Vernon Jubilee Hospital physician awarded for leadership

Photo: Contributed

Paul Docksteader presents award to Dr. Tom Cull along with Margo France, wife of Cliff Oughtred.

A Vernon Jubilee Hospital physician has been awarded for his leadership.

A collaborative approach and a commitment to quality care are just two of the reasons Dr. Tom Cull was honoured with the Cliff Oughtred Leadership Award.

Cull is head of the department of anaesthesia at VJH.

The award was created in 2017 to remember Cliff Oughtred, a VJH Foundation volunteer and chair of the foundation's Charity Golf Classic. The memorial award celebrates the contributions of an outstanding leader to health care in the North Okanagan.

“Dr. Cull has been a key leader in our response to COVID-19,” says Richard Harding, executive director of clinical operations at VJH. “He dedicated many hours to supporting the COVID-19 response in the operating rooms, devising new pathways to ensure staff and patient safety. In addition, he led his team in other critical areas by supporting case simulations and developing a 24/7 on-call anaesthesiologist to support the site, gaining him further respect and trust of his colleagues."

Cull says he's "surprised and humbled by the award. It’s fantastic to be recognized, but I couldn’t do this all by myself. I have a lot of support on my team and within the hospital ... everyone shares in this award."

The award, which hangs on the walls at VJH, was presented by Paul Docksteader of the Paul Docksteader Foundation.

The Docksteader Foundation also donated $1,000 to the VJH Foundation in the name of Dr. Cull to an area of health care of his choice.