Growing Academic, Community-Centred Family Medicine in Scarborough
Scarborough is a vibrant and diverse community. With its rich cultural mosaic, natural beauty spots, thriving local businesses and strong sense of community, it is a dynamic hub of growth and opportunity.
Its appealing qualities draw newcomers from across the globe, but as the population grows, access to primary care is lagging.
“There are 100,000 people in Scarborough without a family doctor or nurse practitioner,” says Dr. Avnish Mehta, family physician and corporate chief of family medicine at Scarborough Health Network (SHN). "In an area where many residents have complex health needs and face multiple barriers to care, we have many patients without primary care. This leads to high numbers of emergency department visits for minor and chronic issues."
While the needs for family medicine are great, so are the rewards for those who practise it.
Dr. Mehta and the team at SHN are working with the Scarborough Academy of Medicine to add over 80 MD and resident learners and 20 new family medicine teachers.
“We know that learners who train in a community are more likely to stay and practise locally,” says Mehta, who is also the medical lead for the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities. “But to do that, we rely on inspiring family medicine teachers who can show learners the joys of family medicine and the joys of Scarborough.”
Dr. Karthika Sithamparanathan
Platinum Medical Clinic, Scarborough Village
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How long have you been teaching?
Eight years; two as co-undergraduate program director -
Why do you teach?
I love it. My students teach me so much and it keeps my skills up to date. -
Why Scarborough?
It’s home. I can’t imagine living or working anywhere else.
Dr. Rosemarie Lall
Platinum Medical Clinic, Scarborough Village
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How long have you been teaching?
18 years -
Why do you teach?
I started because I felt I had somethin to give back. I continue because it’s incredibly rewarding watching a nervous new learner bloom into a confident clinician. -
Why Scarborough?
I’m a Scarborough girl through and through, working, living and raising my family here. The question is, Why not Scarborough? It is a very deserving community.
Dr. Derek Ng
Silver Star Medical Centre, North Scarborough
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How long have you been teaching?
Less than a year -
Why do you teach?
So many people have helped me on my journey in medicine that I wanted to give back and share my passion for learning. -
Why Scarborough?
I grew up here and have always felt a deep sense of community connection. I was drawn back because
Dr. Randy Lee
East GTA FHT and FHO, West Scarborough
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How long have you been teaching?
30 years -
Why do you teach?
I had amazing teachers that inspired me, and I wanted to return some of that. You learn so much from your students; it stops you from getting stale. -
Why Scarborough?
I was completing an academic fellowship with DFCM in 1992/93 and was told by Dr. Walter Rosser, DFCM Chair at the time, about the exciting new resident teaching program which had just started in Scarborough. I came here in 1993 and have been teaching residents ever since.
Dr. Mark Shew
Scarborough Health Network, Centenary
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How long have you been teaching?
Eight years -
Why do you teach?
I enjoy teaching MD students on their first venture into the real world of medicine and sharing my passion with people keen to learn. -
Why Scarborough?
I speak a few languages, and I get to use them often in such a multicultural area.
SHN by the Numbers
25 community sites
58 DFCM faculty
26 family medicine residents
18 family medicine clerkship students
Originally published in the 2024-2025 Family Medicine Report. Read the full report