The Kudos Project: Show your colleagues you care!
A simple thank you goes a long way.
The next time you notice a VPSA colleague going above and beyond, send them a thank you care of VPSA. We’ll let your colleague know and, with permission, post your kudos to our website. Let’s put physician team well-being front and centre!
Recognize your colleagues for something you feel is extraordinary. It might be:
- Providing excellent patient care
- Going the extra mile
- Being a team player
- Demonstrating amazing patience
- Showing true leadership
- Modelling kindness
Send a thank you to a VPSA colleague by filling in our digital form.
Here are some of the kudos sent (we only post kudos if the sender agrees):
Dr. Junella Lee sent kudos to Dr. Diane Fredrikson for showing true leadership. Dr. Lee wrote, "Dr. Diane Fredrikson supports the well-being of physician colleagues. Thank you for showing leadership and advocacy in this area when you help facilitate commensality groups!
Dr. Paige Zhang sent kudos to Dr. Suneina Mohan for being a team player. Dr. Zhang wrote, "Dr. Mohan is an amazing and thoughtful clinician, who despite covering many services (providing excellent care) is always available for advice or to help. She is never afraid to advocate for her patients and team members. She brightens any room she's in, and is a joy to work with!"
Dr. Allison Mah sent kudos to Drs. Victoria Weaver, Anthony Lieu and Jason Zou for going the extra mile. Dr. Mah wrote, "Drs. Weaver, Lieu and Zou started the Party Planning Excellence (PPE) Committee for the division of infectious disease and organized an amazing holiday social for all ID and Medical Microbiology faculty, staff and trainees. They put in an extraordinary amount of effort with a fun trivia game to get everyone excited."
Dr. Faisal Khosa sent kudos to Dr. Ismail Ali for showing true leadership. He wrote, "Dr Ali is an inspiring leader who goes beyond the call of duty for his colleagues and patients."
Dr. Marya Aman sent kudos to Dr. Galilee Thompson for providing excellent patient care. Dr. Aman wrote, "Galilee not only provides thoughtful and comprehensive patient care she also works to fill needs and gaps in the system. Channeling her interests to best support individuals in need. She is a remarkable role model and friend."
Dr. Maja Segedi sent kudos to Dr. Stephanie Chartier Plante for going the extra mile. Dr. Segedi wrote, "I am pleased to nominate Dr. Stephanie Chartier-Plante, a colleague liver transplant surgeon, for recognition of her outstanding contributions to our hospital and the liver transplant program. She has demonstrated exceptional dedication to patient care and an unwavering commitment to the highest standards of clinical excellence. Dr. Chartier-Plante provides exemplary care and consistently strives to achieve the best outcomes for her patients. She has also made significant contributions to innovation and quality improvement within the program. Her leadership in research on normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) and donor organ quality is ensuring that we advance utilization and quality of donor organs at our institution. She continues to work as a mentor for the Physician Quality Improvement Program with other physicians who wish to do the same in their fields of interest. Dr. Chartier-Plante is a strong advocate for ethical, equitable, and high-quality care for all patients. Her dedication, integrity, and commitment to continuous improvement have made a lasting impact on both the transplant program and the broader institution. She continues to inspire me! I am fortunate to work alongside her.
Dr. Michelle Thielman sent kudos to Dr. Tiffany Chong for being a team player. Dr. Thielman wrote, "Thank you Tiffany for exhibiting such kindness and compassion to all of your patients and for being such a hard working team member! I appreciate how clearly you communicate the medical plan to both your colleagues and the patients. I also appreciate the thoroughness to which you clean our shared workplace. Keep up the great work!"
Dr. Raman Srivastava sent kudos to Dr. Lindsay Dodd for being a team player. He wrote, "Dr. Dodd is a workhorse. She adjusts her patient load per team needs. When covering patients, she does a thorough review so patients don't feel short-changed. She doesn't complain, even when times are stressful and we're stretched. She's also taking on more leadership roles which is an asset to the department as well. Because she's quiet and judicious with her comments, I wonder if she's often overlooked. I think it's important she knows people notice and appreciate her efforts."
Dr. Marla Gordon sent kudos to Dr. Haley Smith for demonstrating amazing patience. Dr. Gordon wrote, "Dr Smith is a new to practice MD, working in a variety of settings including LTC. She has shown extreme patience and compassion when interacting w LTC pts and their families who have multiple complex and challenging problems and expectations. Haley remained calm, empathetic and respectful, while keeping the pt as the priority and providing excellent care. Kudos Haley."
Dr. Sakara Hutspardol sent kudos to Dr. Alissa Wright for going the extra mile. Dr. Hutspardol wrote, "Dr. Wright has been invaluable in providing her knowledge and expertise in infectious disease-related immunoglobulin prescriptions. She went the extra mile in advocating for Ig stewardship and adjudicating the appropriate use of blood human-derived plasma products. Dr. Wright is collegial and open-minded."
Dr. Andrea Townson sent kudos to Dr. Rhonda Willms for showing true leadership. Dr. Townson wrote, "Dr. Rhonda Willms is stepping down after years of outstanding leadership as the medical manager for the spinal cord injury program at GF Strong. She has built relationships with our acute care colleagues at VGH while working closely with the interdisciplinary rehabilitation team at GF Strong. Among her many contributions, her work to improve care for patients with spinal cord injuries and pressure ulcers stands out. Thank you to her for her years of leadership!"
Sara Chan sent kudos to Mariam Salih for going the extra mile. She wrote, "Mariam went above and beyond in preparing a comprehensive orientation handbook to help ease the transition of newly hired NPs into Stroke Neurology; she has been so supportive during my on-boarding process!"
An anonymous contributor sent kudos to Dr. Roberto Trasolini for being a team player. They wrote, "Your ability to collaborate and create shared problem solving is making patient care better, thank you!"
Dr. Faisal Khosa sent kudos to Dr. Sarah Barrett for showing true leadership. He wrote, "Dr. Barrett goes beyond the call of duty to assist and facilitate trainees and junior colleagues. Her awe-inspiring commitment to helping those in need makes Dr. Barrett an exemplary role model."
Dr. Judit Bakonyi sent kudos to Dr. Dirk Coetsee for going the extra mile. She wrote, "Very big thank you to Dirk for not only going extra miles, but also providing excellent patient care and being a team player. I was on call for the Hospitalist team on November 1 Friday when around 8 pm I was called to se a 95 year old patient with excruciating abdominal pain what had no response to Hydromorphone. He developed an ACUTE ABDOMEN, with physical exam most likely due to an incarcerated inquinal hernia. I found out from his medical record:
His very advanced age and severe frailty made him so weak, he was no longer able to get up from his bed, but cognitively he was still intact, he had no relative around , just his 3 supportive friends - they were at his bedside.. Well prior to this hospitalization he contacted to the MAID team in the community and was assessed as a suitable candidate for the procedure. He had a second assessment by Dirk during his hospital stay and time was set for November 3 Sunday afternoon.
To manage this pain and end of life crisis I was on the phone with Palliative care team to rapidly escalate narcotics and was about to start sedation.
The patient was very clear that he does not want any further investigation or surgery he just want die, he can not take more suffering …he asked if we can do MAID now….All of the patient’s friends supported his request.
Dirk was not on call, but I was able to reach him. He offered his help to come in by 10:30pm on Friday night. The patient and his friends were very thankful and relieved knowing that he is willing to come in so late night for such a short notice.
The patient passed away peacefully as he wished while his closest friends were at his bedside.
All of us highly appreciated Dirk effort to provide solution in this crisis situation.
Dr. Reema Shah sent kudos to Dr. Nataliya Skuridina for going the extra mile. She wrote, "She is always offering to help whenever our team needs an extra hand despite her own busy schedule. And she is always cheerful with a kind disposition."
Dr. Reema Shah sent kudos to Dr. Alexander Rebchuk for providing excellent patient care. She wrote, "He provided prompt and excellent care for my patient. Thank you for consulting all the specialists, putting in orders and arranging everything for my admitted patient. I really appreciated that."
Dr. Nataliya Skuridina sent kudos to Dr. Caroline Benedek for modelling kindness. She wrote, "Always cheerful, helpful and generous spirit, ready to help at a moment notice."
Dr. Nataliya Skuridina sent kudos to Dr. Darwin Young for going the extra mile. She wrote, "Always helpful with consults and indeed going extra mile to help to coordinate patient's care."
Dr. Anna Borowska sent kudos to Dr. Najib Ayas for showing true leadership. She wrote, "An amazing head of department- quick to respond, respectful, friendly, practical, clinically excellent, and keen to listen to ideas on how to improve the program. Hosts a wonderful annual Christmas party too!"
Dr. Anna Borowska sent kudos to Dr. Jason Valerio for showing true leadership. She wrote, "Fantastic colleague and co lead of sleep program, always quick to respond, amazingly knowledgeable, clinically excellent, kind and compassionate."
Dr. Fahreen Dossa sent kudos to Dr. Sarah Barrett for showing true leadership. She wrote, "Dr. Barrett goes beyond the call of duty to assist and facilitate trainees and junior colleagues. Her awe-inspiring commitment to helping those in need makes Dr. Barrett an exemplary role model."
Dr. Tiffany Chong sent kudos to Dr. Michelle Thielmann for providing excellent patient care. She wrote, "Dr Thielmann provides excellent patient care. She is thorough and spends extra time communicating with patients and families. She also a team player who is flexible and tries to help work around our team's schedule."
Dr. Shaqil Peermohamed sent kudos to Dr. Alissa Wright for showing true leadership. He wrote, "As our Division Head, Dr. Alissa Wright puts in countless hours to advocate for our Division, increase capacity, and support every member. Her passion, dedication, and commitment to enhancing our Division should be commended!"
Dr. Tiffany Chong sent kudos to Dr. Rosario Leonor for providing excellent patient care. She wrote, "Thank you for your excellent patient care and spending extra time with patients' families."
Dr. Raheem Kherani sent kudos to Dr. Mollie Carruthers for showing true leadership. He wrote, "Thank you to Dr Mollie Carruthers for leading an important initiative on Gender Pay Equity in Rheumatology. This is critical for ongoing equity within Rheumatology, and in Medicine, generally."
Dr. Fahreen Dossa sent kudos to Dr. Asim Iqbal for going the extra mile. She wrote, "A truly supportive, inspiring colleague who has gone above and beyond the call of duty many times especially in his wellness leadership work."
Dr. Junella Lee sent kudos to Dr. Jennifer Yao for showing true leadership. She wrote, "Demonstrating true leadership, Dr Jennifer Yao shared empathy, patience and wisdom as a mentor in the Physician Mentorship Program. Thank you!"
An anonymous contributor sent kudos to Dr. Andrew Campbell for being a team player. They wrote, "An amazing team player in the ED - always keen to chat with nursing staff, help physician colleagues tidy up and make sure our R1s are managing OK when they're alone overnight!"
Dr. Heather Stuart sent kudos to Dr. Trevor Hamilton for being a team player. She wrote, "Trevor always has time to help his colleagues. Whether in the OR, or looking at a CT scan or discussing his case. He makes you feel like you are important and always goes the extra mile for to engage with those around him. We are fortunate to have him as a colleague."
Dr. Heather Stuart sent kudos to Dr. Peter Kim for showing true leadership. She wrote, "Peter treats others with such a high level of compassion and consideration that it raises the bar for all those around him. He leads with kindness and dedication and it inspires others around him to be better. We are lucky to have him as a colleague."
Dr. Julie Nguyen sent kudos to Dr. Tiffany Chong for providing excellent patient care. She wrote, "Dr. Chong provides excellent patient care and ensure a smooth transition to community. One of the best doctors I have worked with."
Dr. Lily Proctor sent kudos to Dr. Gurdial Dhillon for being a team player. She wrote, "Engages multidisciplinary team to provide excellent patient care. Uses junior learners effectively."
An anonymous contributor sent kudos to Dr. Jens Lohser for showing true leadership. They wrote, "Leading the department through growth and change with humbleness and humility."
An anonymous contributor sent kudos to Dr. Marcus Tholin for modelling kindness. They wrote, "Always helping and giving his all."
Dr. Katherine Paton send kudos to the VH Neuroradiology group for going the extra mile. She wrote, "The whole group has repeatedly shown amazing team response to a colleague with urgent clinical outpatients and expedited scanning (and reporting) that made a difference to patient care - changed diagnosis and got timely treatment. Makes it a team effort looking after patients, and avoiding unnecessary ER visits, not an insurmountable system barrier to get a necessary scan. A million thanks!"
Dr. Lesley Wood sent kudos to Dr. Junella Lee for modelling kindness. She wrote, "Modeling kindness to others and being a team player!"
Dr. Sakara Hutspardol sent kudos to Dr. Margaret Roche for going the extra mile. Dr. Hutspardol wrote that Dr. Roche is passionate about transfusion medicine and process improvement.
Dr. Fahreen Dossa sent kudos to Dr. Junella Lee for modelling kindness. Dr. Dossa wrote that Dr. Lee is just an all round incredible colleague who has always demonstrated kindness, thoughtfulness, intelligence, and collaboration. "She is simply wonderful to work with. Thank you, Junella, for all that you do and for being inclusive and kind to everyone you meet!"
The Kudos Project is an initiative of our Community Building and Wellness Task Group.