St. Michael's Hospital

Foundation

If you have a head injury you want Dr. Avery Nathens on your case!

Dr. Nathens is a man on a mission and his mission is two-fold. One is to provide the highest quality of care to St. Michael's patients who are suffering head trauma and the other is to take this knowledge to cottage country and other rural areas as best practices.

Across Ontario, St. Michael's Hospital is helping to make it better

For many injured Canadians their first point of hospital treatment will be a rural facility with far less advanced trauma care than what is available at a regional centre, like St. Michael's Hospital. What happens from that point on is what interests Dr. Nathens.

From rollovers to bull goring

As the Canada Research Chair in Systems of Trauma Care, Dr. Nathens examines police reports of rural southern Ontario where trauma injuries run the gamut of tractor rollovers to bull gorings and car crashes, many kilometres from the nearest regional trauma centre. He then evaluates the early trauma care patients receive to see where improvements can be made across the province. These changes may eventually take the form of developing a curriculum for physicians partnered with rural centres,
or a program of visits by physicians who specialize in trauma care.

Dr. Nathens knows this research will pay off – he undertook a similar, highly successful project in Seattle, Washington, where he was with the University of Washington. When the opportunity arose to bring his expertise in early trauma care to St. Michael's, which is at the forefront of translating research knowledge in practical "bedside" applications, Dr. Nathens, jumped at the chance.

Innovative Strategies

"St. Michael's Hospital and the province are showing real leadership with the focus on knowledge translation with this project," says Dr. Nathens. "We are using innovative strategies and innovative technologies to improve patient care throughout Ontario. I knew I had a lot to offer in creating something really good for Canadians."

Dr. Nathens' Trauma Risk Reduction Laboratory will be housed in the Keenan Research Centre within the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute.