Weekend One
Lead: Linda Lee, MD, CCFP, FCFP
Director, Memory Clinic, The Centre for Family Medicine FHT; Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, University of Western Ontario, and Queen’s University; Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy
Theme: Diagnosis & Management of Mild Cognitive Impairment & Dementia
Biography: Linda Lee is a family physician at the Centre for Family Medicine Family Health Team and the Director of the Centre for Family Medicine Memory Clinic. She is the Schlegel-UW Director of Primary Healthcare Education and a primary panelist for the 4th Canadian Consensus Conference on Dementia.
Her academic affiliations include Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University as well as affiliations with the Departments of Family Medicine at Western and Queen’s University, at the School of Pharmacy at University of Waterloo, and in the School of Public Health and Health Systems at University of Waterloo.
In partnership with the Ontario College of Family Physicians, she has developed a Memory Clinic Training Program which has assisted 30 other primary care settings in Ontario to develop new Memory Clinics. For her work helping to improve the care of seniors with memory disorders, in 2009 the Regional Geriatric Program of Hamilton Health Sciences awarded Dr. Lee the Individual Achievement Service Award for Geriatric Excellence. In 2009, Dr. Lee was also named Regional Family Physician of the Year by the Ontario College of Family Physicians. In 2012, she was named McMaster University Department of Family Medicine’s Outstanding Researcher of the Year as well as the recipient of the Association of Family Health Teams Bright Lights award for Outstanding Achievement in Improving Patients’ Experience of Care.
Weekend Two
Lead: Patrick W. Chu, MBBS MRCP (UK), FRCP (Edin)
Physician, Day Hospital and Outreach Team, Geriatric Ambulatory Services, North York General
Hospital
Theme: Approach to Physically Frail Elderly Patients with Falls
Biography: Patrick Chu graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 1981. He obtained his Membership of the Royal College of Physicians(UK) in 1985. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh) in 1998. He received his training in Internal Medicine/Geriatric Medicine at Princess Margaret Hospital and Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong. He received his post-graduate training in Geriatric Medicine at Gartnavel General Hospital, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
Dr. Chu has been an attending physician in the Specialized Geriatric Services of North York General Hospital since 1997, providing geriatric consultations to different services. He served as the Medical Director of the In-patient Acute Geriatric Unit from 1997 to 2000. He has been active in teaching of medical students and Family Practice residents in Geriatric Medicine at North York General Hospital for many years. He is a community family physician with the Chalmers Gate Family Health Group.
Dr. Chu received the Dr. Morris Siu-Chong Memorial Award presented by the North York General Hospital Foundation in 2012, for his work and contribution in Geriatric Medicine.
Weekend Three
Lead: Bachir Tazkarji, MD, CCFP, ABFM
Care of the Elderly Physician, Geriatric Rehabilitation Program, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute – UHN; Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Toronto
Theme: Mental Health & Chronic Pain Management
Biography: Bachir Tazkarji graduated from the University of Aleppo in 1997, completed Family Medicine residency and Geriatrics Fellowship training at East Carolina University, North Carolina, USA. He has been an active staff member with the Geriatric Rehab program at Toronto Rehabilitation institute since 2007. Currently, he is the attending physician for a geriatric psychiatry rehabilitation unit and a full time faculty lecturer with the department of family and community medicine, University of Toronto. He is also the
residency program site director for the Mississauga hospital Family Medicine residency site. Dr. Tazkarji has a family medicine practice with a focus on elderly care. His special interests are dementia care, rehab potential in dementia patients and preventative care for the elderly. He serves as a committee member on the Canadian Geriatrics Society's CPD committee.
Weekend Four
Lead: Amy Freedman, MD, CCFP
Family Physician, Care of the Elderly Physician, St. Michael's Hospital & Baycreat Hospital; Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Theme: Management of Common Medical Problems in the Elderly
Biography: Amy Freedman is a family physician practicing at St James Town Health Centre, an academic teaching unit of St Michael’s Hospital and at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Freedman is an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is also the Family Medicine Education Coordinator at Baycrest.
Dr. Freedman completed her residency in family medicine and a fellowship in Care of the Elderly at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Freedman has a general family practice with an emphasis on care of the elderly. She also provides care to nursing home residents, retirement home residents and homebound frail seniors. She is the St. Michael’s Hospital Family Health Team Site Lead in the Integrated Home-Based Primary Care (IHBPC) project. This team is an interdisciplinary home visiting team designed to integrate care by delivering primary care services to homebound patients in partnership with the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC).
Weekend Five
Lead: Robert Lam, MD, CCFP, FCFP
Care of the Elderly Physician, Geriatric Rehabilitation Program, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute – UHN; Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Theme: Approach to Elderly Patients with Failure to Thrive
For Dr. Lam's Biography & Photo, please refer to the Course Director page