  |
Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, Dr. Karim Ramzan Abdulla completed his medical degree in Uganda in 1971 before coming to Canada in 1974 to further his studies in Montreal, Ottawa and Winnipeg, and eventually complete his fellowships in Internal Medicine and in Respiratory/Critical Care Medicine. In 1981, he found his way to Regina in 1981, where he worked in various leadership positions, including Section Head of Respiratory Medicine at the Regina General Hospital and Pasqua Hospital, and as Head of the Department of Medicine for the Regina Health District/Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region until 2015. He accepted a position as Medical Consultant to the Ministry of Health in January 2018, and then retired from office-based clinical practice in December 2018 except for management of the chronic ventilator unit at Wascana Rehabilitation Centre.
He is especially proud of having led by example in his position as Head of the Department of Medicine in Regina; of having served as examiner in Respiratory Medicine for Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (2001-2004); and demonstrates passion for teaching medical students, residents, fellows and other allied health care professionals.
A lean certified leader, he has demonstrated passion for patient safety and continuous quality improvement in delivery of health care, both in hospital and community based medical practice. In addition, as a member of the board of directors for the Regina Hospitals Foundation (2010 - 2016), he contributed to promoting state of the art medical care delivery in the province by supporting fundraising efforts through the hospital foundation.
Throughout his career in Regina, he found one regular occurrence particularly amusing: “I repeatedly had to explain to colleagues, medical students, residents and at times even nursing staff who thought that the person they had seen (and thought was me with a different partner!) while travelling outside Regina was in fact my twin brother with his spouse, who live in Vancouver!”
Dr. Abdulla enjoys spending time with family and his grand children. In the winter, he travels to visit and learn about new places, and enjoy the new cuisine, as well as the sun, sea and sand.
Back to top
|
  |
A native of Saskatoon, Dr. Dale Morgan Roy Ardell is a 1979 graduate of the U of S College of Medicine. In 1999, he obtained his CCFP, and specialises in Family Medicine, with special interest in Obstetrics, Emergency Medicine and Hospital Medicine.
He practised for one year in Nipawin as a family physician before establishing a full-time family practice in Prince Albert in 1981, where he is proud to have remained active since. From 1990 to 2017, he was also Chief of Family Medicine at Prince Albert Parkland Health District.
“I have many fond memories of friendships and liaisons with patients that represented the pioneer spirit and work ethics that built this country: farmers, ranchers, trappers and outfitters, native elders, mining & industry contractors, clergy and physicians that taught me and shaped my medical career.”
He and his wife have been blessed with 5 wonderful children and their spouses, as well as 7 grandchildren. They remain semi-active on a family farm at Vanscoy, SK. Their private getaway is the family cabin at Christopher Lake, a year-round great venue for fellowship and activities with friends and family.
Back to top
|
 
|
To view the physician profile for Dr. Bingham, click here.
|
  |
Dr. Marilyn Patricia Caughlin grew up in Tisdale before attending the U of S to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (1973) followed by a medical degree (1979).
She worked as a family doctor first in Saskatoon (1980-1983) then joined the Victoria Square/Victoria East Medical Clinic in Regina (1986-2012). From 1998 to 2015, she was a member of the Saskatchewan Practice Enhancement Program (PEP). Her latest venture is as a Physician Supervisor and Assessor with the CPSS SIPPA Program (2014 to present), where she also assists with the orientation of new supervisors.
She is pleased to have been able to utilize both her medical education and experience in the practice of medicine and her degree in Pharmacy to learn and to contribute provincially and nationally in a number of initiatives related to pharmacy and therapeutics. She is especially proud of her involvement in initiatives related to drug therapy and medical practice, including as a member of the Saskatchewan Joint Committee on Drug Utilization, the National Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee, the Saskatchewan Formulary Committee/Saskatchewan Drug Assessment Committee, and the COMPUS/CADTH National Expert Drug Review Committee.
Life as a family physician can be full of unexpected humour. She recalls, “I was working one Saturday morning when a gentleman attended our clinic to have some stitches removed. He had had a lesion removed from an upper thigh area a week earlier. I indicated that he would need to remove his trousers for me to remove his stitches. He waited about 3 seconds and then said 'All my life I have been waiting for a woman to say that to me …. and here I am – 70 years old'.”
Dr. Caughlin is delighted to be married to George Peters and is a proud mother of five children/stepchildren, including a daughter in her family medicine residency program, and a proud grandmother of seven. She enjoys travel, golf, skiing and has been a season ticket holder and avid Saskatchewan Roughrider fan since 1987. She is also a member and one-time chair of the Board of Sunset United Church.
Back to top
|
  |
Dr. Jayantilal Changela obtained his medical degree at Karnatak University of Mysore, India (1972), and completed extensive postgraduate training in the United Kingdom and India, in addition to diplomas in Pediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynecology in Ireland, a diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from Liverpool University, and his CCFP and FCFP in Canada.
He worked in various positions as a physician in Scotland and the UK (1972-1981) before coming to Canada as a Clinical trainee in 1983. He is proud that his service to the small communities of Hafford and area, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (1981-1982) was recognized by the Royal Canadian Legion division of Hafford, Saskatchewan. After having practised in many other smaller communities around north central Saskatchewan, including North Battleford and Prince Albert, he is honoured that after having provided 40+ years of service to the Province of Saskatchewan, of which 20 years of service was provided to rural Saskatchewan residents and communities, he was kindly recognized for this by Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO, Scott Livingstone. He was also honored with the Life membership recognition award from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (2017).
He shares one incident that touched him deeply: “I was working in Spiritwood as a locum family physician in 1997 during a chilling -40-degree Celsius February evening. A maternity patient presented at approximately 24 weeks gestational age with premature rupture of the membranes. The case was critically complicated as she delivered within 5 minutes with multiple, life-threatening complications, including respiratory distress and numerous congenital abnormalities. I remember not even being able to get a scalp IV for a peripheral line, and the baby was nearing a shock stage. A nurse and I were somehow able to manage for 5-6 hours keeping the child alive using a mask, bag and oxygen. The Neonatal Resuscitation team eventually arrived through challenging weather conditions and was able to support the baby. Fifteen years later, that child’s mother came to my medical clinic to show me how far she had come along. This baby had grown into a vibrant, healthy young woman and has now gone on to attend university. I could not believe the medical miracle I was seeing, given her life-threatening presentation at birth. It was truly a touching and vivid memory of why we work as physicians.”
Dr. Changela is happily married and a proud father of two children, one of whom is an OBGYN and the other is a hospital pharmacist in the Pediatric Neonatology Department at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. In his free time, he loves to swim, go for walks, play card games, and enjoy movies – both Bollywood and Hollywood. He has been very involved in the community, particularly helping those families who are new to Canada, and has previously served as the Vice-President of the Hindu Society of Saskatchewan. He is now looking to get involved further with the World Health Organization and the Red Cross Society in the near future.
Back to top
|
  |
A 1972 graduate of the U of S College of Medicine, Dr. Dyck left for Toronto and England to complete his fellowship in Internal Medicine with a Certificate of Special Competence in Nephrology (1977), and a Medical Research Council Fellowship (1980) respectively. He returned to Saskatchewan a specialist in Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Transplantation Nephrology, serving in various teaching and lead administrative roles at the U of S College of Medicine (1981-present). He also served as Director of the Saskatchewan Renal Transplant Program (1981-1991), was also the Founding Medical Director of the Saskatchewan Transplant Program, and worked in Aboriginal Health, both as Inaugural Head of the Aboriginal Health Division of the Department of Medicine, and to offer nephrology clinics for Indigenous people with diabetic nephropathy with Northern Medical Services.
His grandparents and parents were Russian Mennonite refugees who found sanctuary from conflict and starvation in Ukraine by coming to Saskatchewan in the 1920s. “It was always my dream to return and give something back to Saskatchewan after completing my training. It has been a privilege to work in the College of Medicine in various capacities for over 40 years,” he declared.
Some of his proudest career achievements are as follows:
- Dr. Dyck played a lead role in the establishment and development of the Saskatchewan Transplant Program. This is a multi-disciplinary program with responsibility for the donation and distribution of organs for transplantation, and the care of Saskatchewan patients with organ transplants.
- He and his colleagues were the first to describe the epidemic of diabetic end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among Indigenous people in Canada. They have since carried out (and continue to do so) some of the seminal epidemiological research on diabetes and its complications in First Nations populations, including the role of diabetic pregnancies in amplifying Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) risk in future generations.
“On my final day seeing patients in the renal transplant clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital, the last person to be scheduled was a woman who had received one of the first kidney transplants under my supervision after I had returned to Saskatoon in 1980. She was now a middle-aged woman whose kidney continued to function almost 30 years later, the longest transplant survival among all of my renal transplant patients. After reminiscing about the years that had passed, the ups and downs of living with a kidney transplant, how our families were doing and what our futures had in store for us, she handed me a gift-wrapped package. Inside was a beautiful silver mug with a simple inscription: ‘Thank you for a lifetime’.”
On a personal note, Dr. Dyck considers himself lucky to have witnessed the last vestiges of the original Great Plains as a boy in rural Saskatchewan, and early on became an outdoorsman, amateur naturalist/archaeologist, and proponent of physical activity. These later became his solace from the stresses of the medical profession. He was a competitive biathlete and rower and still enjoys cross-country skiing and occasionally dipping an oar in the water. He and his wife, Helena, have been blessed to spend many wonderful summers at their island cottage on Lac La Ronge, and to enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, birdwatching and trail-making with their dogs on their South Saskatchewan river-land near Fish Creek. On his experience as an avid fisherman, he says “I have become a competent but never masterly fly-fisherman - I spend time with close friends in spring and autumn, in the Cypress Hills of my youth, trying to deliver the perfect cast to catch an elusive and pouty brown trout on a home-made fly.”
Back to top
|
  |
Dr. (Robert) Ian Etches obtained his medical degree in 1980 at the University of Saskatchewan in his home town of Saskatoon. From 1981 to 1992, he worked in general practice and as a Locum Tenens in a series of towns, including Biggar, Maidstone, Saskatoon, Ile-à-la-Crosse, Uranium City, and Fort St. James (BC). From 1990 to 1994, he completed the residency program in Anatomic Pathology through the U of S College of medicine, gaining experience at all three Saskatoon hospitals, and the following year, did an informal fellowship in Renal and Pulmonary Pathology at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. He is proud of having obtained certification and fellowship in both the USA and Canada in Anatomic Pathology (FCAP and FRCPC).
As a specialist in Anatomic Pathology, he moved to Moose Jaw in 1996 to accept a position practising as a General Pathologist in a community hospital of the Five Hills Health Region, where he still works today in the role of Medical Director of Laboratory Medicine.
His experience in Northern Saskatchewan brings back memories of flying down the Grease River valley, after seeing the beautiful Hunt Falls en route from the northern hamlet of Stony Rapids back to Uranium City after a clinic in his early years as a General Practitioner.
Outside of work, Dr. Etches enjoys gardening, raising tropical fish, motorcycle riding and mechanics, camping, the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzles and doing home improvements.
Back to top
|
  |
Originally from Saskatoon, Dr. Donald Gordon Gelhorn spent his entire career with a rural focus in mind. Following a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, he obtained his medical degree from the U of S College of Medicine, and is a Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
With a special interest in Rural Family Medicine, Dr. Gelhorn moved to Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan in 1981 to join the Hudson Bay Medical Group as a family physician. He served as National President (2000-2001) of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and gained honorary membership of the Canadian Medical Association. He is also a recipient of the Saskatchewan Family Physician of the Year (1998).
His leisure activities include life at the lake - windsurfing, kayaking, assuming the role of boat driver “for the kids’ and grandkids’ water sports”, water skiing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing.
He is a member of the Rotary Club of Hudson Bay, with both community and international involvement. He was on St. Stephen’s United Church Board of Stewards and is a member of the Hudson Bay Physician Recruitment Committee.
Back to top
|
  |
After his internship and medical degree at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, Dr. Anthony Charles Hamilton moved to Beechy, Saskatchewan in 1980 to work in family practice at the Beechy Health Centre. After 2002, he served as a locum in Beechy, Outlook, Gravelbourg, and Regina, where he now lives. He also held positions as Commissioner for the Health Services Utilization and Research Commission (HSURC); Chief of Staff at Midwest Health District (Outlook & Area), and Assessor for the Practice Enhancement Program (PEP).
Dr. Hamilton is proud of the work he accomplished in the Beechy area. Of note, he contributed greatly to the Beechy Primary Care Pilot Project, which introduced a multi-disciplinary practice involving a variety of health practitioners working together to provide coordinated patient care. It also introduced Primary Care nurses to the southern part of the province. In addition, when he first came to Beechy, the closest ambulance was two hours away in Saskatoon. Together with two of the local firemen, they physically built Beechy’s first ambulance – a converted van. He fully enjoyed small town practice; he knew all his patients on a personal level and became part of the community. For this, he received Beechy’s first “Citizen of the Year” award.
He served as President of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan for two years, working closely with Dr. Dennis Kendel. “It was a very rewarding experience,” he stated. “It was at a difficult time in the province with the closure of 52 rural hospitals – one of which was Beechy.”
Dr. Hamilton's experience and accomplishments in his spare time have been diverse:
- In South Africa, he was a Lieutenant Colonel, an officer commanding the equivalent of a MASH unit.
- He built a cement sailboat and sailed it from Durban, South Africa, across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
- He served as Commodore of the Lake Diefenbaker Yacht Club for several years, spending summers sailing Lake Diefenbaker from when he first came to Saskatchewan until today.
- He served on and was president of both the Beechy Civic Center board and Prairie Lake Park board.
- In 2000, he and his family built a house in Costa Rica and have spent the winters there ever since.
- He still leads a very active lifestyle, biking, hiking, rappelling, and woodworking.
Back to top
|
  |
Dr. William John Haver grew up in the USA, Saskatoon and, finally, Wynyard, SK, before moving back to Saskatoon where he completed an undergraduate degree in Physiology (1972) followed by a medical degree, family medicine residency, and GP Anesthesia training (1980). He trained in sports medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 1980 before returning for a 19-month locum in Prince Albert. In 1981, he moved to Saskatoon to become Founder and Managing Partner at Lakeside Medical Clinic, where he practiced Family Medicine and Sports Medicine for over 40 years. Starting his practice was not an easy feat. “I remember Dr. Art Harris (Chief of Emergency at City Hospital at the time) and Elmer Schwartz (President of SCH) talking to me in the ER at SCH and asking me how my new office was doing,” he recalls. “I told them that my first month’s overhead was 350% of my gross income. They were shocked and seemed a bit worried for me. Elmer asked me what I was going to do about it, and I told him I was going to do the only thing I knew how to do: work harder. Elmer and Art allowed me to work as many ER shifts as I could, so I worked evenings and nights in the ER and covered my office during the day. Eventually things turned for the better, but I never forgot their concern and willingness to help. I continued with City Hospital as Deputy Chief of Family Medicine and then Chief of Family Medicine, then Deputy Chief of Staff and eventually Chief of Staff. And Elmer and Art were life-long friends.”
Dr. Haver was involved with athletes and teams over four decades, caring for multiple Huskie athletes and teams (he spent 25 years as team physician for Huskie Football). He was the Hilltop team doctor for over 20 years, former Chief Medical officer for Canada Games, Skate Canada, and Hockey Canada, and a member of the medical teams for the Pan Am games, World Rowing championships and Olympic teams.
Another major career achievement was the development of the concept of electronic medical records. He and his colleagues pioneered this concept in 1984 and went on to continuously refine their own program and contribute to the development of the EMR provincially, nationally and internationally. He has promoted, advised, consulted, and taught on this subject for over 30 years.
Dr. Haver is thankful for his wife’s contribution to his success: “The idea for the original Lakeside Medical Clinic was conceived by my best friend and wife, Patti. She has had to put up with a doctor husband who worked too many hours, too many nights and weekends, and was gone far too often. And yet she is my biggest fan. And she almost single-handedly raised our three happy and successful children: Kristen Vaughn (U of A grad living in Italy, married to Travis, an officer in the US Air Force), Rob Haver (U of S graduate and Saba University graduate, married to Jayme, father of two and practising medicine in Moose Jaw, SK) and Mitchell Haver (U of S grad, married to Kristan, and a Financial Advisor in Saskatoon). Our two grandchildren have become my motivation to slow down and spend time on the floor or in the pool.”
Dr. Haver goes on to say, “I have had the privilege of working with many of the finest physicians in our province, but I would be remiss if I did not mention Dr. Mick Jutras who has been my Partner since 1981 and shared both the good and bad times. His friendship, knowledge and dedication have been an inspiration and a comfort. And our wives also became best friends and continue to enjoy activities together. They have taught me that friends are the people standing beside you when there is nothing to be gained by doing so.”
Back to top
|
|
To view the physician profile for Dr. Jutras, click here.
|
  |
Dr. Beverly Eileen Karras was in full service medical practice for the majority of her career. After completing her MD (1978) at the U of S in Saskatoon, she practised in Saskatoon, Rocanville, Esterhazy/Moosomin, Saskatoon, Carrot River, before settling into a partnership with the Nipawin Medical Group from 1990-2009. From there, she took on a position as Clinical Faculty with the West Winds Primary Health Centre in Saskatoon, where she worked until 2019. She also completed her CCFP (2006) and FCFP (2019). She also had the opportunity to teach through the College of Medicine Undergraduate Medical Education, Faculty Development and Continuing Medical Education.
Working with her team to develop a robust palliative care presence in the former North East Health District is something that she is especially proud of. “We were able to work across acute care, home care, long term care with involvement of community to provide palliative care more seamlessly based upon the patient’s needs, not location. Developing the practice of creating a binder that followed the patient allowed for improved communication without family/patients having to answer the same difficult questions multiple times; developing emergency caches throughout the health district to allow for a quick response to clinical changes that allowed patients to be stabilized in their home settings; and establishing a welcoming palliative care hospital space were three concrete results of our efforts.”
“Becoming involved over the years with organizations such as the Saskatchewan Medical Association, the Canadian Medical Association, the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, district/regional medical associations and the Saskatchewan Palliative Care Association to work toward improving health care of patients and the work/lives of physicians was also time and effort I consider well spent,” she stated.
She explains the essence of her fondest career memories: “The opportunity to get to know patients takes time. Sharing the stories of seniors who lived into their 90s and 100s provides a glimpse of who they have been and some interesting insight into their lives – from the woman who remained interested in politics- reading and discussing Hansard transcripts and speaking of Sir John A Macdonald as a politician, not a historical figure, to a gentleman originally from England who went on a 'world tour' with his brother in the early 1900s prior to settling in Canada, to a woman - who listened to the Rough Rider football games on the radio and liked to discuss plays when I made house calls sometimes days after the games. I fondly remember a senior who I got to know quite well over the years. I still have a few poems that she gave me which gave a clear understanding of her illness experience! My favorite was 'Shingle Bells, Shingle Bells' – as you guessed by now, about the trials and tribulations of having herpes zoster one winter (before the days of zoster vaccination).”
Dr. Karras is married to Bruce and has two sons who both reside in Saskatoon. She and her husband enjoy travel and have taken opportunities to enjoy many of our northern lakes, as well as the great variety of experiences of travel in Canada and the wider world on their own as well as with family and friends. Music, reading, and volunteering at church are all things she looks forward to in retirement.
Back to top
|
  |
Dr. Frank Roderick Lee is a physician who specializes in Family Medicine and Anaesthesia. Originally from Georgetown, Guyana, he completed his medical training in Scotland and Ireland before becoming a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada in 1979. After a brief passage in Russell, Manitoba, he moved to Yorkton in 1980 after accepting a position as General Practitioner/ Anaesthesiologist with Yorkton Regional Health, where he practised until he retired in late 2020. For many of those years, he was Chief of Staff/Chief of Anaesthesia at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre.
Of his career achievements, he is most proud of:
- Serving as a member of the A/O Committee at the College of Physicians and Surgeons for many years.
- Educational Coordinator for Sunrise Health Region – organizing and conducting post graduate lectures for many years for the Regional Physicians
- Western Canadian Figure Skating Championships – Physician on-site
Reflecting on his time spent as a medical provider for the community, Dr. Lee shares: “For me, medicine, especially in a small town, is more than just writing prescriptions and conducting procedures. It is about the people and the community and that is what I will miss most.
One fond memory I hold dear is about a 10-year-old boy who became my patient when I first moved to Yorkton in 1980. Over the years, I helped to guide him through life’s ups and downs including the death of his father and his first wife who passed from cancer. I became a father-like figure to him. When he came to me a few years ago to tell me that he had met someone else, I encouraged him to pursue it. That relationship turned into an engagement. Neither of them wanted a big wedding at a hall preferring an intimate affair. So, I offered up my medical office for the nuptials. My wife organized the flowers, food, and music. I asked another of my patients, a justice of the peace to officiate the ceremony. It was a beautiful day.
As I prepare to say goodbye to Yorkton so that I may travel and spend more time with my children and grandchildren, it will be fond memories such as these that I will take with me.”
Musing about his career path, he adds, “My passion has always been horse racing. When my children were younger and before there were 4 university tuitions to pay for, I was lucky enough to be a racehorse owner. In partnership with two others, I had purchased a colt called Silver Charm. Well, that horse went on to win 2 out of the 3 triple crown races, including the Kentucky Derby, a feat less than a dozen horses has been able to achieve in the 145 years the races have been around. Unfortunately for myself and the other two owners, we sold Silver Charm before he realized these achievements. Perhaps it was fate that intervened, because if we had kept this horse, I may not have achieved my 40 years of medical practice!”
Back to top
|
  |
Dr. Susan Jane MacDonald attended the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine to obtain her medical degree, specializing in Family Medicine. She spent most of her career in private practice in Regina and Lumsden, which included caring for patients at the Lumsden and District Care Home. In addition, she continues to be a member of the planning committee for the University of Calgary’s Continuing Medical Education program, Pearls for Family Practice.
When asked about her fondest memories, she replied, “I remember when I first started making rounds on seniors; several would ask ‘When is the doctor coming?’ And a tiny patient I had delivered later called me ‘Dr. Mickey Donald’.”
At home, Dr. MacDonald is a mother of 4 and grandmother of 3. She is a photographer and has been a member of several choirs over the last 30 years. She describes herself as a lover of dogs, of which she has 3.
Back to top
|
  |
Originally from Saskatoon, Dr. McIntosh completed his medical degree (1979) at the U of S College of Medicine, his Internship at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon, and did his Residency in Diagnostic Radiology (1984) at the U of S. He also completed his Fellowship with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canadian 1984. From 1985 onwards, he spent most of his career as a Diagnostic Radiologist with Associated Radiologists in Saskatoon until July 2020, when he started working at Prorad Medical Imaging, where he still works today.
His experience includes a subspecialty of Breast Imaging and Intervention, and he was a consultant to the Breast Cancer Screening Program of Saskatchewan (1990-2020), as well as Assistant Professor, Medical Imaging, at the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (1984 to present).
Three major projects are at the centre of his career achievements:
- He helped with the development and planning of the “Centre of Care” at Saskatoon City Hospital. This program has dramatically improved care for breast cancer patients in Saskatoon with a multidisciplinary approach. Care is standardized and centralized with a patient-first philosophy.
- He participated in the pilot project for the Screening Program for Breast Cancer and has continued to be involved with the program since its inception in 1990.The program provides a high quality of care with statistics among the best in Canada.
- He has served the profession on the Advisory Committee for Medical Imaging for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, and in the late 1980’s, including developing bylaws for licensing Labs and Diagnostic Imaging Facilities.
From his interactions with patients, he remembers one humorous incident in particular: “At Associated Radiologists, we provided itinerant services to many of the towns in central Saskatchewan up until a few years ago. On one occasion, I was performing a G.I. series (X-ray of the upper gastrointestinal tract) on a ‘rough-around-the-edges’ middle-aged male farmer. He had been referred by his physician for abdominal pain. He looked me right in the eye and asked, “Doc, do you think marriage could cause this?” I tried to reassure him that it was quite unlikely to be the cause of his discomfort. On his subsequent G.I. series, he was shown to have a large active duodenal ulcer and since that day I have always wondered if in his case, he was on to something…?”
In his life outside work, Dr. McIntosh and his wife of 43 years, Kim have two children. Their daughter, Kristin is a veterinarian and their son, Kyle, is a pharmacist. Kyle and his wife Jillian, who is a general practitioner, have one son, who is their only grandchild. They enjoy northern Saskatchewan and have had a cabin at Waskesiu since 1994. He has been a photographer for many years and has recently started painting. Much to the horror of his colleagues in the ER and orthopaedic surgery, he still rides a motorcycle.
Back to top
|
  |
Dr. Armstrong Nii Armah Mettle obtained his medical degree (MB, Ch.B.) from the University of Ghana. From 1974 to 1976 he worked as Senior House Officer at various hospitals across England, and in 1977, became Registrar at Lewis Hospital in Scotland. He came to Canada in 1979, where he first practised as a General Surgeon at Springdale Hospital in Newfoundland. In 1980, he accepted a position as General Practitioner at Spalding Union Hospital in Spalding, Saskatchewan where he remained for 15 years. From 1996-2021, he worked private practice in Saskatoon. His major career achievement is his research on using Metoclopramide to prevent post-operative gastroparesis.
He still chuckles about one hospital cafeteria meal: “I ordered Lamb liver and bacon from the menu in the cafeteria of West London Hospital in 1974. The plate had a piece of liver, some bacon, Yorkshire pudding and scalloped potatoes. Confused, I asked the cashier of the cafeteria, “Where is the lamb??” She answered that the liver on my plate came from a lamb.”
Dr. Mettle has one daughter who is a family physician in Toronto.
Back to top
|
  |
Dr. Declan Quinn graduated in 1974 from the College of Medicine at Trinity College in his home town of Dublin, Ireland. He went on to complete his internship in Dublin, followed by two years in Internal Medicine, which included a rotation in Psychiatry. “It was at that time that I decided I wanted to continue with Psychiatry,” he recalls.
He came to Saskatoon in the summer of 1977 to do a residency, which he completed in the summer of 1980. In July of 1980, he joined the Department of Psychiatry at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon as a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, and was also appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons later that same year. He later took on the role of Division Head of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for 8 years, and also served as the last president of the medical staff of the Royal University Hospital before the transition to become a larger health region.
Dr. Quinn’s main area of interest has been in attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. He has also developed an expertise in Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry. One his proudest achievements was the development of the d-Methylphenidate as a treatment for ADHD. Together with colleagues from the College of Pharmacy, theirs was the first group to show that the efficacy of Ritalin resided in the d-Isomer.
Later in his career, he would be invited down to the National institutes of Health in Bethesda Merrill to present on his research on ADHD and methylphenidate.
With colleagues from across the country, Dr. Quinn also helped to set up the Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance. (CADDRA), where he held the position of chair for a period of two years, and was on the board for 14 years. He and his group developed internationally recognized guidelines for the assessment evaluation and treatment for ADHD in Canada.
Another career highlight was the role he played in helping set up the Medical Council of Canada Part 2 Examination in Saskatoon. He had been in examiner for a number of years, and when the Medical Council of Canada requested that the College of Medicine run the exam Saskatoon, he was approached by the Dean. He feels deeply that this has been a remarkable and effective teaching tool.
One day, Dr. Quinn was getting ready to head out to a conference in Toronto where he was an invited keynote speaker when he made a startling realization following an unexpected twist in a conversation. He explains:
“I was leaving to get to the airport at 5:00 a.m. My daughter, Aisling, who was 4 years old, asked me where I was going. I told her I was going to do teaching in Toronto. She asked me, ‘What type of teaching?’ I said I was going to be talking to doctors about how children feel and think about things. She asked me if I knew what she was thinking at that time. I said no.”
Her comment then was ‘You’re not very good, are you!”
I was humbled! She was correct.
Dr. Quinn’s personal life featured an array of interests. He ran the Irish Pavilion at Folkfest for 2 years in the mid-1980s and was the chair of the Saskatoon Freestyle Ski Club in the early 1990s. His hobbies have included playing chess, bridge, skiing and playing soccer.
Back to top
|
|
To view the physician profile for Dr. Suri, click here.
|
  |
A full member the College of Physicians and Surgeons of both Saskatchewan and Ontario, Dr. Chiranjib Talukdar is a specialist in Pediatrics and a certificant of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He obtained most of his medical training and early work experience abroad in Scotland and the United Kingdom. In 1972, he moved to Ottawa, Ontario to complete a 12-month residency in Pediatrics with rotations in Neonatology, Cardiology, Child Psychiatry, Pediatric Nephrology and General Pediatrics, followed by a Residency in Pediatrics (1973-74) at the Winnipeg Children’s Hospital, with rotations through Neonatology, Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Allergy, General Pediatrics, Pediatric Outpatient and Pediatric ICU. He moved to Saskatchewan in 1974 to complete a third Residency in Pediatrics at the Royal University Hospital, with rotations through Pediatric Allergy, General Pediatrics, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric ICU.
Other than a short leave of absence to complete his fellowship training in Pediatric Dermatology (2009) at the hospital for sick children in Glasgow, Scotland, under Dr. Morley, Consultant Pediatric Dermatologist, Dr. Talukdar practised most of his career in Saskatchewan as a pediatrician and much-respected professor.
Over the span of his career, Dr. Talukdar has received upwards of 17 awards for “Best Clinical Teacher” from students and colleagues in both Regina and Saskatoon. He was also the recipient of the Doctor of the Year Award for Western Canada Region (2005) from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and of the Saskatchewan Lung Association Award of Merit in grateful recognition of outstanding services in the fight against Lung Disease (1998).
Now a Canadian citizen, Dr. Talukdar was originally a member of the Buddhist Hill Tribe Family/Chakma Tribe of Bangladesh and is of Tebeto-Burman origin. His wife, Sneha Talukdar is a Family Physician practising in Regina. Their first son, Sumedha Talukdar (adopted) is a computer Technician; their second son, Sidhartta Talukdar, is a medical doctor; and their third son, Beavan Talukdar, is a medical doctor practising as a sports physician.
Dr. Talukdar speaks English, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Burmese, and French, and is working on learning a few more languages. His leisure interests include music, walking, swimming, working out, playing soccer, hiking, reading, traveling, and clinical photography.
Back to top
|
  |
Dr. David Harold Warden prides himself on having been able to offer comprehensive primary care to a broad sector of the population, from cradle to grave.
Originally from Saskatoon, he obtained his MD (1977) from the University of Saskatchewan, and completed the Family Medicine Program, obtained CCFP designation in 1979 and was appointed a Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. He moved to Regina in 1979 to work as a General Practitioner at Stapleford Medical Clinic, where he has been offering comprehensive Family Medicine for the full length of his career, including obstetrics for almost 35 years. He also worked for many years as an Admission/Discharge Physician Facilitator for Family Medicine, helping to manage the bed usage in our area.
He has served on numerous hospital committees over the years, including as Executive of the Department of Family Practice, and on the Emergency Review Committee, Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, Quality Assurance Coordinating Committee, Patient Care Committee, Perinatal Mortality Review Committee, Utilization Committee, and as a member of the Board of the College of Family Physicians of Saskatchewan.
“What comes to mind when thinking back on my career is the debt that I owe to the many wonderful, dedicated physicians who have worked at Stapleford Clinic over the years. I was recruited to work there by Dr. David Road, a remarkable man who had come to Saskatchewan in 1962 to assist in the Medicare Crisis. His son Jeremy Road, who became a respirologist in Vancouver, was my classmate in medical school. He told me that his father was looking for another family physician to join their clinic, and I felt very fortunate to have that opportunity. I really never expected to stay in Regina for the next 41 years. During my career, numerous physicians have come and gone through Stapleford Clinic, and I couldn’t possibly name them all here. But all of them inspired me and enriched my life. Many of them have remained friends. I want to especially mention the South African doctors, who were remarkably capable individuals and who excelled in medicine but also were excellent clinic managers. My career would have been much less successful and certainly less rewarding without these individuals at my side,” said Dr. Warden.
He continues to say, “My work as a committed full-service family physician had a great influence on my life outside of work. Family outings or important functions were often disrupted by my on-call commitments, particularly as I signed up for doing obstetrics during most of my career. Having said this, I am proud of the role I played in raising three amazing daughters. They have all managed to succeed in their chosen careers, and more importantly have found happiness in their personal lives. I am blessed with four healthy grandchildren with another on the way. My eldest daughter graduated from the U of S College of Medicine and is a psychiatrist in Winnipeg. She still hasn’t figured out her old man though.”
Dr. Warden has two main hobbies that he is most passionate about: “I was raised in a golfing family and started playing at a very early age. Family and work commitments have limited the amount I play, but I hope to remedy this as I continue to reduce my time at work. The other hobby is music, particularly singing in choirs. COVID-19 has put a damper on this activity, but I am hopeful to get back to singing soon. It is a powerful positive experience for me, and for many others.”
Back to top
|
| |
|