President, CEO & Medical Director
"I’ve worked with the Department of National Defence since 1994, and I’ve been treating veterans since 2012. From my experience treating veterans with chronic pain, I’ve learned that they don’t view it as ‘work.’ For veterans, working with the Department of National Defence, and defending their country, is a service. That’s why the first thing I say when I meet a veteran is ‘thank you for your service.’ The second thing I say is, ‘Now it’s our turn to serve you.’”

Dr. Ramesh Zacharias received his doctorate in medicine in 1980, from the University of Western, Ontario, and his Fellowship in General Surgery in 1987. He was Founder and CEO of Med-Emerg International Inc. from 1983 until 2009. Med-Emerg was the largest physician staffing company in Canada and had a consulting division involved in designing Emergency services and Primary Care in 14 countries. The company provided over 1,000 healthcare professionals to work in 37 clinics in the Department of National Defence for five years. The company assisted with the provision of health professionals to care for the Kosovo refugees. In 2003, the company was retained by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in Ontario to recruit health professionals during the SARS crisis. Dr. Zacharias has been an investigating coroner in Ontario since 2012. In January, 2012, he became a member in Department of Anesthesia at McMaster University and was appointed as the Medical Director of the Chronic Pain Management Unit, at Hamilton Health Sciences, which is now known as the Michael G. DeGroote Pain Clinic. He is currently the co-chair of the Adult Chronic Pain Network for the MOHLTC in Ontario.

Leadership & Board
The Centre of Excellence’s Board of Directors oversees the operations and financials of the Centre of Excellence as a not-for-profit, and includes veterans, industry leaders, and chronic pain experts from McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences and Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation.
Advisory Council For Veterans
Scientific Advisory Board
Leadership Team
Board of Directors
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