SHN physician wins Canada's Governor General’s award for international volunteer work

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#Sovereign’sMedalforVolunteers;  #CanadianHonoursSystem; #JanHolland;
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Toronto, March 20 (Canadian-Media): Dr. Timothy Sproule, Acting Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery, Scarborough Health Network (SHN) is one of six individuals to be  honoured with the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers (SMV) this year -- for his international volunteer work -- from Canada’s Governor General Julie Payette,  media reports said.

Julie Payette (left) with Dr Timothy Sproule/Facebook

SHN is a hospital network serving the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  SHN's three hospital campuses are General, Birchmount and Centenary.
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For last nearly 30 years, Sproule had been traveling the developing world  to help in specialized plastic surgery to those who needed , donate equipment, and train other physicians.

As part of the Canadian Honours System, the SMV recognizes exceptional volunteer achievements from across the country and abroad, celebrating a wide range of voluntary contributions.

Jan Holland, Dr. Sproule’s receptionist for more than two decades, had witnessed Sproule’s dedication to his patients, both at home and abroad and nominated him for the Sovereign’s Medal award.

“If anyone deserves this award, he does and I could not be happier for him,” said Holland.

During the early start of his career as a plastic surgeon, Sproule started to devote time in the developing world and had travelled to Guyana,  Peru, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Nepal and Ecuador  to name a few places in performing cleft lip and palate surgery, burn surgery, and microsurgery.

Working with a variety of organizations and through his own charity, The Canadian Reconstructive Surgery Foundation, he’s also been able to donate sophisticated equipment to improve care, and routinely shares his expertise to train the next generation of physicians.

“Tim is a gifted and dedicated surgeon who offers a warm and supportive approach to all his patients,” explained Dr. Neville Poy, who worked with Dr. Sproule at SHN’s legacy organization, The Scarborough Hospital, and who is also an Order of Canada recipient from the Governor General.

“What’s more, he’s a compassionate humanitarian who has helped countless numbers of impoverished lives and whose teachings have allowed surgeons far and wide to carry on his work within their own communities.”

 He has maintained an academic appointment at the University of Toronto, lecturing on laser physics, safety, and techniques to resident physicians in the surgery program and is also training to participate in a triathlon next year.

“As a physician and as SHN’s Chief of Staff, it’s an inspiration to have Tim as part of our team,” said Dr. Dick Zoutman. “Our entire health network benefits from his remarkable strength and expertise.”