First Five Years Community of Practice
The University of Toronto DFCM, in partnership with the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP), is pleased to invite you to join us for our third year of the First 5 Years Community of Practice.
Free, fun, and full of answers to the questions you never thought to ask during residency, this monthly online CPD series is designed to support new-to-practice family physicians as they begin their careers.
Open to recent Ontario family medicine graduates, faculty, and family physicians in their first five years of practice. Sessions are highly practical and include ample opportunity to tap into the expertise of both speakers and colleagues.
Suggested snack pairings are included for each session, so join us from your couch or get together with some fellow family docs and make an evening of it.
Upcoming sessions:
September 22, 2026 from 7 - 8pm
Incorporation and Common Tax Write-offs for Physicians
Thinking about incorporation? This webinar will provide physicians with an overview of incorporation, key tax considerations, and common deductible expenses to help support informed financial planning.
Speakers:
- Mr. Jesse Francis, Accountant, Baker Tilly Trillium LLP
- Mr. Ankur Chawla, Accountant, AC & Partners
Best paired with: Veggies and dip
October 20, 2026 from 7 - 8pm
AI Scribes, AI Clinical Decision Support and Digital Workflows
Efficient digital workflows can make a significant difference in clinical practice. This session will highlight approaches to optimizing EMR use and leveraging technology to support care delivery.
Speakers:
- Dr. Kevin Brophy, Digital Health Lead, Section on General and Family Practice (SGFP) and Family Physician, Your Health Votre Sante Family Medicine Clinic
- Dr. Ali Damji, Family Physician, Credit Valley Family Health Team
Best paired with: Trail mix
November 17, 2026 from 7 - 8pm
Contract Essentials for Early Career Physicians
Navigating contracts can be challenging early in your career. This session will cover key elements of physician contracts, common pitfalls to watch for, and practical tips to help you make informed career decisions.
Speaker:
- Ms. Jaclyn Greenberg, Legal Counsel, Ontario Medical Association (OMA)
Best paired with: Fruit and yogurt parfait
This one-credit-per-hour Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 9 Mainpro+ credits (1 credit per session).
Past Sessions
Each item below includes session details and linked resources.
Locums & billing part 2 (June 16, 2026)
Speakers:
- Dr. Melinda Caputo, Co-Chair, First Five Years CoP Scientific Planning Committee, Family Physician, Magenta Health, Toronto, ON
- Dr. Mike Taglione, Family Physician, North York General Hospital, Toronto, ON
- Dr. Ryan Banach, Family Medicine Early Career Supports Lead, Office of Health System Partnership, University of Toronto; Lead Physician, Norfinch FHO; Co-Chair, North-Western Toronto Primary Care Network; Tariff Committee Member, SGFP Section on General and Family Practice, Toronto, ON
Resources:
Parental leave & practice management with young children (May 19, 2026)
Speakers:
- Dr. Stephanie Zhou, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program Director, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto and Family Physician, Don Mills FHT, Toronto, ON
- Dr. Ammar Bookwala, Family Physician, Streetsville Medical, Mississauga, ON
- Dr. Heba Shamsi, Family Physician, Magenta Health, Toronto, ON
Resources:
Patient management & setting expectations (April 21, 2026)
Speaker:
- Dr. Shirley Lee, Acting Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Resources:
Patient referrals: using eConsult, eReferral and SCOPE (March 24, 2026)
Speakers:
- Logan Roy, Project Manager, Toronto Region Delivery Team
- Oushna Rab, Senior Project Analyst, Toronto Region Delivery Team
- Dr. Pauline Pariser, Associate Medical Director, Primary Care Lead, UHN (SCOPE- WCH/UHN)
Moderator:
- Dr. Ryan Banach, Family Medicine Early Career Supports Lead, Office of Health System Partnership, University of Toronto and Lead Physician, Norfinch FHO
Resources:
Getting started with financial planning (Feb 24, 2026)
Speakers:
- Jason Cohen, Insurance Advisor, OMA Insurance
-
Yash Khubchandani, Senior Regional Insurance Advisor, OMA Insurance
Work smarter, not harder: Managing your inbox and paperwork (Jan 20, 2026)
Speaker:
- Dr. Daniel Pepe, Clinical Lead, Office of Health System Transformation, London Lambeth Medical Clinic, London, ON
Resources:
Common Medical Legal Pitfalls for Early Career Physicians (Nov 18, 2025)
Speaker:
-
Dr. Shirley Lee, Vice-Chair Education, Department of Family and Community Medicine
Resources:
Leveraging AI Scribe & AI Use in Family Practice (Oct 21, 2025)
Speaker:
- Dr. Kevin Brophy, Digital Health Lead, Section on General and Family Practice (SGFP) and Family Physician, Your Health Votre Sante Family Medicine Clinic
Resources:
Essential Billing Tips for Your First 5 Years in Practice (Sept 16, 2025)
Speaker:
- Dr. Ryan Banach, Family Medicine Early Career Supports Lead, Office of Health System Partnership, University of Toronto and Lead Physician, Norfinch FHO
Resources:
Planning Ahead: Understanding Wills and Power of Attorney (June 4, 2025)
Speaker:
- Mindi Banach, JD, TEP - Vice President, Tax and Estate Planner, TD Wealth
Resources:
Expanding Horizons: Balancing Comprehensive and Focused Care (May 7, 2025)
Speakers:
- Dr. Preeni Rathuge, Surgical Assistant and Family Physician, Scarbrough Health Network
- Dr. Anthony Davies, Family Physician, Summerville Family Health Team (areas of added competence/scopes of practice are Medical Education, Addiction Medicine, Family Practice Anesthesia, Pain Management)
- Dr. Sheniz Eryuzlu, Sport & Exercise Medicine Physician, Push Pounds Sports Medicine Clinic
Resources:
Caring Without Compromise: Mastering Boundaries in Healthcare & Beyond AI Scribe: Tools to Address Forms, Referrals, and Inbox Management (April 16, 2025)
Speakers:
- Dr. Joan Chan, Family Physician, Guelph Family Health Team
- Dr. AJ (Amjed) Kadhim-Saleh, Family Physician, Vivo Family Medicine & Co-Founder/CEO, Pippen
Resources:
Locuming 101 and Efficient Medical Form Management (March 5, 2025)
Speakers:
-
Dr. John Crosby, Family Physician, Cambridge, ON and Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto
-
Dr. Jemy Joseph, ER and Family Physician, Toronto, ON & Rural Canada
-
Dr. Brittany Chow, Family Physician, Toronto, ON
Resources:
Establishing Healthy Practice Habits & Planning for Parental Leave (Feb 12, 2025)
Panelists:
Dr. Stephanie Godard, Family Physician, South East Toronto Family Health Team
Dr. Mike Taglione, Family Physician, North York General Hospital
Dr. Durgaa Rajendran, Family Physician, Vivo Family Medicine
Resources:
Prescription for Prosperity: Accounting and Financial Planning for Early-Career Physicians (Jan 8, 2025)
Panelists:
- Mr. John Stocking, Financial Advisor
- Mr. Jarrett Holmes, Financial Advisor
- Mr. Jesse Francis, Accountant
Resources:
AI Scribes – are they worth it? Tips for tackling the inbox with Dr. Ali Damji (Nov 13, 2024)
Panelist:
- Dr. Ali Damji, Division Head, Primary Care, Trillium Health Partners and Family Physician, Credit Valley Family Health Team
Resources:
Struggling to get your patients seen? Overwhelmed by the referral process? With the e-Health Centre of Excellence and SCOPE team (Oct 9, 2024)
Panelists:
- Logan Roy, Project Manager, eConsult Toronto Region Deployment Team
- Kelly Klein, Sr. Program Manager, eConsult Toronto Region Deployment Team
- Sufyan Khatri, SCOPE Navigator, Michael Garron Hospital
- Ghada Youssef, SCOPE Project Manager, Michael Garron Hospital
Resources:
Should I incorporate? What are the top five billing tips for new grads? With OMA legal and Dr. Ryan Banach (Sept 11, 2024)
Panelists:
- Mr. Murray Wilson, Legal Counsel, Ontario Medical Association (OMA)
- Dr. Ryan Banach, Lead Physician, Norfinch FHO & Lead, Family Medicine Early Career Supports, Office of Health System Partnership, Department of Family & Community Medicine
Resources: