Geoffrey Cundiff, Head of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Maintaining your bearing while navigating the hazards inherent in your course requires a clear understanding of your destination. This knowledge of the intended target can be challenging for an academic department that ends up with a nexus of clinical and academic objectives that cross divisions, hospitals, programs, and Health Authorities. Successful navigation demands a clear idea of how the goals of the constituent segments coalesce to define the goals of the department. More than a mere summation, the Department’s goals provide a sustainable foundation and unified direction, the “true north” for all of the departmental segments. This is especially true if the Department is to successfully pilot to the Faculty of Medicine’s vision of a provincially distributed program.
The Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology’s true north is well stated in the Faculty of Medicine’s vision, “Through knowledge, creating health”. The knowledge base of health care has never been static but is now evolving at an ever-increasing rate. Two important concepts spring from this recognition. Firstly, that not all of this information is of equal utility to the enhancement of health, and secondly, that the sheer volume of information demands more efficient methods to teach learners as well as maintain the competence of existing providers. Ultimately then our goals are to pursue meaningful investigation that creates useful knowledge, to ensure that our clinical and educational programs are sufficiently broad and effective in scope to translate knowledge to health, and to insure good governance that will sustain our efforts.
Ultimately, the goal of our research and educational efforts is the improvement of the care we provide to the women of British Columbia.
Geoffrey W. Cundiff, MD, F.A.C.O.G., F.A.C.S., F.R.C.S.C.
Professor and Head, Dr Victor Gomel Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
To make an appointment with Dr Cundiff’s Clinic please email his MOA or call 604 806 9684. If you wish to make an appointment through UBC please email his Admin Assistant or call 604 806 9966.