Feature: Dr. Tom Szakacs

For this month’s Chief of Staff Feature, it was my pleasure to chat with a specialist in Infectious Disease (ID), a physician leader who provided expert guidance for BCHS throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and – most importantly – a family man: Dr. Tom Szakacs.

Dr. Szakacs’ journey in medicine began at the early age of 5, when he decided he was going to become a neurosurgeon. Those lofty ambitions notwithstanding, he followed in his older brother’s footsteps when it came to selecting his undergraduate studies, and began his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at McMaster University. He continued on to medical school, also at McMaster, where he learned that ID – not neurosurgery – might be the career for him.

Dr. Szakacs’s first tutor in Problem Based Learning was Dr. Ross Pennie, an ID specialist who was working in Hamilton at the time. Dr. Pennie became a friend and mentor, and through him, Dr. Szakacs began to learn what ID is all about. Dr. Szakacs says now that “nothing in medicine is cooler than ID!” – it appeals to him because it provides physicians the opportunity to be both specialists and generalists, allows for assessment and treatment of patients of all ages, and challenges individuals to develop a comprehensive understanding of all systems in the human body.

After medical school, Dr. Szakacs completed residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Infectious Disease, both at the University of Ottawa, and traveled to Peru to pursue a certificate in Tropical Medicine. He began his work as an ID specialist at Halton Healthcare before receiving a call from his mentor, Dr. Pennie, in 2010. Dr. Pennie had shifted his practice to Brantford, was planning to retire, and wondered if Dr. Szakacs might be interested in taking over his work. Dr. Szakacs thought this was a great opportunity, and moved to BCHS in 2010, where he has been ever since.

“There’s something to be said for a community hospital,” he says of why he loves working at BCHS. “I enjoy the opportunities to really get to know my colleagues and support my patients from A-Z, which is less common in large academic centres.”

In addition to his ID practice, Dr. Szakacs works closely with the Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) team, doing a combination of laboratory work, patient care, administrative duties, and outbreak management. This can range from learning how new bacteria, viruses, and parasites impact patients, to defining outbreaks and learning how to mitigate them.

In both his ID and IPAC roles, he often has the opportunity to “play detective” with patients, learning about their symptoms and working to figure out what organism could be causing their infections. Dr Szakacs enjoys the challenge of learning about the unique characteristics of new pathogens, and the management strategies required to treat them.

When news of a novel coronavirus broke in late 2019, Dr. Szakacs assumed it would be short-lived; in his experience, organisms that developed in animals don’t tend to propagate well in humans, so he did not immediately think there was cause for concern.

“I got that one wrong, didn’t I?” he says now with a smile.

While he never expected a situation like the COVID-19 pandemic to develop during his career, Dr. Szakacs rose to the occasion as he led the mitigation and response efforts at BCHS. He describes the efforts early in the pandemic as “hoping for the best, planning for the worst.” He and other members of the clinical team worked around the clock to stay ahead of the evolving and unprecedented situation, with the urgency for action growing as the virus spread. “I felt like we were mobilizing for war,” he says, reflecting upon the uncertainty and challenges of those days.

As the pandemic continued, Dr. Szakacs learned that his most important job was to bring out the best in his colleagues during this time of crisis. He says now: “You are who you are in your toughest moments, and everyone at BCHS should be proud of who they are. Everyone really rose to the occasion, and terrific leadership emerged across the organization. I’m so impressed with how staff and physicians in so many departments were willing to step up, take on more, and come up with creative solutions. Everyone was dealing with similar stresses and anxieties, but remained collaborative at all levels. Senior leadership did a great job pivoting policies and remaining receptive to expert advice. There was very little conflict throughout, and much productive dialogue. Should we experience another pandemic, I’m sure we will be just fine.”

He is also grateful for the regional approach BCHS took with our partners, describing the opportunity to learn from counterparts and share ideas as a “lifesaver.”

Outside of work, Dr. Szakacs maintains a busy and active life with his family. He enjoys spending his time with his wife, two children, and dog, watching Netflix and Prime, and could spend all day watching, talking about, and playing all kinds of different sports! He is also a lover of gardening (“planting trees is my happy place!”), and is a home renovation and repair expert. He tries to do much of the work around the house himself – plumbing, electrical, roofing, pouring concrete, and he enjoys auto mechanics. Dr. Szakacs recently completed a welding course at Mohawk College (“I’ve always wanted to know how to weld”), and is using those skills to repair his 1986 John Deere riding mower. His other great love is cycling and other forms of exercise with his kids, with the occasional Xbox video game thrown into the mix.

On behalf of our staff and professional staff, I would like to recognize Dr. Szakacs for his hard work, dedication, and tireless service during the pandemic and beyond. We are fortunate to have a physician of his caliber at BCHS, and I thank him for his leadership, compassion, and commitment to the patients and community we serve.