NEWS RELEASE
ROYAL VICTORIA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTRE
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Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre continues its important work of training new family doctors as another group of family medicine resident physicians begin their final two years of training in the health centre’s Family Medicine Teaching Unit.
The program, which is affiliated with the University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine, recently welcomed 10 new residents, which helps to ease the burden of a shortage of family physicians in the area as many stay and open their own practices in this community once they are finished their residency.
“These residents will have the opportunity to practice medicine with a full caseload of patients while gaining invaluable knowledge as they work alongside RVH’s many skilled physicians,” says Dr. Stu Murdoch, Academic Chief of Family Medicine and Director, Postgraduate Education, University of Toronto, Department of Family & Community Medicine. “It is an extraordinary environment in which to learn to become well-rounded and well-trained family physicians.”
Since the program began in 2009, 62 family medicine residents have trained at RVH, with 33 staying in the area to set up their own practices, provide temporary coverage for area physicians or work in the health centre’s emergency and hospitalist departments.
“As a teaching hospital we merge education and health-care excellence in such a way that we have a significant, positive impact on our community,” says Janice Skot, RVH president and CEO. “Many physicians who have completed their training at RVH have gone on to establish practices in the area which has helped meet some of the demand for family physicians. As we focus our efforts on increasing the teaching and research opportunities available at RVH, we plan to continue growing, and hopefully keeping, exceptional physicians in this region.”
RVH welcomes Drs. Gustavo Cordova, Azza Eissa, Anzel Hennop, Talha Maqbool, Manish Ranpara, Amanda Sauvé, Shelby Stanojev, Rebecca Stepita, Michael Tomizza, and Justina Westerink.
In addition to welcoming the new residents, RVH also extends congratulations to the residents who graduated from the program this year including Drs. Atiqa Malik, Michael Borchuk, Joshawa Elliott, Sang Eun “Eunice” Kim, Patrick Lavoie, Shafiq Mohamed, Eldon Ng, Nikki Quinn and William Stuart.
“Our program has far exceeded our expectations,” says Dr. Murdoch. “We have seen some exceptional new doctors come through the FMTU’s doors and as faculty, we are so proud to play a part in shaping their careers, passing along our knowledge and skills. And the residents bring such enthusiasm and passion for their patients and their work - it is contagious and they remind us of why we became physicians.”
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