FROM: Harvey Thomson, , President Ontario Branch & Kim Pritchard, Manager Fund Development

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Claude Kortas has agreed to accept the position of President of the Southwestern Ontario Chapter of The Kidney Foundation of Canada.

Dr. Kortas graduated from the University of Cluj-Napaco, Romania in 1982. He completed his training in Internal Medicine at Dalhousie University, Halifax in 1990 and Nephrology Training at McMaster University, Hamilton in 1992. After completing a Clinical Fellowship at the Division of Nephrology at The University of Western Ontario in 1993, he joined the Victoria Hospital Nephrology group. He is presently the Director of the Adam Linton Dialysis Unit, a Professor of Medicine and the Internal Medicine Program Director at The University of Western Ontario. Dr. Kortas’ main interest is in medical education, he graduated with a Masters degree in Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto in 1999 and is the recipient of a number of teaching awards.

Claude has a long history with our Chapter. He has supported and participated in many events including our 100 Hole Golf Challenge and Celebrity Men in a Fashion Event. His leadership and dedication to his patients will assist us to best serve the needs of kidney patients in our community.

Every day, 14 people in Canada learn that their kidneys are failing. Since its inception in 1964, The Kidney Foundation of Canada has awarded over $100 million to support kidney-related research. With the dedication of our community volunteers, visionary donors and leaders such as Dr. Kortas, we hope to make a historical difference to the advancement of kidney care.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Kortas to his new position with The Kidney Foundation of Canada.