MI Welcomes its new Department Chair, Dr. Michael Patlas!
At the beginning of July, the Department of Medical Imaging welcomed their new Chair, Dr. Michael Patlas, MD, FRCPC, FASER, FCAR, FSAR. Dr. Patlas brings with him two decades of experience in different academic and medical centres as well as a diverse background as a clinician, educator, scientist, and Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal (CARJ).
His career in Canada started as a clinical fellow at University of Toronto (U of T) over two decades ago, making his appointment as Chair a full circle moment.
“When I was a resident, I studied from an ultrasound textbook edited by Dr. Stephanie Wilson, former CAR President and visionary radiologist. I wrote to Dr. Wilson expressing my interest in ultrasound and research, and she invited me to apply to a fellowship at U of T,” Dr. Patlas recalls. “It can be overwhelming to start working in a new country, especially at one of the top 10 radiology departments in the world. I had to quickly learn about new entities, but I have fond memories of my fellowship, particularly the camaraderie with other fellows, staff, and radiologists.”
Dr. Patlas’ medical education and career began in Jerusalem, where he moved to from Russia (at the time, the Soviet Union), and completed his medical schooling and residency; afterwards, he worked as a staff radiologist for a year and a half at Shaare Zedek Medical Centre. Dr. Patlas then moved to Toronto to complete a fellowship in Abdominal Imaging at U of T, before moving on to work as a staff radiologist at McMaster University. During his time there, Dr. Patlas served as the Fellowship Program Director and the Emergency Radiology Division Director.
On top of this, Dr. Patlas also served for five years as Program Chair for the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR). He was appointed Editor-in-Chief for the Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal in 2019, tripling the impact factor for the Journal. He has also edited five books with approximately 400 contributors. In addition, Dr. Patlas is the Founder and President of the Canadian Emergency, Trauma, and Acute Care Radiology Society; a gold medal honoree from the European Society of Emergency Radiology; and has received honorary fellowships from CAR, the Society of Abdominal Radiology, and the American Society of Emergency Radiology.
Looking ahead to his time as Chair of Medical Imaging, Dr. Patlas remains aware of the pressure and stresses felt by the faculty during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges added by clinical backlogs. To address this, he plans to direct his focus on several areas, including prioritizing faculty wellness and creating conditions to increase satisfaction of faculty and trainees. He also plans to build on the equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives started by his predecessor, Dr. Alan Moody, including the continuation of the Women in Radiology event, with an aim at bridging the gender gap in radiology.
He also plans to continue work in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in radiology, using the opportunities that exist within AI to serve patients and develop and deploy relevant algorithms for clinical practice with a goal of integrating multiple academic and community imaging departments affiliated with U of T. He will also focus on educational undertakings, including Chair’s Grand Rounds.
“I am tremendously excited to lead an academic department of U of T because of its inclusive atmosphere and international leadership in science and education,” Dr. Patlas says. “As the new chair, I see my colleagues and trainees as the most important assets of the department and plan to position wellness in the centre of everything we do.”
Congratulations on your new role and welcome to the department, Dr. Patlas!