Toussaint at the top

Dr. Douglas Toussaint is the new medical staff president at Morris Hospital and Healthcare Centers. Additional medical staff officers for the 2012-2013 term are Dr. Dana Howd, vice president; Dr. Kristopher Oswalt, secretary/treasurer; and Dr. Ari de la Hera, immediate past president. Medical staff officers are elected by physicians and serve a two-year term.

Dr. Toussaint is a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist who has served on the medical staff at Morris Hospital since 1995. He was chair of the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology in both 1998-1999 and 2002-2003 and vice president of the medical staff in 2010-2011.

Dr. Howd is a board certified pediatrician and internist. She joined the medical staff at Morris Hospital in 1994 and has served as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, the Department of Pediatrics, the Infection Control Committee and the Ethics Committee, in addition to serving as secretary/treasurer in 2010-2011. She previously served on the Morris Hospital Board of Directors.

Dr. Oswalt is a board certified general surgeon and joined the medical staff at Morris Hospital in 2008. He has served as Chief of Surgery since 2010 and is Director of Trauma Services, in addition to serving as Chair of the Endoscopy and Trauma committees.

Along with an entire Medical Staff Executive Committee, the officers duties include making recommendations on hospital management matters; acting as liaisons between the medical staff, administration and Board of Directors; coordinating activities and general policies of the various committees including organization of quality assessment and improvement activities; reviewing patient care/concerns for departments or specialties that lie outside the current review process; and taking all necessary steps to ensure ethical conduct and competent clinical performance on the part of all members of the medical staff.

Also elected by their physician peers, the Medical Staff Executive Committee at Morris Hospital for 2012 includes Dr. Timothy Sanders, Chief of Anesthesiology; Dr. Kevin Webster, Chief of Emergency Medicine; Dr. Daniel Jurak, Chief of Family Medicine; Dr. David Vermillion, Chief of Internal Medicine; Dr. Erik Muraskas, Chief of Obstetrics/Gynecology; Dr. Richard Johnson, Chief of Pediatrics; and Dr. Michael Jachec and Dr. Beatriz Setrini, Co-Chiefs of Radiology/Pathology.

A number of additional physicians serve in leadership roles as committee chairs, as appointed by the Medical Staff President. The committee chairs for 2012 are Dr. Bradley Lawton, Bylaws Committee; Dr. Sanjiv Modi, Cancer Committee; Dr. David Vermillion, Code Blue Committee; Dr. John Williamson, Immediate Care/Occupational Medicine Committee; Dr. John Bolden, Infection Prevention & Control Committee; Dr. Ian Best, Medical Records Committee; Dr. William Egglesfield, Osteopathic Methods Committee; Dr. Sherwin Ritz, Performance Improvement Committee; Dr. Charles Comfort, Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee; Dr. Ronald Wuest, Physician Assistance Committee; Dr. Kristopher Oswalt, Endoscopy Committee and Trauma Committee.

The medical staff at Morris Hospital and Healthcare Centers is comprised of over 180 physicians representing more than 35 medical specialties. A directory of physicians is available on the hospital website, www.morrishospital.org, or by calling the Medical Staff Office at (815) 942-2932, ext. 7220.