I am pleased to announce the appointment of Sonia Nardini as Director of Administration, Academic Affairs Office (AAO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), McGill University. Ms. Nardini will replace Christine Dolden effective October 7, 2024. I take this opportunity to thank Ms. Dolden for her outstanding leadership of the AAO since 2008 and at McGill for more than 30 years and wish her well on her upcoming retirement.
Ms. Nardini has spent the majority of her career at McGill, and since November 2020, has worked as Associate Director of Operations, AAO, where she was responsible for leading, organizing and directing the administrative and business operations of the AAO. Some of her key achievements included developing and implementing procedures to maintain and improve services in the perspective of continuous improvement; developing and ensuring implementation of new initiatives that support the AAO’s strategic direction; acting as a resource person on academic policies and procedures for all staff in the AAO and for Academic Affairs Administrators throughout the FMHS; and developing and maintaining databases that support the entire academic lifecycle from recruitment to retirement operations.
For the six years prior, Ms. Nardini worked as Associate Director, Administration – Administrative Excellence Centre (AEC) for the Departments of Surgery, Anesthesia and Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. She was responsible for leading, organizing and directing the administrative and business affairs of the AEC, as well as the administration of departmental human resources and financial activities. She managed hundreds of surgeon and anesthesiologist portfolios in the recruitment-to-retirement processes. In her final year in this role, she served on a special project in the AAO as Liaison for the Campus Outaouais launch.
Ms. Nardini holds a BComm in Management Information Systems from Concordia University, and has completed the LEAN – Process Improvement – White Belt with Simulation at McGill, and the Workplace Mental Health Leadership™ Certificate Program from Queen’s University.
Reporting to the undersigned in her new role, and working closely with the Vice-Dean, Academic Affairs, Ms. Nardini will provide expertise, support and guidance to ensure the recruitment, support, development and recognition of academic staff across all spheres of academic work and all phases of their careers. She will advise Department Chairs, School and Institute Directors on academic policies, processes, and strategy relating to the academic lifecycle. She will also work closely with McGill-affiliated teaching hospitals and healthcare institutions to further the FMHS clinical, research and teaching missions while understanding and respecting their own governance models and regulatory environments.
Ms. Nardini will work with the Vice-Dean to advance the priorities of the AAO in alignment with the FMHS strategic plan and priorities, which include sustainability of the professoriate, performance evaluation of academic staff, academic engagement of clinical faculty working outside core teaching hospitals and supporting excellence. She will also maintain strong collaborative relationships with partner offices across the University including the Provost’s Office, the Academic Personnel Office, and the Secretariat, and work in partnership with the AEC Associate Directors to ensure the quality and efficiency of academic affairs activities in the AECs. She will also ensure efficient and effective implementation of Academic Affairs processes at Campus Outaouais.
Please join me in congratulating Ms. Nardini on her appointment and wishing her every success in her new role.
Demetra Kafantaris, MBA
Executive Director, Administration and Operations
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences