Saskatchewan has a new provincial head of pediatrics. Dr. Terry Klassen started on April 1 to lead both Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) pediatrics and University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine.
Born in Wynyard, Saskatchewan, his family moved to Manitoba when he was very young, and he took his medical training at the University of Manitoba. Klassen co-founded Pediatric Emergency Research of Canada (PERC), the Canadian PEM research network, and Pediatric Emergency Research Networks (PERN), the international Pediatric Emergency Medicine research network. He was instrumental in the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s recognition of pediatric emergency medicine as a subspecialty.
“My vision for pediatrics in Saskatchewan is a strong provincial system of care for children, youth, and their families,” Klassen said. “When emergencies happen, when care is needed, I want families to know that high-quality services and acute care are available not only at Saskatoon’s Jim Patterson Children’s Hospital, but across the province and that children will be able to go home or get closer to home as soon as possible to continue healing.”