2019 Distinguished Service Award Recipient

Dr. Charles Cruise from Trillium Health Partners

The Ontario’s Anesthesiologists Distinguished Service Award is awarded to an anesthesiologist in recognition of outstanding contributions in patient care and the promotion of our specialty over the course of their career. It is the highest honour our organization can bestow. We were very proud to award the 2019 Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Charles Cruise. He has practiced at Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga and Queensways sites, since 1995. He exemplifies the qualities of one would expect in a top-notch anesthesiologist: meticulous and disciplines, highly trusted and respected by peers and patients; supportive of colleagues; and, though often quietly, always leading by action and words. 

Charles obtained his MD at University of Toronto in 1978 and obtained specialist certification from the Royal College in 1985.  His early career included service in the military, research and authorship of multiple publications, and his first staff appointment was at the Toronto Western Hospital. According to one of his reference letters, “Charles was a great mentor, even early in his career, and displayed suck discipline as a medical professional and genuine care for his patients.” 

He move to Mississauga Hospital, previously Trillium Health Center, in 1995 and has worked there since. He served as chief of department for 8 years from 1998-2006.  This role included the herculean tasks of the merger of two departments; the establishment of a community cardia surgical care program thus advancing community cardiac surgical care in the province. He is a key member of the cardia anesthesia service to this day, including the anesthesia-led cardiac systems ICU.  Mississauga is not the 5th largest cardiac surgery program in Ontario, performing about 900 off-pump CABGs annually, 500 more on-pump and 140 TAVIs. He participates in advanced structural heart disease therapies as an echocardiographer, and helped to establish minimally invasive procedures, including both TAVI and mitral clipping, at Mississauga Hospital.

More recently, Charles has continued to lead programs in continuing medical education, mentoring and teaching medical students and residents, as well as nursing staff, environmental improvements in the OR, and has taken an active role in quality improvement programs through annual morbidity and mortality analysis. He is a role model in developing and progressing his own medical skills and knowledge, as well as improving the skills and knowledge of the greater medical community.

Colleagues wrote glowing recommendations for Dr. Cruise, including the following:

“Charles is trusted by his peers, admired by co-workers, and respected by patients and families. He is always there to help and is a great person from whom to seek advice; he can always be relied upon. Dr. Cruise is always willing to go the extra mile for colleagues and patients.” 

Thank you Dr. Cruise for your very distinguished service to the profession. We congratulate you for all your wonderful achievements and we were thrilled to honour your work with our 2019 Distinguished Service Award.

Past Recipients