News

Dr. Terry Sigman Re-Appointed as Division Director of Gastroenterology and Nutrition

Published: 17 November 2020

The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce that Dr. Terry Sigman’s mandate as Division Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition has been renewed for a 5-year term commencing January 1, 2021.

Dr. Sigman did a BSc in psychology, followed by an MDCM, both at McGill University. She then subsequently entered our pediatrics residency program and chose to sub-specialize in gastroenterology with a 3-year fellowship in that field, with a particular interest in inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Sigman was recruited to the Division of Gastroenterology, joining attending and academic staff in 1997. As a clinician, Dr. Sigman has provided stellar care to patients with IBD (for which she has received the Carl Goresky Memorial Award) and has also developed over time an expertise in celiac disease. As an educator, she has focused her efforts on UGME and CPD. She is now in her third term as an Osler Fellow (class of 2013, 2017, 2023) and often gives small group sessions to medical students on aspects of professionalism, physicianship and communication. She also heads up our Departmental productive CPD efforts.

GI was one of the Divisions in the early years of the 21st century under considerable clinical stress due to a lack of subspecialty personnel. Dr. Sigman was thus compelled at an early stage in her career to shoulder a considerable level of clinical and administrative service far beyond that which should be reasonably expected. She stepped up to the plate and did so, making selfless contributions to our community at the expense of personal academic gain. Beginning in 2002, she became Director of Endoscopy and only stepped down from this post to become an Interim Director of Pediatric GI in 2008, a position for which she was renewed in 2010. She had her first mandate as permanent head of GI commence in 2015.

Dr. Sigman has devoted considerable time and personal efforts to managing her Division and its varied clinical interests and technical responsibilities. She did not shy away from difficult ongoing internal challenges. In her mandate, Dr. Sigman's ability to be the 'calm in the eye of a storm' and focus on the end game, which is really about our patients, has been a most redeeming feature that I have noted in her leadership skills.

Circumstances have coalesced to give the current period one of opportunity that will see recruitment to this Division. Dr. Sigman has a plan with my support to maximize the yield of this new talent to enable enhanced academic productivity, to solidify and foster new collaborations, and provide more expeditious and innovative care. We can look forward to good things.

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