TEGH president Devitt wins top communicator award
TEGH president Devitt wins top communicator award.
Rob Devitt, President and CEO of Toronto East General Hospital.
As anyone who has listened to the natural and articulate speaking style of Rob Devitt knows, the Toronto East General Hospital president has the gift of the gab.Now, it's official. Devitt has been named Toronto Communicator of the Year by the Toronto chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators.He will receive the award March 3 at a breakfast and networking event. The award "recognizes leaders who strategically demonstrate excellence in communications...Devitt consistently does just that," a press release from the association said."Since arriving as CEO in 2004, Devitt has taken TEGH from a struggling hospital beset by low patient satisfaction rates and embattled community relations to a renowned health care centre that prides itself on patient and staff satisfaction. The facility is now the No. 1 choice for family medicine residents."Devitt said he is honoured by the recognition."I'm quite flattered by the whole thing. Nobody told me they were nominating me so I found out when I won," he said, adding staff he has worked with at TEGH as well as stints with The Scarborough Hospital and the province's e-Health agency have made him look good."I'm just part of the story. I'm not 'the' story. I'm just fortunate to work with such a great team. To me, it is more about them."Although Devitt said people have told him he has ability to communicate difficult concepts in laymen's terms, he doesn't believe he has an exceptional speaking style."I've heard that over the years. I just chalk it up to being natural, not trying to be something else. I talk the same way whether I'm at home, at work, in a presentation," he said."I've never really thought of it as a style. I just try to use plain language, plain words. Sometimes, administrators and leaders bafflegab. I'm not that. I am who I am."Shelley Darling, the hospital's director of corporate communications, planning and membership, who nominated Devitt for the award, said he was quick to turn TEGH around when he first came on board."By quickly determining that the hospital's governance issue stemmed from poor communication, Rob sought to restore trust through a commitment to transparency and managed to prevail where many others had been unsuccessful," she said.According Brent Carey, president of the association's Toronto chapter, many of Devitt's current and former colleagues praised his strengths as a communicator."They attributed Devitt's success to his passionate enthusiasm, open communication style and ability to clearly and consistently convey key messages," he said.The association noted Devitt's skills have not gone unnoticed by the provincial government. Last year, Queen's Park appointed him interim chief executive officer of trouble-plagued eHealth for five months.That was not the first time Devitt was the go-to guy for the province. In July 2007, Queen's Park appointed him supervisor of the Scarborough Hospital after a community court challenge of the former board of directors.In his 17 months in that role, Devitt was credited with charting a course that helped the hospital overcome a number of problems, including a high mortality rate, back-to-back deficits, a poor workplace safety record, a backlog of unaddressed patient complaints and serious staff morale issues.