In April 2022, CTAQ held an election for a new Member-At-Large to follow Dr. Chris Smith once
his term comes to an end. Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology’s Dr. Lawrence Hookey won the election and will start his term on CTAQ Executive in July. Dr. Hookey will also sit on the SEAMO Governing Committee.
Dr. Hookey says he ran for the position because he is a believer in a variety of voices and backgrounds on all committees, particularly with CTAQ and SEAMO. “I think we need clinical, research and education voices, and I feel like I have dipped my toes in each of those areas enough to have some understanding of their needs,” he explains. “I want the Queen’s medical teaching community to push things forward in all those domains and I am a believer in getting involved in the process as a great way to better understand how decisions are made.”
For his first steps, Dr. Hookey describes how he will work to understand the processes in place, then ensure there are balanced discussions around any decisions affecting the faculty at Queen’s. “I want to see fairness, accountability and transparency in how Departments work and hopefully less variability across Departments, when possible,” he says.
Dr. Hookey is most looking forward to hearing from his colleagues about their concerns and suggestions, he says. “I truly believe getting involved is the best way to understand how things work and to affect change. Without being involved, you may have concerns, but you are speaking from the sidelines.”