been appointed regional assistant dean of the Waterloo campus. Dr. Karl Stobbe, a family physician and Grimsby emergency doctor, has been appointed regional assistant dean for the Niagara campus.
“We're particularly pleased that we have doctors from each community who will lead the expansion of the medical school in their region,” said Dr. John Kelton, dean of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster.
“They have excellent teaching experience at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. Both are involved in their community and will ensure the students and faculty quickly become important parts of the health care community.”
Morris, a graduate of McMaster's medical school in 1981, has been caring for patients at Cambridge Memorial since 2000. She has been the chief of staff since 2005. She will maintain her hospital roles.
Morris has been an assistant clinical professor at McMaster since 1986, and was an internist at Hamilton Health Sciences for 14 years.
“The painful realities of physician shortages requires the willingness and vision to look at new strategies, in new locations, with renewed enthusiasm while providing the highest calibre of medical education,” said Morris.
“This shared initiative brings together the best of McMaster's innovative program and the clinical strengths and commitment of our enthusiastic community and partners, both vital to the development of our future health care providers.”
Stobbe has been a family doctor in Beamsville for more than 20 years, and he is also an emergency physician at West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.
He is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario's medical school, and joined McMaster's faculty in 1992. Stobbe has been director of McMaster's Community and Rural Education Program and the director of the medical school expansion planning team. He has won several awards for excellence in teaching from both students and the Ontario College of Family Physicians.
“This campus will become an integral part of Niagara's healthcare system,” said Stobbe. “We will use McMaster's innovative curriculum to teach our students to care for the residents of Niagara Region.
“Students will train throughout the region, will learn to practice collaboratively and will feel welcome to practice here.”
The initial class of 15 first-year students of the Waterloo campus began in September. They are currently studying in Hamilton but will move to Kitchener in December. The school will have at least 90 undergraduate and postgraduate students and residents at the school and in local hospitals by 2013.
The inaugural class of 15 first-year students of the Niagara campus begin in September, 2008. By 2014, there will be at least 90 undergraduate, graduate and residents at the campus.
The Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine currently has 465 undergraduate students and 650 residents.
