CALGARY, Aug. 21, 2013 /CNW/ - Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti was installed as president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) today during the association's 146th annual meeting in Calgary. Dr. Francescutti succeeds Dr. Anna Reid, an emergency physician at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife.
"I feel strongly that Canada's doctors can come together to transform our health care system into a system that will better serve our patients," said Dr. Francescutti. "The evolving needs of Canada's rapidly aging population mean there is no better time for the profession to shine."
Born in Montréal, Dr. Francescutti received his combined Doctor of Philosophy (Immunology) in 1985 and his Doctor of Medicine in 1987 from the University of Alberta. In 1994, he completed further studies in injury control while working toward a Masters of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
After completing his residency in preventive medicine at the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in 1995, Dr. Francescutti joined the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, where he became an emergency and preventive medicine physician.
Dr. Francescutti currently works as an emergency physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the Northeast Community Health Centre in Edmonton. As a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, Dr. Francescutti has taught courses in injury control, public health and advocacy.
Over the past two-and-a-half decades, Dr. Francescutti has spearheaded various public safety awareness initiatives and campaigns, including an injury prevention program for teenagers called HEROES and an emergency medical response electronic medical record.
Dr. Francescutti has also published research on topics that include emergency medicine, health promotion and sport injury. His outstanding research and initiatives have earned him prestigious grants from a variety of funding agencies. He holds five honorary fellowships from colleges around the world. An expert on issues related to injury and wellness, Dr. Francescutti has been invited to speak at prestigious national and worldwide events. He is the first physician to hold the presidencies of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Canadian Medical Association in succession.
Dr. Francescutti will serve as president of the CMA until August 2014.
A full biography of Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti can be found at: www.cma.ca/media-guide-gc2013
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is the national voice of Canadian physicians. Founded in 1867, the CMA is a voluntary professional organization representing more than 78,000 of Canada's physicians and comprising 12 provincial and territorial medical associations and 51 national medical organizations. CMA's mission is to serve and unite the physicians of Canada and be the national advocate, in partnership with the people of Canada, for the highest standards of health and health care.
Image with caption: "Dr. Francescutti will serve as president of the CMA until August 2014. (CNW Group/Canadian Medical Association)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130821_C7342_PHOTO_EN_30015.jpg
SOURCE: Canadian Medical Association
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