New OR Team Members

Norfolk General Hospital has two new faces in the Operating Room. Tara Willemson will lead the surgical department as the new Perioperative and Ambulatory Care Director. Tara comes to NGH with a perioperative nursing background. Her experience includes work in the United States and Canada in the area of cardiac surgery. Most recently Tara helped develop the cardiac surgery program at St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener where she spent the past 10-years. She is passionate about teaching and learning, and always seeking new opportunities to deliver information to the staff and perioperative profession.

Norfolk General Hospital is very pleased to have successfully recruited the expertise of Dr. Anas Al-Kassem. The Syrian born physician comes from Ross Memorial Hospital in Ottawa where he practiced General Surgery for the past 4 –years. Dr. Kassem has a specialty in trauma and successfully met requirements for UGI tract surgery gastric bands. Replacing the retired Dr. Larry Olsson, AL-Kassem’s arrival will give NGH a full complement of four surgeons.