Dr. Jack Kitts received his medical degree from the University of Ottawa in 1980. After a three-year tour of duty as a medical officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, he specialized in anesthesiology and completed a research fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He joined the Department of Anesthesia at the Ottawa Civic Hospital in 1988, where he served as the director of research and medical director of the preoperative assessment clinic prior to his appointment as Chief of the department and Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, faculty of medicine.
In 1998, Dr. Kitts was appointed Vice-President of Medical Affairs and led the medical staff during a complex restructuring in which three hospitals and five large programs were merged into The Ottawa Hospital. He completed his master’s degree in business administration in 2001 and was named President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital in February 2002, a position he held until his retirement on June 26, 2020.
Dr. Kitts’ inclusive team-oriented strategic leadership, passion for delivering quality patient-centred care, and the development and mentoring of emerging healthcare leaders, was a central, unifying force in establishing and sustaining The Ottawa Hospital’s vision: To provide each patient with the world-class care, exceptional service and compassion that we would want for our loved ones.
Dr. Kitts is known nationally for his focus and expertise in patient experience, performance measurement, and physician engagement, which makes him a sought-after advisor and inspirational speaker on these key topics in healthcare today.
