The OCFP is proud to celebrate the outstanding skill, knowledge and dedication of family doctors across Ontario through the 2022 Awards program. The recipients showcase the vital work family doctors do to help keep Ontarians healthy.
Thanks to all who attended the 2022 OCFP Awards Ceremony on November 16, 2022 and congratulations to all recipients!
Reg L. Perkin Ontario Family Physician of the Year
The Family Physician of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding CFPC family physician member from Ontario who exemplifies the best of what being a family doctor is all about, including exceptional care of patients combined with a significant contribution to the health and wellbeing of communities and society in general.
The award is named in honour of Dr. Reg L. Perkin, College of Family Physicians of Canada Executive Director from 1985 to 1996. The Reg L. Perkin recipient is chosen from the Regional Family Physician of the Year award recipients.
Dr. Oberai started her career doing rural locums in Alberta, Ontario and Nunavut and fell in love with rural medicine. Since 1998, she has worked in Wawa as a rural generalist practising full-scope medicine from obstetrics to palliative care. Outside of clinic, emergency and in-patient work, Dr. Oberai has an interest in exercise stress testing and antimicrobial stewardship. Currently, she is co-chair of Public Health Ontario’s Antibiotic Stewardship Advisory Committee.
Dr. Oberai strives to be a role model for others who choose rural generalism as a career. She has been actively involved in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University as an associate professor, and has been co-chair for family medicine since 2015. She was also the Enhanced Skills PGY3 program director at NOSM from 2019-2021. Dr. Oberai is a board member of the Wawa FHT and the local continuing medical education coordinator. She holds a medical degree from the University of Ottawa and completed her residency at the University of Calgary.
When not at work, Dr. Oberai can be found exploring the outdoors and enjoying everything rural life has to offer. She is privileged to make her home in Wawa, where she and her husband raised two incredible children.
Regional Family Physicians of the Year
The Regional Family Physician of the Year Award recognizes seven physicians – one from each region of the province – who provide exemplary care to their patients and are passionately involved in activities that contribute to excellence in family medicine.
Dr. Blau is a proud University of Saskatchewan alumna, rural generalist physician, and assistant clinical professor with the McMaster Department of Family Medicine. Since 2015, she has provided full-scope rural clinical care and medical education on the Bruce Peninsula, where she is lead physician of the Peninsula FHT.
Delivering babies for 16 years in both rural and urban settings and providing emergency, in-patient, community, long-term and palliative care, Dr. Blau has also worked in Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. She was honoured to lead McMaster’s Rural Stream Residency Program (2004–16), guiding six rural sites—highlights include instituting an annual simulation day for residents, doubling rural residency CaRMS spots and building faculty teaching. Dr. Blau has been an active member of various CFPC committees across three decades and a long-time Society of Rural Physicians of Canada member, recently serving on the executive and co-chairing the Rural and Remote conferences. She is co-writing her second practice-based small group learning module with the team at McMaster’s problem-based learning program.
When Dr. Blau is not knitting, painting, gardening or snowshoeing, she can be found with her spouse, Brian, and their dog, Thurman, camping in and exploring national parks.
Dr. Miller’s 25-year career has encompassed all aspects of family medicine, including primary, emergency and hospital-based care, and spanning intrapartum to palliative care. Though she practises in Guelph, her career started, and her heart remains, in rural Ontario. She is a passionate teacher of family medicine as assistant professor at McMaster University. A willing mentor, she is described as the “doctor who colleagues turn to for advice on a wide range of topics” by one of her nominators.
A passion for maternity care and rural practice led Dr. Miller to policy work in maternal-newborn care with the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada and the CCFP. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she turned that experience into action by co-authoring the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health’s “Maternal-Neonatal COVID-19 Pregnancy Care Guideline,” as one of the few family physician members of the Ontario Science Advisory Table, and as a member of the Clinical Practice Guideline Working Group. She is most proud of helping to efficiently relay information to colleagues and families to improve outcomes and decrease uncertainty.
An unapologetic cat person, Dr. Miller loves to hike, camp and travel and is trying to adjust to her newly empty nest.
In Region 4, Dr. Adriana Dragan of Milton has been awarded a patient-nominated certificate of recognition acknowledging her dedication to providing exemplary patient care and for her advocacy on behalf of her patients.
Dr. Pham grew up in Germany, studied in the U.S. and received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Toronto. She worked as an academic family physician in East Toronto for close to two decades. She is excited about taking her work on team-based primary care and quality improvement to her new hometown, Victoria, BC. Her daily inspirations are the power of relationships with patients and families, and designing a better healthcare system with equally passionate colleagues across Toronto, Victoria, Canada and internationally.
Dr. Pham has led several care improvement initiatives, including founding the East Toronto Family Practice Network as a strong family physician voice within the local OHT; establishing a pregnancy clinic in Thorncliffe Park, a higher-needs Toronto neighbourhood; and creating intensive case management support for patients with complex needs when they transition from hospital back home. As a faculty member at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, it brings her great joy to be a mentor and to see her students and residents flourish.
Yoga, paddleboarding and the ocean connect Dr. Pham to nature, and she hopes she can convince her adult sons, who are currently at McGill University, to move out west too.
Dr. Bardai’s calling to family medicine was nurtured by witnessing her parents’ cumulative century-long commitment to delivering grassroots primary care. She completed family medicine training at McMaster University and fellowships at the University of Toronto. She holds a master’s degree in family and community medicine and a certificate of added competency in primary care of the elderly. She currently practises rural community-based primary care out of a trailer at the Brock Community Health Centre, where she remains drawn to the longstanding relationships formed in family medicine.
A self-described intellectual thrill-seeker, Dr. Bardai shares her knowledge through teaching, educational media, presentations, publications and involvement in the production of nationally and internationally acclaimed continuing medical education programs. She is a member of the provincial and national advisory committees on osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Participating on the 2015 Pan Am Games medical team and in sustainable yield development projects in the Amazon highlight her passion for volunteering.
Dr. Bardai is an avid yogi, reader and writer and enjoys trail hiking with her husband and son.
Dr. Chew has offered comprehensive family medicine in a busy multigenerational community practice in Ottawa for over 20 years. She was an early partner and remains an active member of the multidisciplinary team at the Monarch Centre, an innovative and award-winning newborn and postpartum follow-up clinic in the city. As a member of the Division of Maternal and Newborn Care at The Ottawa Hospital, she enjoys teaching medical students and residents at the Monarch Centre. Dr. Chew also provides quick access to contraception consultations and related procedures to local residents.
As part of the community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Chew was a leader in organizing and staffing multiple assessment centres and vaccine clinics in the region with The Ottawa Hospital, Hôpital Montfort and Ottawa Public Health.
Dr. Chew enjoys spending time with her loving husband, two wonderful teenage sons, and her friends – with whom she loves to travel, ski, bike, run and hike.
Leader for a Healthy Ontario
The Leader for a Healthy Ontario Award celebrates an Ontario family physician (or team of family physicians) whose long-standing commitment to leadership over the course of their career/s contributes to the improvement of comprehensive, continuity-based, and patient-centred health care delivered in teams, organizations, and systems.
A family doctor and renowned primary-care researcher, Dr. Kiran investigates how changes in the healthcare system impact the most vulnerable in society. In her research and practice, she develops and tests solutions to make health care more inclusive – and more effective
Dr. Kiran began her research career evaluating the impact of Ontario’s primary care reforms on quality of care. But she soon realized the importance of not just evaluating changes made by others but leading change herself. She now leads a program of quality-improvement research that includes initiatives to measure and reduce care disparities, engage patients in health service improvement and support physicians to learn from data.
Dr. Kiran is the University of Toronto Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation and a family doctor with the St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team. She is a scientist with MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital. She is an associate professor as well as Vice-Chair Quality and Innovation in the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, and an associate professor in the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation.
Community Educator of the Year
The Community Educator of the Year Award recognizes a family physician in Ontario who is an outstanding community teacher, preceptor and/or mentor, and consistently provides a quality learning environment in family medicine – inspiring and motivating learners, and effectively building their confidence and competence through collegial relationships.
Dr. Moir was inspired to go to medical school while receiving treatment for colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. During his first year at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, he underwent a liver transplant but, with the help of his classmates, he graduated with his charter class in 2009. Placements in Terrace Bay, Huntsville and Dryden inspired him to become a rural generalist, and after completing his residency at NOSM, Dr. Moir and his family moved to Dryden to set up his practice.
Dr. Moir has served as medical director of faculty development and as academics coordinator for NOSM’s residency program. He counts achieving associate professor status at NOSM as a career highlight, and in 2018, he was recognized with NOSM’s Clinical Teaching Award. He is an advanced cardiac life support instructor and has an emergency medicine designation. He remains a passionate teacher of primary care orthopedics, ultrasound, emergency medicine and rural primary care.
Dr. Moir has coached soccer, hockey and baseball, and recently started a local run club. He has four children, a wonderfully supportive wife and two large dogs that enrich his life infinitely.
Early Years Award
The Early Years Award is presented to an early-career family physician, in their first 10 years, who has demonstrated exemplary dedication to family medicine and primary care in their practice and/or community.
Dr. Chan is the lead physician at the Guelph Family Health Team (FHT) and offers cradle-to-grave care, including home visits, palliative care and small outpatient procedures. She is the current chair of the FHT’s Board. She is an adjunct professor with McMaster University, teaching the mental health and behavioural sciences curriculum to family medicine residents at the Kitchener-Waterloo campus.
Dr. Chan is involved with local healthcare system transformation through her work with the Guelph Wellington Ontario Health Team (OHT), which includes leading the advancement of diversity, equity and inclusivity as well as improvements in digital health for the OHT. She is involved in organizing and steering the Guelph-Wellington Physician Association as part of her commitment to advocating for local healthcare workers. She also serves her medical community as a restorative medical educator, using her podcast, The Other Human in the Room, as well as workshops and coaching to facilitate the reconnection of medical practitioners with their humanity.
Dr. Chan is mother of two sons, wife of one husband and superfan of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Family Medicine Resident of the Year
The Family Medicine Resident of the Year Award – Ontario’s Rising Star recognizes a resident who is an emerging leader and advocate for family medicine, and demonstrates an initiative that is making positive contributions in areas such as patient care, peer support, advocacy, community service, research, and education.
Dr. Bahar completed his training at the University of Toronto (U of T) in 2020. Out of a love for close-knit communities, living an outdoor lifestyle and the challenges of rural practice, he pursued a residency in family medicine through U of T. He completed his first year at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) in Toronto at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and his second year in Port Perry.
Dr. Bahar served as co-chief resident and was involved in the resident union, PARO, as a general council member. At MGH, he helped to revamp the surgical rotation for family medicine residents by reviewing core competencies, residency expectations and surgical team patient care needs. Working closely with the IPAC service, he led a team of residents in providing outpatient care for patients with COVID-19. He is currently completing additional training in emergency medicine at the University of Calgary, with the aim of bringing his newly honed skills and knowledge back to the Ontario communities where he grew up.
Dr. Bahar is incredibly thankful to his wife, Maya, for her support, and to his mother, Cari, for being an unwavering source of inspiration.
Medical Student of the Year
The Medical Student of the Year Award is presented to a medical student who is an emerging leader and advocate for family medicine and has made contributions to family medicine and/or primary care in areas such as patient care, peer support, advocacy, community service, research, and education.
Ms. Hron is a fourth-year medical student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (NOSM). Born and raised in northwestern Ontario, she identifies as Métis with her roots lying in Treaty 3. She has never had a family doctor. Because of this, she applied to medical school with her heart set on becoming a family physician.
Ms. Hron is committed to increasing access to health care in rural Northern Ontario. She was involved as a research assistant in the start-up of the NOSM Research Toward Health Hub (NORTHH) Practice-Based Research Network. This network will ensure that data specific to Northern Ontario can be used for quality improvement in health care. Most recently, she became the east co-chair of the newly founded Indigenous Medical Students’ Association of Canada.
A passionate community activist, Ms. Hron has volunteered as an academic tutor and graduation coach with numerous Indigenous groups and organizations. Upon graduation, she plans to practise as a family physician in her home town of Dryden.
2022 Awards of Excellence
The Award of Excellence recognizes outstanding contributions in a specific area pertaining to the specialty of family medicine: patient care, community service, hospital or health-care institutions, College activities (CFPC or OCFP), teaching, research or other elements of the academic discipline of family medicine.
Dr. Alykhan Abdulla (Manotick) is recognized for his advocacy for family medicine, particularly in building public awareness of the major challenges facing the profession. From his use of social media to his television interviews and print editorials, he has engaged reporters, politicians, healthcare professionals and the public to advocate for solutions and garner support for family doctors.
Dr. Mohamed Alarakhia (Waterloo) is recognized for improving the clinician and patient experience as managing director of the eHealth Centre of Excellence. He has taken the lead in ensuring digital health is implemented in ways that are sustainable for clinicians, improving their practice efficiencies, with the goal of enhancing patient outcomes and overall experience.
Dr. Amit Arya (North York) is recognized for founding Doctors for Justice in LTC, which brought together over 1,000 physicians and researchers to advocate for urgent action by the Ontario government to protect the residents of long-term care. His leadership and work in advocacy and public education via social and news media have fostered greater social accountability and commitment to LTC residents.
Dr. Kerry Beal (Hamilton) is recognized for her significant impact in mitigating the effects of COVID-19 among the homeless and those marginally housed in Hamilton. She and her team arranged accessible drop-in sites for both testing and vaccination. She also took her team to encampments, shelters and to the homebound, ensuring the widest possible coverage. At the time of her nomination, she had administered over 14,000 COVID-19 tests and more than 2,000 COVID-19 vaccines.
Dr. Erin Bearss (Toronto) is recognized for being instrumental to the COVID-19 response at Sinai Health System and for the City of Toronto. She organized a systemic pandemic response, from assessment to vaccination, while simultaneously juggling her responsibilities as a department chief, a family physician dedicated to her patients and an emergency room physician.
Dr. Tali Bogler (Toronto) is recognized for leading and advocating for pregnant Ontarians during the pandemic and for shining a spotlight on primary care. The tools she created, such as the “Pandemic Pregnancy Guide” and the “Interim Schedule for Pregnant Women and Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” became trusted resources for patients and healthcare providers, respectively, and have had significant provincial reach.
Dr. Risa Bordman (Toronto) is recognized for creating a faculty development program for U of T’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, “How to Incorporate Virtual Supervision of Learners in Medical Care,” which outlines ways to create a positive, stimulating learning environment. She led the team in taking a scholarly approach in developing the program and mentored many faculty and learners in the process.
Dr. Susan Coish (Toronto) is recognized for establishing an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) palliative care clinic at Sunnybrook Hospital. She has made significant contributions to an underserved population by providing mentorship and educational sessions on the management of ALS from a palliative perspective – to medical students, family medicine and palliative care residents, internists, hospitalists and allied health staff.
Dr. Chantal D’Aoust-Bernard (Vanier) is recognized for organizing two COVID-19 clinics quickly and efficiently, going beyond her practice to help the eastern part of Ottawa. As a result, many patients with viral symptoms received same-day assessment and care, helping to alleviate the burden on ERs, especially at Hôpital Montfort.
Dr. Magbule Doko (Windsor) is recognized for her significant impact in helping to vaccinate her Windsor community. At the time of her nomination, she had administered over 6,000 COVID-19 vaccinations and had run over 40 pop-up vaccination clinics, including two for children aged 5–11, one for the underserved downtown community, and another for migrant workers.
Dr. Doug Gruner (Ottawa) is recognized for course development in migrant health and refugee health care at the University of Ottawa, filling a vital healthcare need and an important social accountability mandate. His humanitarian-focused research continues to have far-reaching societal impact in Canada and globally.
Dr. Noah Ivers (Toronto) is recognized for his knowledge translation for patients and family doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic, including co-writing a series of modules: “COVID-19 vaccination in Canada: an educational series for primary care professionals” that were widely used by primary care clinicians. He was instrumental in creating resources to address vaccine hesitancy, delivering webinars on patient vaccination as well as developing communication tools to help patients navigate care during this unprecedented time.
Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth (Ottawa) is recognized for her significant contribution to the COVID-19 vaccination effort, including through her organization of “Jabapalooza” clinics in Ottawa, which immunized more than 14,500 patients. She also led advocacy, including through social and news media, for equitable access to health care, personal protective equipment and vaccines.
Dr. Yasir Khan (Markham) and Dr. Shivajan Sivapalan (Oshawa) are recognized for improving the overall health and well-being of international students at Durham College and Ontario Tech University, through a dedicated health education program that allows students to receive one-on-one education on important health topics including mental health. Through the program, students can directly address any concerns with a healthcare provider, as well as being screened for common health concerns.
Dr. Dominik Nowak (Toronto) is recognized for health system leadership. During the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Dr. Nowak chaired “Team Ontario” meetings, bringing together provincial stakeholders across diverse sectors. With equity as a driving principle, “Team Ontario” built lasting bridges among primary care, public health, government, hospitals, home and community care, pharmacies, social care, and the private sector. This has solidified partnerships that continue to make a difference in the health system to causes beyond pandemic recovery.
Dr. Ammar Rashid (Kingston) is recognized for creating an integrated, more robust hospitalist team at Queen’s University Department of Family Medicine – Division of Hospital Medicine, which is based at Providence Care Hospital. His transformational leadership has had positive impacts on physician wellness and patient flow. His ambitious visioning has also created a meaningful experience for learners in medicine.
Dr. Danny Yeung (Toronto) is recognized for championing mental health care in family and community medicine through his writing and training programs on accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy (AEDP), locally and internationally. He wrote his third book, Awakening the Power of Transformance: Practicing AEDP, and contributed a chapter to the award-winning book Undoing Aloneness and the Transformation of Suffering into Flourishing: AEDP 2.0.
Dr. Steven V. Zizzo (Hamilton) is recognized for leading the team at Winterberry Family Medicine to inoculate 31,000 Hamiltonians—and counting—with COVID-19 vaccines. His innovative initiatives have helped to bridge the gap in delivery of vaccines, and he has disseminated his experience to the broader medical community through involvement with the Primary Care Digital Caucus for both his local and provincial OHTs.
