Class Notes
News from your classmates
Winter 2025
Class of 6T4
Dr. Agnes KLEIN studied public health and occupational health after her MD and worked in occupational health before returning to train in medical biochemistry. She has used her public health training and knowledge of medicine, clinical and otherwise, to good use and is still working in the federal government. For 25 years she worked in pharmaceuticals and since 2025, she has worked in the biologicals area and has gleaned great satisfaction from an alternate way to apply her knowledge for the good of Canada. She now has four adult grandchildren who are artistically and technically inclined. No one has followed in her footsteps, nor in those of their grandfather's.
Dr. Bernard STEIN: "Our 60th graduation anniversary was celebrated on September 10, 2024. A wonderful time was enjoyed by 17 graduates and 13 partners, who reminisced and renewed their relationships."
Class of 6T6
Dr. Vladimir HACHINSKI, a distinguished professor at Western University, received the 2024 Ryman Prize from New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon "for the world's best discovery, development, advance or achievement that enhances quality of life for older people." Watch the Ryman Prize awards ceremony.
Class of 6T9
Dr. Michael LITTNER received the 2024 Distinguished Leadership Award from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). He developed and was chair of the AASM Board Review Course, was chair of the AASM Standards of Practice Committee, was an accreditation site visitor, and served on various other committees within the AASM. Littner was a visionary who recognized the potential of home sleep apnea test devices, behavioral sleep medicine, and oral appliance therapy, incorporating them in his practice at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, where he also co-founded the UCLA sleep medicine training program. He graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School and trained in pulmonary medicine at UCLA, where he is professor emeritus of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine. Read the AASM press release
Class of 7T1
Dr. Dafna GLADMAN received the Temerty Faculty of Medicine 2024 DAA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Class of 7T4
Dr. Barry GOLDLIST helped organize his class's 50th medical school reunion in the spring with a dinner at the Faculty Club and a follow up brunch at his home. Members of the class have been contributing to a bursary fund for medical students with financial need. Also, as part of its 100th anniversary celebration, Mount Sinai Hospital raised funds to establish the Barry J Goldlist Chair in Aging and Health, and an event was held in September 2024 once the chair was fully funded.
Class of 7T8
Dr. Casey Kwan Ho CHAN has retired but recently went back to part-time teaching at the National University of Singapore in the Department of Orthopedics and Department of Biomedical Engineering. They have been living in Singapore as permanent residents for the past 25 years.
Dr. Joseph CHU continues to practice as a consulting neurologist in Etobicoke and is also on teaching staff at the Toronto Western Hospital-University Health Network. Besides his clinical practice, he is also the Chair of Research, Chinese Canadian Heart and Brain Association, and since the COVID-19 pandemic he has published three peer-review papers collaborating with his team of researchers from Toronto and Ottawa (download "COVID-19 and its Cardiac and Neurological Complications among Chinese Canadians and South Asians" PDF). In addition, he is also a Co-PI for a CIHR supported Wide Impact Study of COVID-19 among Canadian Visible Minorities.
Dr. Peter DODEK: "My retirement is filled with music (jazz piano combo), mentoring (UBC and U of T medical students; teaching health research methods in low and middle income countries), and travel (cycling in Italy, touring in India)."
Dr. Peeter POLDRE is retired from his clinical hematology practice. He is the incoming chair of the board of The Riverwood Conservancy in Mississauga. He has recently been appointed as a public member to the Council of Early Childhood Educators and its Discipline Committee. Nature (typically birds) and sports photography, especially the Steelheads hockey team, are his passionate hobbies which he posts regularly on Instagram.
Class of 8T2
Dr. Hershey BELL was recently appointed Founding Dean of the Methodist University College of Medicine in North Carolina. Read the press release
Class of 8T3
Dr. Michael FEHLINGS co-led the creation of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Acute Spinal Cord Injury that were published in the Global Spine Journal in March and supported by AO Spine and the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute (read the press release). These guidelines were a significant undertaking and had input from an international, multi-disciplinary team of experts. In April, he took over as Editor-in-Chief of Spinal Cord, a Springer Nature journal.
Dr. Rick ZARNETT is the head physician for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League. He has been the team orthopaedic surgeon since 2004 and in November 2024 he won his fifth Grey Cup with the team in Vancouver. His son Dr. Oren Zarnett (MD '16) is also an orthopaedic surgeon and has been associated with the team since 2023. The father and son were both in Vancouver accompanying the team for the 111th Grey Cup Championship.
Class of 8T7
Dr. Jonathan BERNSTEIN is retiring after 31 years in practice as a vitreoretinal surgeon. He is looking forward to more pars and birdies on the golf course, dabbling in music, traveling and spending time with family and friends. He is so proud of his daughter Kayla, who is currently a medical student at The Ohio State University, as there will be three generations of physicians in the family. Jonathan's father, Dr. George Bernstein (MD '50) was an orthopaedic surgeon from the U of T MD class of 5T0. The torch is now being passed on to Kayla to hold on high!
Dr. Mary MACHAMER retired from family practice in March 2022. Her daughter, Annabelle Mannard, graduated from the University of Alberta in June 2024 and is working full-time in Edmonton. She is enjoying a less demanding schedule with her husband, George Mannard (MSc Geology, McGill 1983), now that they're both retired!
Class of 8T8
Dr. Yvonne BUYS and Dr. Chris COMPEAU (both 8T8) retired from clinical practice in 2020. They spend most of their time in Prince Edward County where they have a hobby farm raising chickens, turkeys, pigs and occasionally rabbits. In addition they have anywhere from one to five beehives depending on weather and swarming. When they aren't busy with the animals they enjoy golfing, cycling and birding. Yvonne writes a weekly column in the local paper entitled "Look What Flew through the County" and is working on her first book with the same name. In 2022, they walked the Camino, completing the 800 km trek in 33 days — a great segue into retirement which was slightly delayed due to COVID-19. In 2024, Chris received the Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons and Yvonne will be receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Ophthalmological Society at their June 2025 meeting.
Dr. Shafiq QAADRI is now re-settled into family practice in Toronto, after having served 15 years as Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in the Ontario Legislature. His daughter will become MD in NYC in June '25; his older son, a lawyer in '27; and his youngest son is at Upper Canada College. He is completing an MA (Literature) and looking forward to being a prof at the new TMU School of Medicine. He continues to do his share of CME lectures and conferences.
Class of 8T9
Dr. Doug ARNOLD was reappointed in July as the Chief of Staff at the Timmins and District Hospital for four years. Having already served in this capacity for four years, he wonders if any of his colleagues who are psychiatrists are available for a virtual consult to assist him with delusional decision making! If any graduates from 8T9 or any other years are interested in doing locums, please reach out to me!
Dr. Anna BANERJI received the Temerty Faculty of Medicine 2024 DAA Humanitarian Award.
Class of 9T0
Dr. Ezra COHEN joined Tempus AI as Chief Medical Officer in May 2023. Prior to that, he was Division Chief Hematology/Oncology and Associate Director Clinical Science at University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center.
Dr. Rajiv SINGAL has been practicing urology at Michael Garron Hospital since 1996 and currently also serves in the role of Chief of Surgery. He has enjoyed the breathtaking evolution of surgery in that time span. He has a passionate interest in global health and surgical capacity building primarily in Malawi and Kenya and has made numerous trips over the last 10 years. He and his Sandra have been married 30-plus years and reside in Toronto and have enjoyed raising three amazing children into productive and happy young adults.
Class of 9T3
Dr. Scott YOUNG retired from medicine in 2020 after practicing medical oncology at the Northeastern Ontario Cancer Centre (Sudbury) for 21 years. He subsequently wrote a true crime book about a mass murder which occurred in Austin, Texas in 1966. At autopsy, the perpetrator was found to have a previously undiagnosed brain tumour. His book, Cause of Death: Ballistic Trauma, explores how this 'organic brain disease' lead to the disaster. It is available on Amazon and at the FriesenPress bookstore.
Class of 0T0
Dr. Grant CHEN was appointed Physician Lead, Faculty Development, Scarborough Academy of Medicine (SAM) effective January 1, 2025.
Class of 1T2
Dr. Tina ZHU completed her training in Adult Cardiology and Level III Echocardiography at Queen's and Ottawa respectively. She has since opened her own Cardiology clinic (APEX Heart Centre) in Kingston, Ontario with a full Echo and stress lab, as well as a full suite of other cardiac testing. They have over 30 employees and treat over 10,000 patients in the region. The clinic is always looking for dynamic young individuals to join us as observers, elective residents, fellows, or to join on as a staff internist or cardiologist.
Class of 1T3
Dr. Anthony DI FONZO is privileged to announce his Medical Directorship at the Releva Chronic Pain Centre. With locations in Etobicoke/Toronto and Mississauga, he and his team are honoured to provide interventional chronic non-cancer pain services to the GTA and beyond, focusing on the delivery of innovative, efficient and excellent care (short wait times (<4 weeks), no negation to referring MDs, OHIP-covered).
Dr. Sameer MASOOD received the Innovation Fund Awards 2024 Award for Technology, AI and Virtual Care from Mount Sinai Hospital – University Health Network (MSH-UHN).
Class of 1T5
Dr. Suleiman FURMLI helped establish the first-of-its-kind Centre of Excellence for Osteoporosis in Durham Region to help prevent osteoporotic and fragility fractures. It features a "one-stop shop" multi-disciplinary team including osteoporosis clinician, xray/bmd technologists, kinesiologists, researchers as well as on-site diagnostics. Website is still underworks but you can download the new clinic announcement.
Class of 1T9
Dr. Adriano MOLLICA wants to share that he's recently released an album of original music. Prior to studying medicine at U of T, he studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Music and songwriting have always been passions of hus but understandably had to be put on pause during his medical training. Reconnecting with songwriting helped him process and heal following a recent personal tragedy. He performs under the name The Adriatic. His debut album, "Fortune," was released on June 21, 2024. Writing a full album of music was not the intention at the start, but the songs and themes unfolded organically, and now he has a collection of songs he is proud to share. He is the sole songwriter for all the songs and performs vocals and guitars. Thematically, the album focuses on the joys and disappointments in life, and the process of making peace with what haunts us.