NOSM Faculty Member Awarded by College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario

At a recent College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario Council meeting, Dr. William McCready, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), was presented with a Council Award recognizing the compassionate and individual care that he delivers to each of his patients.
Described by his colleagues as an “outstanding physician,” Dr. McCready has led the establishment of a renal unit that is second to none and has been a driving force in the development and growth of medical training in Northern Ontario.

The Council Award distinguishes physicians who have demonstrated excellence in the eight roles identified by Educating Future Physicians of Ontario.  In 1993 the public was surveyed to help determine which qualities reflect the many needs of the community and expectations of their health-care practitioners.  The roles identified were:

•    the physician as an outstanding person and professional
•    the physician as scientist and scholar
•    the physician as learner
•    the physician as health advocate
•    the physician as resource manager
•    the physician as collaborator
•    the physician as communicator
•    the physician as clinical decision-maker

The Council Award recognizes those who fit the vision of an ideal physician.

Dr. McCready graduated in Medicine from Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1975.  After completing postgraduate training in Belfast, he became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom in 1978.  In 1979, Dr. McCready became a research fellow at Toronto Western Hospital, and soon thereafter entered residency training in nephrology, completing his training in Toronto and Saskatoon, in time becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.  In 1982, he relocated to Thunder Bay, in the intervening years he led the way in the creation of an outstanding renal dialysis care team for the community.

Dr. McCready has been teaching medical learners in the former Northwestern Ontario Medical Program (NOMP) since 1982.  This interest led to his roles as specialty coordinator in Family Medicine North, elective coordinator for NOMP and, finally, as Chair of NOMP.  During his tenure as Chair, postgraduate programs in the Royal College specialties were started in partnership with McMaster University.  He also participated in the efforts to ensure the Northern Ontario School of Medicine became a true pan-Northern partnership and in the recruitment and hiring of the Founding Dean.