FRCPC Program – R5
Dr. Sean Crooks
Sean was born and raised in the metropolis of Thunder Bay, Ont, a town where you could film a ‘feel good’ Tim Horton’s hockey commercial on any block. Somehow, he missed the memo and managed to avoid hockey altogether. He opted for the crunchy granola sport of cross-country skiing. After high school, Sean was fortunate to be named to the Canadian National/Olympic Cross Country Ski Team based in Canmore, Ab. He spent nearly a decade training and racing in unique places around the globe. In 2010, he retired from sport and began his undergraduate studies in Kinesiology, then medical school at the University of Calgary. Since then, Calgary has been home. His partner is a nurse and they are in an exciting phase of life with 2 young children that keep them on their toes. Most free time is spent looking for adventures with the kids through hiking, cycling and skiing. Sean’s three vices include coffee, road cycling and well-curated indie rock playlists. He is thrilled to be part of the Calgary EM program and meet everyone in the department!
Dr. Dana Stewart
Hi! I’m a born and raised Calgarian who is beyond excited to be a new member of the EM program in my hometown! I completed medical school in Calgary after finishing my Life Sciences degree at Queen’s University. In my free time you can find me trying to relive my glory days playing intramural basketball, going to spin classes, embarrassing myself at the driving range, or simply binge-watching Netflix with friends. Looking forward to meeting you all soon!
Dr. Meaghan Mackenzie
I grew up in Edmonton (forever #loyaltotheoil) where I completed my BSc in Kinesiology, but moved to Calgary for med school and was lucky enough to be able to stay! Despite my towering 5 ft 1 inches, I grew up playing a lot of basketball and volleyball, and am always game for an arcade basketball competition. Currently I (attempt to) run triathlons, as well as snowboard and play recreational volleyball in my spare time. My goal before finishing residency is to scuba dive in almost every ocean. Looking forward to working with you!
Dr. Zoe Polsky
Regardless of temperature or season, you’ll find Zoe dressed head to toe in black, and more recently head to toe in blue. After completing her undergraduate degree at McGill, and consuming a lifetime supply of Montreal bagels, Zoe moved back to her home and native land of Calgary, Alberta. Graduating from medical school at the University of Calgary, Zoe could not feel luckier to be joining the Calgary EM family! Within medicine, she has a strong interest in harm reduction and addictions medicine, and outside of medicine she is an avid hiker, road biker, and die-hard CBC radio fan.
FRCPC Program – R4
Dr. Cody Dunne
After nearly three decades living in a province whose entire population is less than half of Calgary’s, Cody was ready to start a new adventure on the “mainland.” Born and raised on the island of Newfoundland, he recognized early that he had none of the musical talents that Newfoundlanders were known for and turned his attention to medicine instead. He completed his BSc in Chemistry and MD at Memorial University with developing interests in medical education, resuscitation & drowning prevention. When not at the hospital, you’re most likely to find Cody taste testing the local restaurant scene, rocking out to his favourite country music at the Stampede, or exploring Calgary’s outdoors with his pup, Epi. Most importantly, he’s thrilled to be joining the Calgary EM Team and can’t wait to meet everyone in the Department!
Dr. Cara McCulloch
Cara grew up in the heart of northern BC, in a small town called Smithers, before leaving to pursue a degree in Kinesiology at UBC and then her MD through the Northern Medical Program at UBC. Prior to medical school Cara spent her summers roaming the remote BC forests and putting out wildfires, all the while dreaming of emergency and flight medicine. Outside of the hospital Cara loves doing anything in the mountains, and on any given day can be found either running, mountain biking, cross country skiing, back country skiing, or rock climbing - albeit typically with more enthusiasm than true skill. She is super excited to be joining the EM team in Calgary and getting to explore more of the Rocky Mountains!
Dr. Jason Elzinga
Jason was born and raised in the small town Vineland, ON, aptly named for being at the heart of Niagara’s wine country. He then completed his B.Sc. in Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo before heading to Western University for medical school. He is now excited to be moving to Calgary to be a part of the emergency medicine program. Academic interests include medical education and simulation learning, quality improvement, and health system design. Outside of medicine, Jason loves playing volleyball and hockey, as well as hiking, biking and skiing. He is looking forward to exploring all of the great outdoor activities that Calgary and the surrounding areas have to offer!
Dr. Natasha Goumeniouk
Natasha was born and raised on a small rock off the coast of BC. Dreaming of the “big city” she moved to Kingston, ON to complete both a Bachelor of Life Sciences and medical school at Queen’s University. Dreaming of world class EM training and nearby mountains she is thrilled to have now moved back west to Calgary for residency. She most closely resembles an over-caffeinated puppy and constantly needs to be entertained with hobbies—feel free to take her biking, hiking, skiing, scuba diving, running, kayaking, reading, dancing, flying, or climbing. Frequent snacks are recommended. Academically, Natasha has a fond interest for aerospace and aviation as well as mentorship in medical training and simulation. When not decked out in scrubs she can be found wearing Patagonia in the wilderness or scheming up her next international adventure.
FRCPC Program – R3
Dr. Kira Genise
Kira hails from the nations capital where she completed her undergraduate and medical degrees. Having lived briefly in BC, she got a taste of the mountain life and yearned for adventure in the wild west. She traded politics and BeaverTails for the excitement of Calgary and mountains. When not saving lives, she spends her time outside running, biking, hiking and camping.
Dr. Scott Wakeham
Scott was born and raised in Dawson Creek, BC. After making the leap across the border and graduating from pharmacy school at U of A, Scott moved to Ontario and graduated from medical school at Queen’s University. He’s excited to be back in Alberta and a few provinces away from bagged milk. Scott enjoys hiking, kayaking, camping, baking, cross country skiing, and yoga. As an escape room enthusiast, he is also excited to see where he can escape from in Calgary. Academically, Scott’s early interests are in toxicology, addiction medicine, and health advocacy.
Dr. Bobby Johnston
Walks like a model, acts like a clown, and throws more shade than a lamp. Interests include resuscitation, addictions, teaching people how to cook (especially when it’s their recipe and didn’t ask for help), grown up sleep-overs with his best friend, rock-climbing, back-country everything, avoiding butterfly jumps in barre, and indigenous health. Bobby started his health care journey in critical care nursing, and is incredibly excited to take the leap into Emergency Medicine in Calgary Alberta learning from amazing physicians. On Wednesdays he wears pink, and he can usually tell when it’s raining
Dr. Duncan Simmons
Duncan was born and raised in Cow Town. He completed a degree in Life Sciences at Queen’s University, and medical school at the University of Alberta. Outside of the hospital, Duncan can be found cooking, playing volleyball or hockey, skiing, biking, or fly fishing.
FRCPC Program – R2
Dr. Mary Freymond
Mary was raised in the backcountry of Bancroft, a small rural town in Ontario. Making maple syrup and stacking firewood were common themes of her childhood. She moved to the big city to pursue her BSc in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph, her MSc in Exercise Physiology at McMaster and then medical school at the University of Toronto. Mary’s interests include prehospital care, trauma and rural medicine. She enjoys running, snowboarding, hiking and camping (can’t wait for the mountains!).
Dr. Jonathan Wong
Jonathan was born and raised in Calgary. Prior to medical school, he completed a degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Calgary and worked as an Engineer-in-Training for two years. He traded in spreadsheets and calculations for a pair of scrubs and a stethoscope while completing medical school at the University of Calgary. Jonathan is excited to join an amazing group of Emergency Medicine physicians and residents in Calgary. Outside of medicine, he can be found on the pitch playing soccer, hiking, golfing and planning his next adventure.
Dr. Dirk Chisholm
Dirk was born and raised in Calgary, where he also completed his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology and worked in a variety of settings as a Primary Care Paramedic. After a brief jaunt up the QEII for medical school at the University of Alberta, he is excited to join the amazing Emerg team back home in Calgary, and to once again have Chinooks. His early interests are in prehospital, transport and disaster medicine and outside of work loves trail running (slowly), hiking, skiing and spending too much money on coffee.
Dr. Julia Madill
Medical Student Liaison [email protected]
Julia was born and raised in Edmonton, AB. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Alberta and worked as Registered Nurse in the NICU at the Foothills Medical Centre prior to starting medical school in Calgary. Academically, Julia is interested in medical education and women’s health in the Emergency Department. Outside of medicine, Julia loves to dance, hike, travel, spin, and practice yoga. She can cook a mean bowl of Kraft Dinner, owns more house plants than she can responsibly care for, and can expertly fold a fitted sheet. In her spare time, you’ll find Julia at the dog park with her pup or exploring a new local restaurant with her pals!
FRCPC Program – R1
Dr. Tess Loch
Tess hails from Edmonton where she worked as a registered nurse at the Royal Alex Hospital in emergency and L&D before making the big switch to medicine. She moved to Calgary for medical school and fell in love with the city but remains a loyal Oilers fan. Tess’ early career interests include pediatric emergency and addictions medicine. In her spare time, Tess loves getting out the mountains to ski and hike, but really shines at the après. She also enjoys hip hop music and dance, running, cycling and is a fountain of useless pop-culture knowledge. Tess also loves animals (except birds) and can be found at the dog park with her dog Bo, or being frequently interrupted on Zoom by her cats, Regina and Gretchen.
Dr. Kala Draney
All of Kala’s known ancestors are from the Secwépemc First Nation. She is proud to have been raised in Skeetchestn, a rural Indigenous reservation. She attributes a significant part of my journey towards Emergency Medicine (EM) to her unique upbringing, the place she comes from, and its people. Considering this, her early interests in EM are prehospital medicine and quality improvement with a focus in equity, diversity, and inclusivity. Some of her interests outside of the hospital include thrifting, post call IHOP pancakes, and rock climbing.
Dr. Julia Cirone
Julia was born and raised in the wilds of Toronto. She moved to Kingston, ON for an undergrad in Life Sciences at Queens University. After Kingston, she and her husky mix, Koda travelled on down to Windsor, ON for medical school at the Western Med campus there. After all that bouncing around Ontario, she has finally come to her senses and is making her way out Calgary. In her time outside the hospital, she can be found reading in a coffee shop or park, practicing yoga, or sitting at the pottery wheel. Julia is beyond excited to join the Calgary emerg team and to help Koda live out his mountain dog dreams!
Dr. Allen Vorobeichik
Allen was born and raised in Toronto where he completed a degree in psychology and worked as a support worker for youth with developmental disabilities. He traded in skyscrapers for mountains when he moved to Calgary for medical school, where he quickly fell in love with Calgary's EM program. Academically, Allen is interested in addictions, acute mental health care, and public health. Outside of medicine, Allen loves making/collecting/listening to music, the outdoors, and opportunistically planning weekend getaways. You can typically find Allen at concerts, the dog park, or in the mountains for some snowboarding, hiking, and camping.
Staff
Dr. Catherine Patocka
Program Director (FRCPC Program)
Dr. Charles Wong
Program Director (CFPC-EM Program)
Dr. Anjali Pandya
Assistant Program Director (FRCPC Program)
Madhavi Talasila
Program Administrator – FRCPC and CCFP(EM)
CCFP-EM Program
Dr. Dyon Tucker
Dr. Allison Farfus
Dr. Robin Liu
Dr. Russel Bahar
Dr. Rukaiyah Lakkadghatwala
Dr. John Gunawan
