Toronto, ON - June 4, 2026
We are pleased to announce Dr. Alun Ackery as our new Vice President, Chief Medical Officer (VP, CMO), effective June 13.
As VP, CMO, Dr. Ackery will serve as the organization’s senior medical leader, providing leadership in physician engagement, clinical excellence, quality and patient safety, and medical affairs. Reporting dually to the President and CEO as well as the Unity Health Toronto Board, he will ensure that physician perspectives and clinical priorities are integrated into strategic planning, governance, and organizational decision-making. The VP, CMO role plays a vital part in shaping the policies, practices, and partnerships that elevate medical quality, strengthen physician engagement, champion research and innovation, and advance patient-centred care across the network. Dr. Ackery’s extensive clinical, academic, and health system leadership experience will advance this mandate and support the delivery of exceptional care with out exception for the patients and communities we serve.
Dr. Ackery is a highly respected emergency physician, health system leader, educator, and innovator whose career has been dedicated to advancing patient care, improving health system performance, and driving clinical excellence across Ontario and beyond.
A graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Ackery completed his specialty training in Emergency Medicine and advanced training in air transport medicine and trauma care. He currently serves as Provincial Medical Director for CritiCall Ontario, where he leads provincial initiatives supporting access to specialized care and the coordination of critical patient transfers across the province, is a transport physician with Ornge Air Ambulance and participates on its Medical Advisory Committee. He also serves in a provincial physician-to-physician support program that provides clinical expertise to rural emergency departments and remote Northern Indigenous communities, reflecting his commitment to equitable access to high-quality care across Ontario.
Dr. Ackery brings extensive leadership experience from St. Michael’s Hospital and Unity Health Toronto, where he served as Deputy Head of Emergency Medicine and Medical Director of Information and Technology. In these roles, he advanced digital health transformation, virtual care innovation, and the implementation of clinical technologies that support both providers and patients.
A recognized leader in trauma and emergency medicine, Dr. Ackery has served as a Staff Emergency Physician and Trauma Team Leader. His expertise has informed numerous national and provincial advisory committees and healthcare initiatives focused on critical and acute care services, pre-hospital care, trauma systems, emergency services, neurosurgery, burns care, neonatal transport, and sepsis management.
As an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, Dr. Ackery is also an accomplished educator and mentor who has received multiple awards for teaching excellence and physician leadership. His research and innovation work spans artificial intelligence, digital health, emergency medicine, trauma care, and health system improvement. Most recently, he has led and supported initiatives exploring the use of artificial intelligence to enhance clinical decision-making and improve outcomes for patients with traumatic brain injury and other acute conditions.
Throughout his career, Dr. Ackery has demonstrated a commitment to collaboration, innovation, quality improvement, and patient-centred care. His ability to bridge frontline clinical practice, academic medicine, technology, and health system leadership makes him exceptionally well positioned to advance our organization’s strategic priorities and support excellence in care delivery.
We would like to sincerely thank Dr. Najma Ahmed for her interim leadership. Dr. Ahmed has provided exceptional guidance and support to our clinical programs and physician leaders. Thank you, Dr. Ahmed, for your efforts to advance physician leadership and collaboration across Unity Health.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Ackery as he assumes the VP, CMO role. We look forward to the leadership, expertise, and vision he will bring to our organization and to the patients, families, and communities we serve. A familiar face to many across Unity Health, Dr. Ackery looks forward to reconnecting with colleagues and meeting new team members across our sites. If you see him in the hallways, please don’t hesitate to say hello.
Original Source: Unity Health Toronto News