The Regional Paramedic Program for Eastern Ontario is pleased to announce the Ottawa Hospital’s appointment of Dr. Michael Austin, MD, FRCPC, DRCPSC (PTM) to the position of Regional Base Hospital Medical Director effective July 1, 2023.

Dr. Austin is an emergency physician at the Ottawa Hospital’s General and Civic Campuses. He holds an appointment as Associate Medical Director at the RPPEO. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Ottawa, a Clinician Investigator in the Clinical Epidemiology Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and the National Medical Director/Chair & President of the Board of the Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation. Additionally, Dr. Austin holds the role of Director for both the Prehospital Transport Medicine (PTM) Program and PTM Fellowship Program within the Department of Emergency Medicine.

Following graduation from the University of Tasmania Medical School in 2008, Dr. Austin completed the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Ottawa. He also pursued a PTM Fellowship and holds a Diploma in PTM with RCPSC. Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Austin worked as an advanced care paramedic in both land and wilderness helicopter settings in the United States and Australia. He has received recognition for his exceptional service from the Ontario Paramedic Association and has been the recipient of numerous other awards. With a strong focus on out-of-hospital research, paramedicine, disaster medicine and preparedness, wilderness and remote medicine, and medical response teams, Dr. Austin is an accomplished research scientist with several publications to his name (see Dr. Austin's Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Profile for more details).

Outgoing RPPEO Medical Director, Dr. Richard Dionne, completed his term on June 30, 2023. We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Dionne for his remarkable service to Ontario and his commitment to patients and paramedics.

Beginning July 1, 2023, as interim Regional Medical Director under the authority of the Ambulance Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. A.19 , Dr. Austin provides overall regional medical direction for the region’s paramedics including medical delegation related to all standing orders for paramedics who receive certification from the RPPEO.