Dr. Sean Grondin, Canadian Thoracic Surgeon and Regent, Dies at Age 56

It is with profound sadness that that the College reports the sudden passing of Regent Sean C. Grondin, MD, MPH, FRCSC, FACS, at the age of 56.

Dr. Grondin was an incredibly skilled cardiothoracic surgeon from the Alberta Health Services and the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, with expertise in thoracic oncology and minimally invasive thoracic surgery. He trained and practiced in both the US and Canada, including at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS; the University of Toronto, ON; Harvard University in Boston, MA; the University of Pittsburgh, PA; and Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.

He was a genuinely kind and thoughtful leader who was passionate about surgical workforce planning and physician wellness. He was committed to helping faculty members and trainees enhance their clinical, research, and leadership skills.

As a Regent, he served on the Advisory Council for Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Finance Committee. Prior to that, Dr. Grondin was on the Board of Governors as a Specialty Society Governor (2018-2020) and member of the Member Services Pillar (2019-2020) and Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards Workgroup (2019-2020). He was the immediate past-president of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and a past-president of the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons.

Dr. Grondin was a loving husband, father to two children, and an amateur baker who loved to collect cookbooks. We keep his family, faculty, and friends in our thoughts.

At this time, details about a memorial service are pending.