‘I\u2019ll be training in a strong, supportive learning environment while living in a close\u2011knit community with a great food and sports scene that truly feels like home’<\/p>\n
NEWS RELEASE
\nORILLIA SOLIDERS’ MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
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\nAs the Orillia Family Medicine Teaching Unit (FMTU) prepares to enter its second year this July, the program is already experiencing early growth. Originally anticipating an intake of four first\u2011year residents annually, five residents have now matched for 2026.<\/p>\n
The Orillia FMTU was established in 2025 through a partnership between Orillia Soldiers\u2019 Memorial Hospital (OSMH) and the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) at the University of Toronto\u2019s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting time, both for the residents and for us,\u201d said Dr. Heather Laakso, co\u2011site director of the Orillia FMTU, alongside Dr. Erika Catford.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith nine residents \u2014 five first\u2011year and four second\u2011year \u2014 you really begin to see the compounding impact of the program, welcoming new learners each year while preparing our second\u2011year residents to transition into full\u2011time practice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each year, a national matching process connects graduating medical students with residency programs aligned with their training requirements. The two\u2011year residency offered through the Orillia FMTU is geared toward Family Medicine and is the final step before residents become fully licensed physicians.<\/p>\n
Several of the incoming residents bring local experience to the program, including Dr. Kush Patel of Huntsville. Dr. Patel attended the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, where he completed his first clinical placement with the Couchiching Family Health Team (CFHT) in Orillia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was where I first started to recognize my passion for family medicine,\u201d said Dr. Patel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile completing additional rotations with the CFHT and OSMH this past year, I knew I wanted to complete my residency with Orillia\u2019s FMTU. I\u2019ll be training in a strong, supportive learning environment while living in a close\u2011knit community with a great food and sports scene that truly feels like home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fellow first\u2011year residents Dr. Sophia Bucciol and Dr. Rebecca Stokes also bring a blend of local connections and overseas training.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving grown up spending summers in the area and later travelling abroad to Ireland for medical training with the goal of returning, it feels especially meaningful to be back,\u201d said Dr. Bucciol.<\/p>\n
Dr. Stokes, who also trained in Ireland and spent summers growing up in Orillia, echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am thrilled to be returning to the community to begin my residency training,\u201d said Dr. Stokes. \u201cI have always been fond of Orillia\u2019s strong sense of community and I look forward to contributing to it throughout my training.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two other first-year residents starting in 2026 are Dr. Mohamed Haidar Osman Iesa and Dr. Angela Chioma Onojedje.<\/p>\n
Another indicator of the FMTU\u2019s growth is the increasing number of local physicians who have obtained academic appointments through the DFCM at the University of Toronto. These appointments enable physicians to serve as clinical preceptors and mentors to residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about shared learning, and it speaks volumes about the culture of collaboration within our medical community,\u201d said Dr. Kim McIntosh, Chief of Staff at Orillia Soldiers\u2019 Memorial Hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now have more than 40 credentialed physicians \u2014 both family doctors and specialists \u2014 actively contributing to the education and development of the physician workforce of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FMTU operates out of newly renovated, purpose\u2011built space at the Friden Health and Wellness Centre, designed to support hands\u2011on clinical training. Residents provide care to a roster of patients under the supervision and mentorship of experienced local family physicians.<\/p>\n
By embedding medical education within the community, the program strengthens residents\u2019 connections to the region and increases the likelihood that graduates will choose to practice locally.<\/p>\n