Administrative Team Update: New Faces at 123

A message from Salvo Candela, Business Manager at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Dear UofT ObGyn community:
 
Each month, this newsletter recounts the many achievements of our faculty members and trainees in their roles as clinicians, educators, researchers and advocates. The reach of our collective efforts extends well beyond the Toronto area, with an impact felt provincially, nationally and globally.

The administrative staff at 123 Edward takes particular pride in supporting these important efforts. As you are likely aware, our Department benefits from a strong and talented administrative team that works together with a high degree of collegiality, collaboration, and mutual support. This sense of teamwork permeates everything we do in support of our faculty members and learners.

Even in a “normal” year, the first months of the winter session are a busy time for us at 123. This year, of course, has been extraordinary on many levels, with all of us keeping up with our duties while working from home since mid-March. Technological requirements, childcare and eldercare demands, and the stress of isolation have made this period particularly challenging, but our team continues to push forward and find a way to keep our operations going, with a great deal of mutual support and good humour helping us along.

And in the midst of all this, our Department has welcomed three new staff members to the team! In the best of times, learning a new job can be an uphill climb; to do so via Zoom meetings and emails requires even more of a concerted effort. And still our new colleagues have risen to the occasion as they settle into their new roles. Please allow me to introduce them to you!

Alison Clute joins us as Departmental Assistant, providing administrative support to the Business Manager, the Chair, and the Undergraduate Program. Alison is the welcoming face of our Department, greeting visitors to our office and providing frontline information to members of the public who contact us via phone or email. She also provides support to the Executive Committee and the Faculty Professional Development Committee, and oversees a variety of administrative projects. Alison holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from the University of Tours in France, and joins us most recently from Morneau Shepell, after previous work for the French Military Police Force in Paris. In her free time, she likes to spend time with friends, bake, and listen to podcasts. Having joined us in January, she had some time working in our offices before the pandemic took hold, and has remarked on how welcome she has felt from the beginning.

Jordan Crawford joins us as Residency Program Assistant, providing administrative support to the Residency Program. In her role, Jordan is the first point of contact for the residents for all administrative matters, providing information or escalating to others as needed. She provides direct support to the Residency Program Director, the Residency Program Officer, and the various committees that provide governance and oversight to our Residency Program. She also works with faculty members and residents to coordinate the weekly Academic Half Day program, as well as a range of seminars, meetings, and social events. Jordan holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Guelph, as well as a postgraduate certificate in community and social service management from Conestoga College. She comes to us with experience supporting undergraduate medical programs, first at Dalhousie University and most recently at the Department of Surgery here at UofT. Jordan likes to paint in her free time, especially on tiny canvases—according to her, there is no canvas too small! She joined us in March, and so her onboarding and training has been carried out completely via Zoom, but she commented that despite our team working remotely, the camaraderie and feeling of teamwork has been evident to her.

Zlatan Ramusović joins us as Academic and Data Coordinator, overseeing all aspects of faculty members’ appointment at the University, including initial appointments, three-year reviews, junior promotions, senior promotions, as well as annual reviews of part-time, adjunct and status-only appointments. Zlatan serves as the primary point of contact for faculty members regarding all of these processes, providing advice and information as needed. He provides direct administrative support to the Department Appointments Committee and the Department Promotions Committee, and also oversees all faculty teaching evaluation data, managing databases, ensuring accuracy, and compiling various reports as needed. Zlatan holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of British Columbia, as well as a master’s degree in philosophy from Concordia University. He brings with him a range of experience in the higher education context, most recently in an administrative position at McGill University. In taking on this role, Zlatan is eager to expand his experience in data management, and in doing so has also decided on a move away from Montreal. He enjoys reading lots of fiction, as well as books on Balkan history, and looks forward to adapting to life in Toronto.

With the arrival of Alison, Jordan, and Zlatan, our staff has grown to eight full-time employees. You can find a full listing of our team here: https://obgyn.utoronto.ca/contact-us
 
And last, but certainly not least, I must mention a colleague who has moved on. Pascale Wilmot has served in a Programs Assistant role for the past 18 months, providing vital support to both the Residency and Undergraduate programs on an interim basis as we developed the new positions recruited above. Pascale stepped into this role ready to learn, and learn she did: by the end of her time with us, she had firmly cemented her place as a “mother hen” to our sixty-odd residents. We will all miss having Pascale as part of the team, and I leave you with her own words reflecting on her time working with ObGyn:

The past 18 months have been an absolute delight. The Obstetrics and Gynaecology team is exactly what you hope for in a team - a group of incredible people; dedicated, supportive, kind, talented, knowledgeable, hard-working, professional and so FUNNY! 
 
The office team were such an awesome group of people, as were the faculty and the residents! I was always treated as an equal by the faculty and shown tremendous respect and gratitude for the little things I did. “Thank-yous” were in abundance!
 
My love for the residents was not subtle, these wonderful humans took their time to train me and show me what they did, and they truly do great things – never have I felt so incredibly welcomed and valued as I have with this team. I will truly miss everyone, I will miss the laughter, the camaraderie and my favorite day Academic Half Day – education is an incredible privilege and being able to listen in and hear those on the cutting edge share their expertise was an exceptional experience and one I will always be grateful for. 
 
Thank-you to ALL of you for showing me such kindness. I wish you all the very best and look forward to crashing the first OBGYN party, once public health deems it’s safe to do so.
 
Be well. Be safe. Do great things.
Big Hugs, Pascale

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