Peer Guides
Make a Connection
Peer Guides are knowledgeable family physicians who have clinical experience in mental health care, substance use disorders and/or chronic pain. Peer Guides also understand mentoring, coaching and practice facilitation.
As a Peer Learner, your Peer Guide will support you in achieving your learning objectives by providing insights from their own personal experience and expertise.
Ready to Become a Peer Learner?
- Search for the Peer Guide you want to connect with (by name or focus type).
- Go to their profile and click ‘Request [Guide’s Name] as a Peer Guide’.
- Complete the request form
If you’d like the Peer Connect team to connect you with a Peer Guide based on your learning objectives, click here to send us your information.
Showing biography of Dr. Marina Abdel Malak (she/her) .
“Being a family physician means that I have the opportunity to work with people of all ages. The relationship between a family doctor and their patients is truly unique. When people ask me what I specialize in, I say – everything! I’m a family doctor!”
Clinical Interest: Psychiatry Mental Health, Chronic Pain, Physician Wellness
Identifies As: Arab/West Asian
Languages Spoken: Arabic, English
Preferred Communication Method: Phone, Email
Practice Model: Family Health Organization (FHO)
OH Region: Central Region (MH/CW/C/NSM)
Biography
Dr. Malak graduated from U of T Family Medicine, during which she spent a considerable time focusing on leadership, education, and mental health. She took various courses that certified her in CBT, DBT, and EFT, and she has training in treating eating disorders, depression, and anxiety.
Her passion for helping others motivated her to pursue further education and training in these areas to support her patients and colleagues.
Her interest in medical education is satisfied through various initiatives. Aside from teaching residents and students, she is a member of the CFPC Continuing Education Committee. As part of this work, she works with a team to ensure that MainPro standards are updated, adhered to, and regularly reviewed. This experience has been helpful in understanding and supporting colleagues in their journeys towards continuing medical education. She is also the Family Medicine Rounds Chair at Trillium Health Partners, where she leads the Continuing Medical Education program for primary care.
In her spare time, Dr. Malak enjoys yoga, reading, and writing. She has her own podcast called ‘3P – pills, pearls, and patients’. She is an avid crafter and puzzler, and treasures time spent with her family. Oh, and she loves puns – they are quite humerus!
Communities Served
Dr. Malak works in Mississauga. The community is very diverse in terms of ethnic backgrounds, religions, cultures, and family units, and has a large population of new immigrants, families who have moved, couples with children, and elderly patients in retirement.
OCFP Programs
Peer Connect
Clinical Interest
Psychiatry Mental Health, Chronic Pain, Physician Wellness
Showing biography of Dr. Jon Davine .
Affiliated With: McMaster University
Practice Model: Royal College Specialist
OH Region: West Region (ESC/SW/WW/HNHB)
Biography
Jon Davine is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, with a cross appointment in the Department of Family Medicine. His outpatient psychiatry practice focuses on liaising with primary care physicians in a shared care model.
For a number of years, Dr. Davine has taught courses in behavioural sciences to family medicine residents and to family doctors in the community. He has lectured nationally and internationally on this topic, and co-edited a book, Psychiatry in Primary Care, a Concise Canadian Pocket Guide in 2011 (second edition in 2019).
His main career interest has been in working with and teaching family doctors about mental health issues in primary care and supporting their role in the delivery of mental health care.
He won the Association of Chairs of Psychiatry in Canada Award for Excellence in Education, in 2018.
OCFP Programs
Peer Connect
Clinical Interest
Psychiatry Mental Health
Showing biography of Dr. Nermine Gorguy .
“I am privileged to walk with my patients through some of their most difficult times. It is a joy to see them reclaim pleasure in their lives despite their struggles and illness.”
Clinical Interest: Psychiatry Mental Health
Languages Spoken: English
Preferred Communication Method: Email
Practice Model: Fee for Service (FFS)
OH Region: Toronto Region (TC)
Biography
Dr. Nermine is a family physician with focused practice in psychotherapy and a special interest in physician mental wellness. She is passionate about supporting patients and physician colleagues as they build robust support networks, both professionally and personally, on their way to developing strategies for resilience and re-experiencing joy even in life’s challenges.
She is skilled in CBT, ACT, and mindfulness and enjoys combining these modalities as needed to support her patients. She also offers group psychotherapy- including supportive, CBT and MBCT groups.
She is currently in the process of being certified in EMDR through EMDRIA.
While she enjoys developing her skills, and growing professionally, she is grateful for the wide variety of OCFP mentor skills and interests, and glad to be a part of this community.
Showing biography of Dr. Gregory Hariton .
“I have a particular passion for the assessment and management of patients diagnosed with chronic pain and addiction because you’re able to observe significant transformations in their ongoing care.”
Clinical Interest: Addiction Medicine, Psychiatry Mental Health, Chronic Pain
Languages Spoken: English
Practice Model: Fee for Service (FFS)
OH Region: West Region (ESC/SW/WW/HNHB)
Biography
Dr. Gregory Hariton is currently involved in the assessment and management of chronic pain patients with the concurrent diagnoses of substance use disorders at the Credit Valley Hospital’s Addiction and Concurrent Disorders Program, as well as at the Michael DeGroote Pain Centre at McMaster Health Sciences Centre.
Dr. Hariton also has a special interest in including mindfulness meditation and yoga in the treatment of his patients., as well as his personal life.
Communities Served
Dr. Hariton’s patients are all referred to both hospitals by their Family Physicians and reoresent a diverse geographical distribution.
Showing biography of Dr. Paul Hoogeveen .
Practice Model: GP Focused Practice
OCFP Programs: Peer Connect
Clinical Interest: Addiction Medicine, Chronic Pain
Biography
Dr. Paul Hoogeveen graduated from the University of Toronto in 1993, and, over the course of his career, has practiced in emergency medicine (in both rural and urban settings), prehospital care, addiction, chronic pain, medical education, and medical direction.
He has 20 years’ experience as a prehospital medical director, most recently with Sunnybrook Hospital, as well as community-based practices in chronic pain and addiction for the last 15 years. He currently has a focused practice in chronic pain and holds a CFPC Certificates of Added Competence in Emergency and Addiction Medicine.
Dr. Hoogeveen is a Diplomate of the Canadian Academy of Pain Management.
He also has 25 years of experience in critical appraisal of research and knowledge translation applying the principles of evidence-based medicine.
Showing biography of Dr. Anu Joneja (she/her) .
“It is often my patient’s first time navigating the health care system independently. Being the person to help them in these times when they need extra support is truly rewarding.”
Identifies As: South Asian
Languages Spoken: English
Preferred Communication Method: Email
OH Region: Toronto Region (TC)
Biography
Dr. Anu Joneja is a family physician with over 18 years of experience in Student Health. Her entire career has been with the University of Toronto highlighting her keen interest in serving the needs of this population. She is an Assistant Professor with the University of Toronto, Department of Family and Community Medicine and has been awarded multiple teaching awards for her contribution to both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education.
Communities Served
Dr. Anu’s patients are mainly late adolescent and/or university students.
Showing biography of Dr. Caroline Kargel .
OCFP Programs: Peer Connect
Clinical Interest: Addiction Medicine, Chronic Pain
Affiliated With: The Simcoe Clinic
Practice Model: Fee for Service (FFS)
OH Region: Central Region (MH/CW/C/NSM)
Biography
Dr. Caroline Kargel is a fellow with the College of Family Physicians of Canada. She has focused on treatment of patients with chronic pain since 2007 and is currently a pain consultant at The Simcoe Clinic in Barrie, ON.
In 2019 Dr. Kargel received her Certificate of Added Competence in Addictions Medicine from the College of Family Physicians of Canada. She now also has an addictions practice at the Towards Recovery Centre in Barrie.
Other medical practices include the Huronia Urgent Care Clinic and Emergency Department at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre.
Dr. Kargel received her Bachelor of Science in physiology at the University of Toronto in 1994. She went on to study medicine at Queen’s University, finishing her MD degree in 1997. She completed a residency in family and emergency medicine at McMaster University in 2000.
She enjoys teaching and has done numerous talks for physicians in her community. She was a mentor in the OCFP’s Medical Mentoring for Addictions and Pain program. She is a compassionate physician who values collegial learning.
Showing biography of Dr. Samantha Lavitt (she/her) .
“We all deserve a better quality of life. I’m committed to finding ways to make that happen.”
OCFP Programs: Peer Connect
Clinical Interest: Psychiatry Mental Health, Equity Diversity and Inclusion including vulnerable populations, Palliative Care includes End of Life care, Physician Wellness
Practice Model: Other
OH Region: East Region (CE/SE/CH)
Biography
Samantha practices family medicine as a locum in Ottawa and the surrounding area. She enjoys teaching preclinical medical students at the University of Ottawa through small groups and physician skills development in clinic.
In the past year, she is spending more time writing about her experiences with disability and pursuing further studies in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). She has recently completed the Love Your Brain yoga training program for health professionals and has become a certified yoga instructor to assist people with traumatic brain injuries through meditation, breathwork, and modified yoga postures, in addition to conventional care.
Samantha shares her home with her husband and four furry friends. She enjoys gardening, crafting, music, and tabletop games. She would be equally delighted if you asked her about her latest plant project or her favourite Dungeons and Dragons podcasts.
Through the OCFP Peer Guide Program, she offers mentoring and coaching with a focus on quality of life improvement, including disability support (both for physicians themselves and their patient care approach), mental health and wellness support, EDI advocacy in healthcare, as well as incorporating palliative care values before reaching end-of-life care.
Communities Served
Dr. Lavitt cares for patients of all ages, currently with a focus on disease prevention, health education, mental health and wellbeing.
Showing biography of Dr. Kyle Lee (He/Him) .
“I look forward to building sustainable practice models for learners and peers alike so that family physicians can continue to find longevity and joy in their daily work.”
Clinical Interest: Mental Health
Identifies as: Chinese
Languages spoken: English, Cantonese and Mandarin (conversational)
Preferred Communication Method: Phone, Email or Video Conferencing
Practice Model: Family Health Organization (FHO)
OH Region: Toronto
Biography
Dr. Lee is a Canadian and Irish trained family physician and Assistant Professor at the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is also the Treasurer and Billing Liaison for the St. Michael’s Family Medicine Associates. He is also a member of the Tariff Committee in the Section of General Family Practice (SGFP), Ontario Medical Association (OMA).
In 2023, Dr. Lee was recipient of a Faculty Development Mentorship Award at University of Toronto.
Dr. Lee has worked in multiple settings including at The Possibilities Clinic treating patients with ADHD and other mental health disorders. He also has interests in primary care skin disorders, medical billing, practice management, and consulting for industry.
Communities served
Dr. Lee’s practice captures a downtown inner-city Toronto population mostly consisting of new Canadians, including many with language barriers and socioeconomic challenges to health care.
OCFP Program
Peer Connect
Showing biography of Dr. Bryan MacLeod (he/him) .
“Throughout my work as a family doctor I have come to love the implicit focus on quality of life and function, an approach that requires us to work as “interprofessional” teams even when we have to create those teams from a limited “roster”. I also greatly value the opportunities to teach and learn on these essential, universal topics with my peers.”
Clinical Interest: Palliative Care includes End of Life care, Physician Wellness, Rheumatology, Chronic Pain
Practice Model: GP Focused Practice
OH Region: North Region (NE/NW)
Biography
Dr. Bryan MacLeod is a FCFP family doc, chronic pain consultant and Mindful self-Compassion Teacher. He is the outgoing Medical Director of SJCG’s Chronic Pain Management Program and Chair of SJCG ECHO Chronic Pain (www.echoontario.ca). He cut his teeth as a rural family doc in Marathon Ontario after graduating CCFP from the Northwestern Ontario family medicine program in 1998.
Other interprofessional passions include: geriatrics, rheumatology and palliative care. He is a very active Associate professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
Research interests include Physician Wellness; Chronic Pain in the ER, chronic pain education, and The Indigenous Pain Reality, all @DrBMacLeod (twitter)
He is a father of and ATM for three busy increasingly adult, university students. His passions include: his family, Improv theatre, cycling, and of course medical education.
Communities Served
The entire NWO region.
Connect With Dr. Bryan MacLeod
Showing biography of Dr. Chase McMurren .
Identifies As: Indigenous (Inuit/Métis/First Nations)
Languages Spoken: English
Preferred Communication Method: Email, Phone, Video Conference
Practice Model: GP Focused Practice
OH Region: Toronto Region (TC)
Remote: No
Availability: No
Connect with Dr. Chase McMurren:
“Every (clinical) encounter is an opportunity for all involved to learn and to heal. Practicing as a family physician is an honour that is easy to dismiss when preoccupied by paperwork and the belief that we need to fix or refer. Sitting with people while ‘playing doctor’ & witnessing the complexity of being alive is a privilege that requires humility, skillfulness & a compassionate circle of support.”
Bio
My name is Chase. I live and work in Tkarón:to | GichiKiiwenging, though come from Lethbridge, which is on traditional Siksikaitsitapi | Blackfoot Confederacy Territory and is covered by Treaty 7. My clan is the Turtle and my spirit name is Water Song Medicine Keeper. My ancestors are Michif/Métis, Celtic, French and Ukrainian. Clinically, I am privileged to provide medical psychotherapy, primarily for physicians and artists struggling with grief and overwhelm, and I also have a small home-visiting palliative practice for long-living people with advanced illness. Currently, I am serving as the Indigenous Health Theme Lead in the MD Program and the Indigenous Practitioner Liaison within the Office of Indigenous Health in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. At the moment, I am honoured to co-chair the National Consortium for Indigenous Medical Education (NCIME) Working Group on Physician Wellness and Joy in Work.
(Profile photo: Stef & Ethan)
Communities Served
A home-visiting physician for long-living people with advanced illness, and an integrative psychotherapist for professional artists & physicians.
In My Own Words
I am a certified practitioner of both the Hakomi Method and Deirdre Fay’s Becoming Safely Embodied Model. Carefully integrating auricular acupuncture (based on the NADA protocol) and harp therapy into my practice has been nourishing for me. For several years, I have been training as a nâtawihôwêw* [not-a-way-who-ee-oo], or Medicine Man (*in Michif) and appreciate the complexity & nuance involved.
Past Sessions
- Navigating undifferentiated distress during the pandemic – February 23, 2022 Practising Well CoP
- Self-management for chronic pain – June 23, 2021 Practising Well CoP
- Grief Medicine: Giving space for acknowledging life’s losses – June 22, 2022 Practising Well CoP
OCFP Programs
- Peer Connect
- Mood Disorders: Comprehensive and Realistic Strategies for Primary Care
Clinical Interest
- Palliative Care includes End of Life care
- Psychiatry Mental Health
- Physician Wellness
Showing biography of Dr. Michael Pare .
OCFP Programs: Peer Connect
Clinical Interest: Psychiatry Mental Health
Practice Model: GP Focused Practice
Biography
Dr. Michael Pare is a member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and the Ontario College of Family Physicians.
He is certified in both Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Group Psychotherapy and has a diploma in the Advanced Program in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (ATPPP). He has been a Teaching Mentor/Supervisor for the Medical Psychotherapy Association of Canada (MDPAC).
Dr. Pare is Chair of the OMA Section on Primary Care Mental Health, and coordinator of the Medical Clinic for Person-Centred Psychotherapy. He has been very active in the development and delivery of Continuing Professional Development programs and training sessions for family doctors for many years.
Dr. Pare has a special interest in the foundations and fundamentals of clinical practice. He has completed The Osgoode Hall Law School Certificates in “Professional Regulation & Discipline in the Ontario Health Care Sector” and “Mental Health Care Law”.
Showing biography of Dr. Rupa Patel .
Clinical Interest: Trauma informed care, slow opioid tapering, chronic pain
Biography
Dr. Rupa Patel is a family physician at the Kingston Community Health Center. She is also an assistant professor at the Queen’s University Department of Family Medicine, and the program director for the Women’s Health Program and a board member at the CPSO.
She has worked in many settings over the past 30 years, including remote Northern Ontario, as a GP-Oncologist in a hospital, FM-obs, and as a family doctor in an academic teaching practice. Her current work is in a community health center setting.
Dr. Patel is now a passionate advocate for responsible opioid prescribing, after inheriting a practice with many patients on high-dose opioids. She has been with this group of patients for the past 14 years and has extensive experience with opioid tapering. She is also an advocate for generalist family medicine and feels that continuity of care is critical in Family Medicine and health care in general. She continues to enjoy her work and hopes to share her strategies for managing a practice in Family Medicine in this increasingly stressed health care environment.
Connect with Dr. Rupa Patel
Showing biography of Dr. Lori Regenstreif .
OCFP Programs: Peer Connect
Clinical Interest: Addiction Medicine
Biography
Dr. Regenstreif has had a focused practice in addiction medicine since 2011.
She started by prescribing methadone and buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder in Hamilton, then spent a year in New South Wales Australia, working with the Hunter New England Drug and Alcohol Clinical Service. She returned to Ontario in 2014 and completed an MScCH in Addiction and Mental Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
These experiences, together with the inspiration from many mentors, prompted her to get more involved in research, and to start comprehensive addiction care programs such as a RAAM clinic and an in-patient addiction medicine service in Hamilton.
Dr. Regenstreif has devoted much time and effort to mentoring physician and nurse practitioner colleagues in the Shelter Health Network and in the detention centres to promote the use of Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) in community and prison settings. She works in a youth detention centre in Hamilton, as well as several out-patient settings and the hospital system.
Connect with Dr. Lori Regenstreif
Showing biography of Dr. Michael Roberts .
OCFP Programs: Peer Connect
Clinical Interest: Psychiatry Mental Health
Affiliated With: University of Toronto
Practice Model: GP Focused Practice
Biography
Dr. Michael Roberts is an Assistant Professor and Faculty Development Lead in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.
For more than 30 years, he has offered GP Psychotherapy within his own Comprehensive Family Practice. Michael’s current Toronto-based clinical work centers around counselling, psychotherapy, and teaching. He has facilitated Balint Groups and Narrative Medicine workshops through Faculty Development locally, nationally, and internationally. He was also a Mentor with the Collaborative Mental Health Networks of the OCFP.
As a community-based academic, Dr. Roberts has won a variety of awards, and was most recently recognized with a CCFP Award of Excellence for his contributions to mentorship, scholarship, and curriculum development. He believes that creating space for reflection is the cornerstone for personal and professional resilience.
Showing biography of Dr. Devon Shewfelt .
“My goal in working with and supporting patients is ultimately to provide them with the power and confidence to improve their own lives. I’m looking forward to supporting my fellow family physicians in improving not only their patients’ lives, but their own as well.”
Clinical Interest: Psychiatry/Psychology and Sports Medicine
Languages spoken: English
Preferred Communication Method: Video Conferencing
Practice Model: Family Health Organization (FHO) with Family Health Team (FHT)
OH Region: West
Biography
Dr. Shewfelt has been community-based family physician in London since 2016, having taken over his practice immediately out of residency. He also practiced rural emergency medicine until 2024.
He has been teaching physician wellness and leadership to learners at undergraduate, residency, and peer levels since 2021, largely at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. He has been the Wellness Lead, and developing a longitudinal wellness curriculum for family medicine residents since late 2023.
He completed the OMA Physician Leadership Program in 2023, and has since been on the executive committee of the Middlesex London Primary Care Network. He is also newly joined the Advisory Board for the Physician Health Program.
Communities served
In practice, Dr. Shewfelt takes joy in working with patients on their mental health, chronic pain, substance use disorders, along with where social and behavioral psychology intersect with the whole person and their core values and wants.
Overall, Dr. Shewfelt enjoys helping patients develop knowledge and confidence to be the drivers of their own wellbeing.
OCFP Program
Peer Connect
Showing biography of Dr. Rachel Shour .
OCFP Programs: Peer Connect, Small Group Peer Guide
Clinical Interest: Psychosocial oncology, peripartum mental health, physician wellness, psychotherapy in clinical practice, Group Therapy
Affiliated With: University of Toronto, NYGH
Practice Model: GP Focused Practice in Mental Health & Psychotherapy
Practising Since: 2013
Biography
Dr. Rachel Shour is a family physician with a focussed practice in Mental Health and Medical Psychotherapy. She practices at NYGH where her clinical work focuses primarily on supporting patients in cancer survivorship as well as providing peripartum counseling. She also is privileged to participate in providing care for fellow physicians through her private practice.
Dr. Rachel Shour completed an undergraduate science degree in Psychology at York University before attending medical school. After working as a family physician for seven years and recognizing the primacy of mental health care in her most meaningful clinical work, she continued her training at the University of Toronto. In 2020, she completed a Clinical Fellowship in Psychiatry, focusing on the intersection of medical and mental illness.
Dr. Rachel is honored to participate in the Peer Connect program. She believes in the importance of our medical community supporting one another to become the best version of ourselves- as human beings and as physicians. She has enjoyed providing mentorship, support and clinical resources as well as engaging in clinical exploration and reflective practice with her Peer Learners.
Showing biography of Dr. Helen Spenser (she/her) .
“I have met many amazing people through this work and, as a lifelong learner, I have learned a great deal from working with family physicians. I love working with children and adolescents because they have their entire life ahead of them, and the support we are able to provide them could last a life time.”
OCFP Programs: Peer Connect
Clinical Interest: Psychiatry Mental Health, Physician Wellness, Preparation for Retirement
Identifies As: White (Caucasian)
Languages Spoken: English,French
Preferred Communication Method: Email,Video Conference
Practice Model: Royal College Specialist
OH Region: East Region (CE/SE/CH)
Biography
Dr. Helen Spenser likes to think of herself as a multi-disciplinary team in the field of Mental Health Care.
She started her career as an MSW Social Worker prior to studying medicine and working as a family physician for four years. She then began her journey in psychiatry.
This background fueled her interest in the field of shared mental health care between psychiatrists and family physicians. Dr. Spenser worked as a full time Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa for 18 years. She is now semi-retired doing locums on the inpatient psychiatry unit at CHEO.
She has a joint appointment as Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa in both the Faculties of Psychiatry and Family Medicine. Dr. Spenser coordinated and ran a collaborative mental health clinic and resident teaching clinic with the University of Ottawa Melrose Family Family Health Team from 2018 to 2020.
She was a SOO examiner for the CCFP for over 30 exams and was involved in previous mentorship opportunities through the OCFP.
Dr. Spenser continues to enjoy teaching medical students and being an active Peer Guide in OCFP’s Peer Connect Mentorship Program through 1:1 and small group facilitation.
Communities Served
Dr. Spenser provides care to children and youth from ages 4 to 18. Her areas of interest also include:
- Anxiety disorders and OCD in youth DBT and CBT: practical approaches in family practice
- Working with suicidal teens
- Mental health assessments in latency age children and younger
- Physician wellness and preparing for retirement
Showing biography of Dr. Judy Suke .
“I feel privileged and honored to support people, including physicians, in their journey to improve their sense of well-being and desired function”
Identifies As: White (Caucasian)
OH Region: North Region (NE/NW)
Practice Model: GP Focused Practice
Bio
Dr. Judy Suke is a Family Physician practicing exclusively in Medical Psychotherapy, with a practice focus supporting physicians. Dr. Suke transitioned her work towards this area of passion in January 2022 after eight rewarding years in General Family Practice, during which time she pursued her training and then practiced with a subspecialty in Medical Psychotherapy. With an interest in Public Health, she found the timing right to focus her energies within this area of medicine. Her training in Medical Psychotherapy began at the Beck Institute in Philadelphia and involved a formal Change of Scope process with the CPSO. Her work has grown to explore Trauma Informed Treatment Approaches. After valuing her own OCFP Practising Well Peer Learner experience she is eager to give back.
When not at work, she can be found with her family enjoying trails by foot, on a bike, on cross country skis or exploring waterways by canoe.
Communities Served
Dr. Suke’s practice is composed of about 80% physician patients and 20% from referrals from her local Family Health Team in Haliburton, Ontario.
Clinical Interest
Psychiatry Mental Health
Showing biography of Dr. Shira Taylor (she/her) .
“I love teaching people mindfulness and other skills they can use to help them find release from their suffering. I also love fostering spaces where the power of a group can support deep healing for those struggling with emotional and mental health challenges. I find much joy in seeing the transformation in peoples’ lives.”
Languages Spoken: English
Preferred Communication Method: Phone, Video Conference
Practice Model: Other
OH Region: Toronto Region (TC)
Biography
Dr. Shira Taylor has been a practising physician psychotherapist since 2014. She serves individuals struggling with a wide variety of mental health and life challenges, including depression, anxiety, complex PTSD, chronic pain, spiritual and religious crises, grief, and migration-related trauma.
Trained in several mindfulness-based psychotherapeutic modalities, including Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, ACT, Psychodrama and MBCT, her work is focused on teaching trauma-informed approaches to mindfulness, and drawing upon the skills and wisdom of group members to create a supportive learning and healing environment.
Dr. Taylor is a trained yoga instructor through the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Organization, and brings to her practice not only her medical expertise, but also the lived experience of extensive meditation and yoga training in India and Canada.
She is currently partnering with researchers at McMaster University in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour to explore the role of mindfulness in the treatment of PTSD.
Communities Served
Dr. Taylor serves an urban population. Her practice has been entirely online for the past year and a half.
In My Own Words
“I’m from a mixed religious, racial, and ethnic family. My father is Bajan (from Barbados) and my mother is multi-generation Jewish Canadian of Eastern European descent. I have lived in India and the Middle East (both in Israel and several Arab countries) and speak a small amount of Arabic. I have familiarity with Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism and have been actively involved in organizing interfaith prayer services for peace at the Parliament of World Religions. I am also a co-organizer of the Canada Camino which is a 160km annual walk to support people in reconnecting with the earth and with themselves. It also raises funds to support First Nations communities and food security initiatives. For more than ten years I have also been actively involved with a registered charity in Nigeria called Joy Village (joyvillages.org) and have supported program development as well as fundraising there. I am deeply committed to community service work and building bridges between peoples of different backgrounds and between humans and the rest of the natural world.”
Showing biography of Dr. Sara Cohen-Gelfand (she/her) .
Practice Model: GP Focused Practice
OH Region: Toronto Region (TC)
Biography
Dr. Cohen-Gelfand works at Wilson Medicine Corp in Toronto. She is a family physician with specialized interest in ADHD, Autism and Developmental Medicine. She attended U of T medical school and was a resident at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Dr. Cohen-Gelfand also has an MSc in Public Health.
Communities Served
Dr. Cohen-Gelfand’s practice is full service family medicine, serving patients’ whole lifespan.
OCFP Programs
Peer Connect, Child and Adolescent Health: Best Evidence for Preventive Care
Clinical Interest
Psychiatry Mental Health, Pediatrics
Showing biography of Dr. Adam Newman (he/him) .
“I love connecting with, and being present for, other human beings. Especially watching despair turn into hope.”
Clinical Interest: Addiction Medicine, Psychiatry Mental Health
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Preferred Communication Method: Video Conference
Practice Model: GP Focused Practice
OH Region: East Region (CE/SE/CH)
Biography
Since obtaining his certification from the Canadian Association of Addiction Medicine in 2013, Dr. Adam Newman has been in private practice focused exclusively on addiction medicine and harm reduction.
Dr. Newman is the Most Responsible Physician for Opioid Dependent infants rooming-in with their mothers at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), the founding board chair of the Kingston House of Recovery for Women and Children, and a member of the Substance Treatment and Rehabilitation Team (START). He also holds an adjunct assistant professorship in Family Medicine at Queen’s University, with cross appointments to Psychiatry and Paediatrics.
He lectures colleagues, medical students and postgraduate medical trainees, and regularly supervises residents during clinical electives, in addiction medicine. He also acts as the supervising Addiction Physician for nurses, physicians, and allied health practitioners who are returning to work under a monitoring contract after being absent because of a substance use disorder.
Before 2013, he practiced full-scope medicine in Sioux Lookout and Kingston for 20 years.
Dr. Newman is married with two adult children.
Connect with Dr. Adam Newman
More Useful Resources
What is a Peer Learner?
Learn more about how you can participate in this program to set goals and gain skills and clinical connections to support your work.
Community of Practice
Join a session to connect in real time and learn from others who are working with patients to address their mental health, substance use disorders, and chronic pain.