Sidra Medicine today announced two significant new appointments to its expanding senior management team. Dr. Julio Silva joins the innovative medical and research facility for women and children as its Division Chief of Health Informatics and Timothy B. McDonald, MD, JD has been appointed Service Chief for Anesthesiology. Both physicians are highly qualified and experienced in their fields and combine clinical expertise with strong track records in leadership, research and education. Dr. McDonald will also assume the role of Medical Director of Quality and Safety at Sidra Medicine, as well as take up the position of Chair of Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Both Dr. Silva and Dr. McDonald will report directly to Sidra Medicine’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Edward Ogata.
Commenting on the new appointments, Dr. Ogata said: “I am extremely pleased to start this all-important year for Sidra Medicine with the addition of two truly exceptional healthcare professionals to our leadership team. Both are ideal candidates for these positions and will be instrumental in ensuring that the services we bring to the women and children of Qatar and the region represent the highest possible standards of patient care. At Sidra Medicine, Dr. McDonald will combine his pediatric anesthesiology expertise with vast knowledge as a thought leader in patient safety, making him an ideal fit for our organization in which safe, high-quality patient care is our number one priority. Dr. Silva, meanwhile, will play a crucial role in delivering on Sidra Medicine’s vision for truly integrated, seamless and patient-centric technology.”
“Sidra Medicine’s vision of creating a hub for excellence in pediatric and women’s healthcare, research and education for the people of Qatar and the region is unique and inspiring,” said. Dr. McDonald. “I am very excited about working with my colleagues at Sidra Medicine and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar to make that vision a reality.”
Dr. McDonald is a pediatric anesthesiologist and also holds a degree in law. He is a national figure in the United States in patient safety and the delivery of high quality patient care. Prior to joining Sidra Medicine, Dr. McDonald was Chief Safety and Risk Officer for Health Affairs at the University of Illinois, Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago and Adjunct Professor of Law at Loyola University Law School. During the transition to Sidra Medicine, Dr. McDonald will complete the final phases of his $3M US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ] patient safety research grant.
Dr. Silva joins Sidra Medicine from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., where he helped build, manage and improve the enterprise-wide electronic health system, as well as serving as co-principle investigator on a U.S. Department of Defense-funded research project in biosurveillance and bioterrorism preparedness. Sidra Medicine’s Department of Health Informatics will lead information integration among the various health institutions in Qatar, as well as ensuring that Sidra Medicine’s information systems operate to optimum patient outcome, operational decision-making, innovation and discovery. Dr. Silva will also oversee the development and implementation of Sidra Medicine’s Clinical Information System—Patient Electronically Accessible Record for Life (PEARL), a comprehensive communications system that will help register, schedule and track a patient throughout his or her hospital stay and beyond, among other functions. “The commitment shown by the senior leadership team to provide future patients and partners with access to the best technology and talent and the excitement around the opening of the hospital is contagious. I am honored to be part of this inspirational team,” said Dr. Silva.