An “extraordinary career”
Dr. Susan McNair is honoured as a leader and passionate advocate for the care of those who have experienced sexual abuse and domestic violence.
Over more than four decades, Dr. Susan McNair has worked tirelessly to transform care and services for victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence in London and across the province. Today, her dedication is being recognized by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).
McNair has received the Board Award from the CPSO for her outstanding work on behalf of those who have experienced sexual abuse and domestic violence. Nominated by her peers, the award honours outstanding Ontario doctors who have demonstrated excellence.
McNair is Medical Director of the Regional Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Program (RSADVTP) at St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s) and a family physician with St. Joseph’s Family Medical and Dental Centre. An innovative leader and passionate advocate in Ontario for the care of for those who experience sexual assault and domestic violence, McNair was central in the development and implementation of the RSADVTP in 1991.
Her clinical expertise, leadership skills and research also played a major role in the creation of the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centres, which currently consists of 37 hospital-based clinics in Ontario.
“I have had the honor to work alongside Dr. McNair for the past seven years and witness her dedication and passion for victims of sexual assault and intimate partner violence,” says Cassandra Fisher, Clinical Manager of the RSADVTP. “She represents the best ideals of St. Joseph’s where we seek to follow the values of respect, excellence and compassion.”
As a medical advisor to the provincial network since 2021, “Dr. McNair continues as a clinician, educator and researcher to transform how physicians treat – and interact with – these patients,” says the CPSO. She has built an “extraordinary career” in the area of sexual assault and domestic violence treatment through her clinical work, as an expert witness in the court system, through research into injury patterns and factors involved in sexual assault and domestic violence, and as dedicated educator for the next generation of physicians.
Among her many achievements, says Fisher, is identifying and filling a significant need for primary care for trauma survivors who do not have a family doctor. McNair found that more than half of patients seen at the RSDVTP had no primary care. Nor did many of these patients find success within the traditional health care settings.
“True to her nature, Dr. McNair started seeing these patients and created an informal clinic to fill the gap and meet the needs of this population,” says Fisher “We have seen many success stories come from this informal trauma-specialized clinic with many patients stating they did not know where they would be or how they would of survived if it wasn’t for Dr. McNair and the nurses supporting this program.”
St. Joseph’s congratulates Dr. McNair on being recognized by the CPSO and for transformative work she continues to do on behalf of the most vulnerable in the London region and far beyond.
Read more about Dr. McNair in the CPSO’s digital publication, Dialogue.