Front Row (Left to Right): Dr. Prashant Jani (Medical Oncology), Brenna Pugliese (Physician Recruitment Advisor), Dr. Brittney Parlett (Obstetrician-Gynecologist), Dr. Scott Carmichael (Psychiatrist), Dr. José de Wit (Anaesthesia), Dr. Raed Abu Shama (Cardiology), Dr. Erin Frood (Family Medicine), Dr. Samuel Peters (Family Medicine), Dr. Mélanie Langille (Hospitalist), Dr. Renee Jacques (Family Medicine).
Back Row (Left to Right): Dr. Killian de Blacam (President of HSN Medical Staff), Dr. Andre De Greef (Plastic Surgeon), Dr. Mark Henderson (Chief of Cardiology), Dr. Mohammed Shurrab (Cardiology), Dr. Kelly Graff (Family Medicine), Dr. Dr. Jamal Hilal (Internist), Dr. Rishi Narine (Radiologist), Dr. John Fenton (Chief of the Medical Staff), Dominic Giroux (President and CEO HSN/HSNRI).
Canada’s First Indigenous Forensic Pathologist, 10 NOSM graduates, and several doctors from halfway around the world highlight this year’s batch of new physicians who are now practising in Greater Sudbury.
This year’s group includes nine doctors practising Family and Emergency Medicine and 12 specialists in Anaesthesia, Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pathology, Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology and Radiology.
Nine doctors are from Sudbury and Northern Ontario.
Dr. José de Wit (Anaesthesia and Critical Care) grew up in Sudbury and joined HSN’s Medical Staff in August of 2018 after completing her undergraduate medical degree (2012), Anaesthesia Residency (2017), and Obstetric Anaesthesia Fellowship (2018) at the University of Ottawa. “One of my goals was always to return to Northern Ontario after completing my medical training,” she says. “Being a patient is hard. The unknown, the loss of control, the roller coaster of emotions. I’ve always been inspired to try to make that journey easier on my patients.”
De Wit’s decision to settle in Sudbury was an easy one as her husband, Dr. Scott Carmichael (Psychiatry) also started practicing in Sudbury this year. Dr. Carmichael, originally from North Bay, says, “Practicing medicine in Sudbury allows for a nice balance of interesting clinical work, academic opportunities and a Northern Ontario lifestyle.”
Dr. Kona Williams, Canada’s First Indigenous Forensic Pathologist, was born in Manitoba, and arrived in Sudbury this year. When a Forensic Pathologist job opened up, she jumped at the opportunity to pursue her passion.
“A dead person has something to say, it just takes the right training to understand,” she says. “I realize there are families waiting for answers, and giving them the truth about the death of their loved ones is often very comforting and helps with the grieving process. Getting to the truth about how someone died can be challenging, and fascinating at times.”
Williams says she’s also working to open the lines of communication to better serve Indigenous People when their loved ones die. “There are high expectations, and I take the responsibility very seriously.”
International recruitment continues to thrive as doctors from Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Syria all began practicing in Sudbury this year. Dr. Mohammed Shurrab completed his medical training and Cardiology Residency in Egypt before relocating to Canada where he completed a Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in 2015.
Dr. Shurrab has 33 papers and 55 abstracts published in respected Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology journals. A recent recipient of a Canadian Institute of Health Research award, Dr. Shurrab is very excited about his future in Sudbury.
“Professionally I love the growth potential that HSN offers with HSNRI and NOSM. I think I can do so much with the skillset they currently have established in clinical service while helping to develop an advanced research institute that will be remarkable for the whole nation.”
Since 2000, over 280 new physicians have established practices in Greater Sudbury. Every year, Health Sciences North (HSN), the City of Greater Sudbury, and the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce collaborate to attract new physicians.
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