Division History, 2016–2024
Leigh knew he had to find someone to carry on the division’s reputation for being collegial and supportive as well as focused on innovation and patient care. He set his sights on a somewhat resistant Dr. Ward Flemons.
Flemons had come back to Calgary as a trainee in the mid-1980s with an interest in respirology and Whitelaw’s legacy.
Timing was on Flemons’ side. He was able to translate his interest in research into a three-year Alberta Heritage Clinical Research Fellowship under the tutelage of Whitelaw and John Remmers, a world-class physiologist recruited from Galveston.
Remmers came to Calgary as an Alberta Heritage Scholar in 1984. He established the Foothills Hospital sleep lab and went on to develop the first North American commercially available CPAP machine which revolutionized the lives of thousands of sleep apnea patients and put Calgary on the international map with pioneering work in this new field.
After completing his clinical and research training, Flemons took over as the sleep lab’s clinical lead from Whitelaw in the mid 1990’s. Flemons had been introduced to the idea of quality improvement by Dean Sandham in 1993 and in 2001 began as the Department of Medicine’s QI physician under Sandham, who was heading up a new Calgary Health Region quality portfolio.
Eventually, Flemons would take over the regional role from Sandham when he left to become the Dean of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. In 2009, Flemons found a path back to the Department of Medicine where he worked more closely with the Division and with Leigh.
“I’d like to think it was my integrity and honesty that made Ward think he could work with me,” says Leigh. “So, with some arm twisting, Flemons agreed to become the sixth Respiratory Medicine Division head.
Ward Flemons was Division head of Respiratory Medicine for almost 10 years. During that period of time the Division of Respiratory Medicine doubled in size, and by 2024 there were 56 Respirologists in the section. He steered the Division through some challenging times, with several changes of government, one world wide pandemic and the implementation of a provincial Electronic Medical Record. Throughout all the upheaval and uncertainty, Flemons was able to support the division members through strong leadership, clear communication and tireless advocacy for Respiratory Medicine.