EP#55 BLAZING A TRAIL IN THE FIELD OF GERIATRICS A Passionate Story by Dr Roger Wong

Dr. Roger Wong is Executive Associate Dean, Education in the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia (UBC). He is a Clinical Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Wong works tirelessly to advance academic and clinical health sciences related to geriatrics, and his work has significant impact on the care for older people in Canada and beyond. He is a Consultant Physician at Vancouver General Hospital, where he was Head of the Geriatric Consultation Program 1998-2014. He founded the Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Unit in Vancouver that is replicated nationally and internationally. Dr. Wong was President of the Canadian Geriatrics Society (2011-2013) and was instrumental in facilitating the success of indexing the first Canadian geriatric medicine journal in PubMed. His clinical research focuses on hospital medicine in vulnerable older adults. Dr. Wong has published and lectured extensively on geriatric medicine and medical education. He has authored in major medical reference books, such as the Oxford Textbook of Geriatric Medicine, Teaching Quality Improvement in Residency Education, Acute Care for Elders: A Model for Interdisciplinary Care. Dr. Wong has made significant contributions in showcasing Canadian geriatrics around the world, culminating in his selection as the 2017 Trevor Howell Guest Lecturer in London, a prestigious honour bestowed by the British Geriatrics Society for an eminent physician or scientist with an international reputation. He is only the second Canadian who has received this honour in the Lecture’s history.

Dr. Wong received his MD degree with Honours in Research (Medicine) from the University of Alberta and completed postgraduate and fellowship training there. His medical education achievements (CanMEDS, quality improvement) have been recognized with the UBC Killam Teaching Prize, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Donald Richards Wilson Award, and the UBC Medicine Master Teacher Award. Dr. Wong was elected to Fellowship in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, one of the highest honours in the health sciences field in Canada. He was also elected to Fellowship in the American College of Physicians. Dr. Wong has received numerous awards of appreciation from the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia to recognize his advocacy work in the community.

His recent TEDx talk is inspring and many follow him at https://twitter.com/RogerWong10