Class Notes
News from your classmates
Winter 2026
Class of 4T9
Dr. George TRUSLER — We are delighted to share an update about Dr. George Aubrey Trusler, a distinguished member of the MD Class of 1949, who will celebrate his 100th birthday on November 17, 2026. His 1949 Torontonensis photo and write‑up are included for those who would like to revisit this special piece of Temerty Medicine history:
Dr. Trusler is an Officer of the Order of Ontario and an Officer of the Order of Canada, recognized for his remarkable impact on paediatric cardiac surgery. A pioneer in his field, Dr. Trusler served as head of cardiac surgery at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and made groundbreaking contributions that continue to save lives. He developed an algorithm to regulate excess blood flow to the lungs of infants in heart failure and invented a technique to preserve the aortic valve — innovations still used around the world today. Now approaching his centennial year, Dr. Trusler remains bright, engaged and active. He only recently retired from skiing due to knee arthritis. He is admired not only for his clinical accomplishments but for his lifelong commitment to leadership, character and scholastic excellence.
Class of 6T2
Dr. Robert RICHARDS — As a graduate of 1962, I can clearly remember the snowstorm of 1944, which I recall as being worse than that of 2026. I am pleased to be vertical and to be able to swim and bicycle regularly. Married 56 years with all three children and six grandchildren living in Toronto. I closed my dermatology office, but I still conduct a clinic for hyperhidrosis. Like most persons, I made many investing mistakes and was misled on some occasions. To provide information for younger people to avoid these errors I wrote Self-directed Passive Index Investing: A roadmap to financial success. The second edition of 2026 can now be ordered by email, payment of $34 by Interac or a cheque covers book and postage. Amazon and select stores will follow.
Class of 6T3
Dr. Perry COOPER — The MD Class of 1963 will celebrate its 63rd anniversary with a reception and dinner on Saturday, May 30, 2026 at the Kimpton Saint George Hotel. Contact me for details.
Class of 6T5
Dr. Grant STEWART — I have fully retired from general surgery. For more than twenty years, I dedicated much of my time to surgical missions across several Asian countries, most recently on the beautiful island of Marinduque in the Philippines. I am currently traveling through the southern regions of Western Australia, visiting family and exploring the places where I spent my teenage years — some of which are now Trust Houses and historic sites connected to my early settler ancestors. I’ve especially enjoyed the Margaret River region, with its forests, wildlife, and world‑class wineries. It has been a meaningful journey filled with memories, and I’m looking forward to returning home to Vancouver after the challenging snow and rain across Canada.
Class of 6T9
Dr. Jerry FRIEDMAN has been retired now for 1-1\2 years and is keeping busy auditing undergrad courses at U of T and pursuing his creative interest in driftwood sculpture. His work can be seen at his studio east of Huntsville on the Muskoka North Studio Tour from August 14 to 16 or by appointment. For more information see www.muskokanorthstudiotour.ca or contact him directly.
Dr. Samuel LANGER — I’m still working as Medical Director at Carelon Behavioral Health, where I also chair the Scientific Review Committee and serve as Medical Director of Quality Management. I continue to maintain a private practice as well. I’ve been married for 54 years and am the proud parent of four sons and grandparent to seven wonderful grandchildren. I’m looking forward to the upcoming World Cup games in Los Angeles. I remain deeply saddened by the classmates we’ve lost — so many remarkable people. Warm greetings from New York City.
Class of 7T0
Dr. Frank SOMMERS — As our world is becoming more and more turbulent you are warmly invited to attend the 9th Annual CME training: Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters, which will include an exciting tabletop simulation: The Psychological Impacts of War. Can AI Help?
June 12, 2026 (Hybrid). Open to all healthcare professionals.
Class of 7T5
Dr. Paul STEINBERG — My third book, Psychoanalysis in Practice: A Contemporary Approach for Therapists, will be published later this year. Regarding a different variety of publication, my wife Dr. Carolyn GRUENWALD Steinberg (Meds 7T6) and I are expecting the arrival of our second grandchild in July.
Drs. Michael LAWRIE & David WHITE — Congratulations 7T5! A total of $96,726.20 has been raised from 43 donors to establish an endowed MD Class of 7T5 Award in celebration of our 50th. The award has already benefited one MD student and it will be awarded to another two MD students this academic year and every year in perpetuity.
Class of 7T6
Dr. Robert GRECO retired from active practice at Health Sciences North in 2018 and continued to provide locum service through 2021.
Class of 7T7
Dr. Kenneth MELVIN — The MD class of 1977 will celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2027. We are planning a celebration dinner in June 2027 and hope to reach out to as many alumni as possible. If you have any queries, please contact Dr. Lawrence KLOTZ (laurence.klotz@sunnybrook.ca) or me (kenneth.melvin@uhn.ca).
Class of 7T8
Dr. Kenneth LEE CHOI — I’m grateful for the opportunity to support the future of healthcare in Scarborough — a community I’ve been proud to serve for nearly 40 years at Birchmount Hospital. Lisa Seeto and I have established a $1 million endowment to help ensure that future doctors and health professionals can learn and train close to home. Our contribution will support the new Scarborough Health Centre of Excellence and create the Dr. Kenneth Lee Choi and Lisa Seeto Awards, which will help reduce financial barriers for local students pursuing medical careers. Scarborough has been an important part of my life, and we hope this gift will make a meaningful difference for the next generation.
Dr. Joseph CHU — Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I collaborated with a team of clinicians-researchers and published 4 peer-review articles on how COVID-19 affects visible minorities in Ontario/Canada, in particular Chinese Canadians and South Asians. Currently, we are working on a research project on Long COVID and its effects on Ethnic groups in Canada. The research projects was supported by the Ontario Ministry of Health-ODSP, CCHABA, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, University of Ottawa Heart Institute and ICES. Download COVID-19 and its Cardiac and Neurological Complications among Ontario Visible Minorities and Epidemiology of COVID-19 and its Cardiac and Neurological Complications among Chinese and South Asians in Ontario. Visit heartbrain.ca.
Class of 7T9
Dr. Davy CHENG — Since being elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (FCAHS) in 2007, Dr. Cheng has considered it a profound honour. He now shares that he is deeply humbled and grateful to have been nominated and elected to serve on the CAHS Board of Directors for a term spanning January 1, 2026 to August 31, 2028.
Class of 8T6
Dr. Phil NARINI – A career reflection: From the OR to the Cafe, A Journey in Medicine and Call to Action
WOW! Turning 65, 40 years from Frosh week and that first anatomy lecture telling us to memorize the brachial plexus. A daunting task at the time, seemingly impossible, then cadaver labs, animal labs, sleepless nights and lets not forget the "bell curve". Survived. Then out in the really scary world of a rotating internship and Baycrest Centre — good old days, then family practice "up nord" in a tiny community with Merk manual in hand (no Chat or cell phone to call for help) — terrified of being the only doc in town: MIs (no clot busters), Diabetes (no CGMs), sigmoidoscopy and barium enema screen (no colonoscopy or FIT), and OB — deliveries without back-up and the dreaded VBACS! A moment of psychosis and the idea of becoming a surgeon preceded by 2 years of research, then US residency (worse than Grey's A), fellowship then private practice. Micro recon with no monitors, some cosmetics and hospital politics. Lots of politics!
Now what? Retirement? Oh no. Let's tell people about the association between diet and disease. If you haven't heard, we stand with diet and chronic disease where tobacco and lung cancer were. In 1963, consumption peaked at 4,345 cigs/adult per year with the backdrop of over 7000 peer-reviewed articles telling us we shouldn't. Clearly, smoking caused cancer but it took us 50 years to acknowledge it!
Food advertising is not unlike the tobacco propaganda when "doctors smoked camels" and "menthol soothes" (Your mouth will keep as fresh as a May morning...giving you dewy-fresh flavour.) Ugh. Now we have false news, confirmation bias, pseudoscience and the pervasive, ubiquitous influencers telling us about keto, paleo, low carb, omega-3, creatine, ketone supplements ... to infinity and beyond. But why? Because BS baffles and advertising sells.
So I opened a cafe with kickass coffee and fresh baked goods including yummy foods that are healthy: mmcafe.ca to be exact; and in a medical building to boot. Who would expect healthy food in a "health centre" that is dedicated to sick care? Seems obvious to me.
The name is purposefully "Mindful Meal". Most of us simply chew and swallow and hope for the best, LOL; most don't even bother to hope. Just assume that others have our best intentions in mind with respect to nutrition and if it is on a shelf, in a box for convenience, or in a restaurant — heck, it must be 'good for me' right? Or at the very least not bad for me?
Please don't forget your supplements! To the tune of $4 Billion annually in Canada. Yup, with a "B".
With my grey hair, upcoming 65th and notice from the government received today that I can soon get free drugs, and free assessment of drugs if I take "more than three prescriptions", I have earned the latitude of sounding patronizing.
My advice: please be Mindful, question everything, follow the science and appreciate that we have the utmost responsibility to educate ourselves, our families and friends, and maybe even more importantly, those trusting their health care to us. If you don't care for yourself, at least care for your patients (ouch!) Learn about the associations between diet and disease and understand the 'facts'; in spite of the fact we all know these facts do change with progress. The fact today is that most chronic diseases (I hesitate to say all), can be ameliorated, prevented, and yes, even reversed with diet and exercise.
The time has come for us to spearhead this idea that lifestyle should be first: Capital FIRST. If you are motivated and maybe even leading by example, we can save countless of lives, optimize health span and maybe increase lifespan too. Ornish has said "Undo It" and that the secrets are: "Eat real Food, Move More, Stress Less, and Love More."
In health: I wish all of you maximal health and wellbeing.
Dr. Robert BANKS will be inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame on September 17, 2026 in Ottawa. He will be honoured for his pioneering contributions to human factors research in aviation, including decades of work on flight surgeon training and studies of physiological stress in flight. Learn more.
Class of 8T7
Dr. Robin BEARDSLEY — I wanted to share my excitement of co-authoring a book entitled It Doesn't Have To Be This Way: A Physician's Guide to Radical Self Care with two other physicians Drs Risa Adams and Elizabeth Parsons. I wanted to thank my 8T7 classmates for the ongoing friendships and support. You know who you are. Hope to see everyone at our next class reunion. It is hard to believe it will be 40 years in June 2027. Stay tuned for more information about the reunion. If you haven't been getting information please reach out to me on the website for our book or at https://yourcompassionateself.ca/
Class of 8T9
Dr. Michael WONG has been serving as Physician-in-Chief at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center since 2025.
Drs. Anna BANERJI, Erik ERYAVEC, Peter EHRLICH, and Vivian CHOW organized MD8T9's class reunion to belatedly celebrate the 35th anniversary of graduating from the U of T MD program on October 4, 2025. The event took place at the Faculty Club, and 39 classmates and their partners shared wonderful time together.
Class of 9T1
Dr. Eric GRIEF is a family doctor and medical psychotherapist in Vaughan, Ontario. He recently published a self-help book titled Write It Out: Free Your Trapped Feelings. The book is available for Kindle as an e-book and in paperback through Amazon.ca or Amazon.com. His son, Joshua Grief graduated from DeGroote School of Medicine and is an R1 in internal medicine in Hamilton.
Class of 9T2
Dr. Grant LUM — Thirty seven years after the start of medical school, I am “majority fractionally retired” (the term will be copyrighted soon!) I’m still doing a tiny bit of clinical work. I’m also a partner in a cognitive performance company called Reactforge, where we’re training the brains of elite athletes, including the Detroit Red Wings. Please check us out at reactforge.com. I’m also planning lots more adventures on my motorcycle. I’ve ridden to Halifax and back, to Vancouver and back, and throughout the US. This spring I was in Spain and Morocco, and next May I’m planning a trip to Italy. If you’re interested, please follow me on Instagram at @motorcyclelife.ca.
Class of 9T3
Dr. Brett SCHUMILAS — I'm currently practicing family medicine in Honolulu, teaching third-year medical students at University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. Enjoying watching my 1-year-old grandson grow.
Dr. Scott YOUNG — In 2024, I published a true crime book titled Cause of Death: Ballistic Trauma, which re-examines the circumstances and forensic evidence surrounding the mass murder committed on August 1, 1966, on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The perpetrator was a married engineering student who had no diagnosis of a pre-existing mental health disorder and no clear motive to indiscriminately shoot such a shocking number of innocent victims. He was eventually killed by law enforcement, and his autopsy unexpectedly revealed a small tumour deep in his brain. The initial pathologist believed the tumour was an incidental finding and did not contribute to the subject’s violent behaviour. However, during a subsequent inquiry, it was concluded that the tumour may have influenced the perpetrator’s actions. No further debate followed, and the issue remained unresolved. After reviewing the original autopsy report and additional relevant material, I developed a pathophysiological mechanism that convincingly explains how the tumour could have triggered “organic brain disease” and the explosive violence that occurred. My book, which is heavily referenced and extensively illustrated, carefully explains this novel hypothesis. It is available through FriesenPress and Amazon. Visit the website for more info.
Class of 9T5
Dr. D'Arcy LITTLE is very proud of his recent promotion to Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Imaging at U of T, cross-appointed to the Department of Family Medicine. He has really been enjoying teaching radiology to medical students in the MAPS course for the past few years. He also devotes considerable time to CME activities geared to teaching radiology to many different health care professionals through his role as medical director of HealthPlexus.net. He is also proud of his son, Alex, an IT consultant, and his wife, Catherine, a children's book author, and her recent books Anne of the Library on the Hill and Jane and the Blue Willow Princess.
Class of 0T5
Drs. Jasmine CHEUNG, Erika CATFORD and Rachel MARTIN organized an MD0T5 class reunion to celebrate the 20th anniversary of graduation from the U of T MD Program. The event took place at the Constantine Restaurant in the Anndore House. View photos
Class of 1T1
Dr. Kim LE — I am a new mother to a baby boy and currently practice as a full‑time comprehensive ophthalmologist at AM EYES in midtown and Envision Eye Institute in North York. I’m pleased to accept referrals.
Class of 1T5
Dr. Michelle YEE organized MD1T5's class reunion to celebrate the 10th anniversary of graduating from the U of T MD Program on September 20, 2025. It was held at Greta Bar, and 106 classmates and their partners enjoyed food and drinks while playing arcade-style games. View photos