We are pleased to announce the appointment of Joshua Chinks, MDCM, as Assistant Dean, MDCM Admissions, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), McGill University, effective July 10, 2024. Dr. Chinks replaces Robert Primavesi, MDCM, who we thank for serving in this capacity on an interim basis since January 2024.
Dr. Chinks is a two-time graduate of McGill University, having obtained both a BSc in Physiology and his MDCM. He then completed his residency in Family Medicine at McGill, as well as a fellowship in Emergency Medicine.
Since 2010, he has worked as an emergency physician at the Montreal General Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
Dr. Chinks served as Medical Examiner at the MUHC from 2017 to 2023, and in 2020 became the first Medical Examiner-in-Chief at the MUHC, managing a team of medical examiners, and assisting in the creation of new protocols across the MUHC to address systemic issues to prevent patient harm and dissatisfaction. He has since left this role to join the Review Committee of the MUHC to further this work in quality improvement of patient care.
Dr. Chinks has been involved academically in the Department of Emergency Medicine as an instructor, simulation session leader, examiner, and faculty advisor, and served as the Clerkship Site Director at the RVH from 2015 to 2023. He has sat on the program committee of the Emergency Medicine Fellowship program in the FMHS and has served on the program’s interview committee for the past ten years.
Dr. Chinks has been involved in MDCM admissions as an interviewer since 2006 and has been a member of the MDCM Admissions Best Practices Subcommittee since 2016. He is the current chair of this committee and has been since 2019.
As Assistant Dean, MDCM Admissions, Dr. Chinks reports to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME). Dr. Chinks will have overall academic responsibility for the recruitment and selection of candidates to the MDCM Program and joint programs. He will chair the MDCM Admissions Committee and will be a member ex-officio of the MDCM Program Committee. He will act as the Chief Academic Officer for the Medicine Preparatory Program, including establishing and maintaining close working relationships with the Faculty of Science leadership involved in delivering this program.
Dr. Chinks will implement MDCM Program Committee decisions on matters related to admissions and candidate selection including ensuring appropriate candidate recruitment and selection for both the main (Montreal) Campus and the Outaouais Campus.
In continuation of the work he did as Chair of the Admissions Subcommittee on Best Practices, he will collaborate with the Social Accountability and Community Engagement Office, Widening Participation Committee and Indigenous Health Professions Program, to attract applicants from populations underrepresented in medicine.
Dr. Chinks will also contribute to continuous quality improvement and scholarly work related to admissions and candidate selection. He will communicate and collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders, and represent the MDCM Program at relevant provincial, national and international forums related to UGME admissions.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Chinks on his appointment and wishing him every success in his new role.
Lesley Fellows, MDCM, DPhil
Vice-President (Health Affairs)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Mélanie Mondou, MDCM
Associate Dean
Undergraduate Medical Education