2020 Joint Medical Advisory Committee Award
Dr. Michael Payne (left) (pictured with Dr. Scott McKay, Chair LHSC MAC)
Congratulations to Dr. Michael Payne, co-recipient of the 2020 Joint Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) Award for demonstrating qualities of leadership and for providing outstanding contributions to the success of initiatives aligning with the strategic directions of both LHSC and St. Joseph’s. Dr. Payne shares this award with Dr. Michael Silverman.
A quote from their nomination: “These two gentlemen were called upon in the earliest days of the Covid-19 pandemic to consult, advise and make recommendations to our hospitals city-wide on the infectious disease considerations and implications of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which came to be known as COVID-19. As members of the Infectious Disease consulting services of the LHSC and St. Joseph’s Health Care London organizations they unreservedly committed themselves to supporting and informing us all. From the earliest days they made themselves available to speak with any and all of us, providing best possible advice in circumstances that often-changed multiple times a day in very concerning and disturbing circumstances.
The “two Michaels” as they came to be respectfully referred to have been tireless in making themselves available throughout the first wave of Covid-19 and into the phase we are currently in. When we faced severe shortages of PPE in the early days of the pandemic they provided us with clear insight to the best conservation and deployment of those scarce resources to minimize exposure of patients and staff and maximize the availability of the limited resources we had on hand.
The time and personal energy commitments of these two physicians has been nothing short of remarkable. In the early days of the pandemic they would appear, either singly or often together, online at all hours of the day and night, seven days a week to advise, inform and comment to many diverse groups. I never heard a word of complaint from either of these two individuals as they conducted themselves in the most exemplary and professional manner anyone could hope for. They remained calm and thoughtful when dealing with colleagues whose emotions were clearly running high in the most difficult days. We counted on them to provide us with objective, practical suggestions to work with the finite supplies of PPE available and unclear public health priorities with best care for patients and staff safety always in mind.”
