Regional Academic Directors
Regional Academic Directors (RADs)
The RADs support the achievement of the goals mapped out through the School’s Distributed Education Strategic Plan.
The RADs provide leadership in all educational programs and processes across the medical education spectrum in officially designated Distributed Education
They are also responsible for promoting and fostering the perspective of rural and regional
Drs. Robert Black, Michel Haddad, Lindsey Sutherland, Shanil Narayan, Ian Hons and Todd Webster are the current Regional Academic Directors for Distributed Education.
Dr. Robert Black, Elgin-Middlesex
Dr. Robert Black completed his medical training in 1989 at Western University’s Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. He also completed his surgical internship and general surgery training with Schulich Medicine. Dr. Black has been an Adjunct Professor of Surgery at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry since January 1997, first serving as the Rural Education Coordinator for General Surgery for the Southwestern Ontario Rural Medicine Unit, and
Dr. Michel Haddad, Lambton
Dr. Michel Haddad graduated with his MD from the University of Ottawa. He then completed his cardiac surgery residency at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, along with an MSc in epidemiology. In 2005, he
Dr. Lindsey Sutherland, Chatham-Kent
Dr. Lindsey Sutherland earned her BSc in Human Kinetics from the University of Guelph (2007), MSc (2009), and MD (2013) from the University of Alberta. She completed her Family Medicine Residency at McMaster University (2015) and now practices Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine in Chatham-Kent. She also has experience in Inpatient and Obstetrics care and obtained her CCFP-EM Designation in 2020. Dr. Sutherland has been an Adjunct Professor at Western University since 2018 and is passionate about teaching medical students and residents. She has served on the CKHA Education Committee since 2015 and as Vice President of the CKHA Medical Staff Organization (2021-2025). In 2022, she founded a weekly run group for physicians and trainees, now a favourite tradition during Discovery Week.
Dr. Shanil Narayan, Huron-Perth
Dr. Narayan graduated with his MD from Queen’s University and completed his residency training in general internal medicine at the University of Ottawa. He became a faculty member at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and the Academic Director, Internal Medicine for the School’s Distributed Education Program. Dr. Narayan serves as the Chief for the Department of General Internal Medicine at Stratford General Hospital.
Dr. Todd Webster, Grey-Bruce
Dr. Webster served as chief of surgery at Owen Sound Hospital and now serves as the hospital’s Chief Medical Information Officer building bridges between physicians and information services to bring people together to embrace technology.
Dr. Ian Hons, Oxford
Dr. Hons completed his MD/