NEWS RELEASE

ROYAL VICTORIA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTRE

************************* Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) 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 centres Family Medicine Teaching Unit (FMTU). The program, which is affiliated with the University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine, recently welcomed nine 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.

Since the program began in 2009, 54 family medicine residents have trained at RVH, with 31 staying in the area to set up their own practices, provide temporary coverage for area physicians or work in the health centres Emergency and Hospitalist departments.

As a teaching hospital we merge education and healthcare 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. Stephanie Duquette, Mouhanned El-Youssef, Jeremy Gross, Rong Amy Huang; Terence Lynd, Anastasiya Nelyubina, Cameron Spence, Joshua Yuen and Laura Zuccaro.

In addition to welcoming the new residents, RVH also extends congratulations to the residents who graduated from the program this year including Drs. Chris Blake, Emilie Beyls, Lauren Fruchter, Sarah Foohey, Pinky Gaidhu, Jacky Lai, Damien Yohn, Natasha Stribbell and Caitlin Moran.

When the program first began we talked a lot about it being the opportunity for us to grow our own doctors, and now with more than 30 physicians staying in this area to practice medicine, we are definitely reaping what we have sown, says Dr. Stuart Murdoch,Academic Chief of Family Medicine and newly appointed Director, Postgraduate Education, University of Toronto, Department of Family & Community Medicine.

In fact, last year five FMTU residents Drs. Chris Blake, Caitlin Moran, Emilie Beyls, Pinky Gaidhu and Sarah Foohey all received awards throughUniversity of Torontos Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM).

We have seen some exceptional new doctors come through the FMTUs doors and as faculty, we are so proud to play a part in shaping their careers and 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, says Dr. Murdoch.

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Read more:

RVH welcomes new family medicine residents - BarrieToday