Posts made in July 2025

Training Family Physicians in Yarmouth

Dalhousie University South West Nova Family Medicine Residency Program – Training Doctors to become Family Physicians in Yarmouth

When you’re needed, you step up to the plate! That’s what Dr. Kenny Yee believes, and he followed through when he was recently asked to accept the site director position with the Dalhousie University South West Nova Family Medicine Residency Program.

A seated man smiles at the camera.

Dr. Kenny Yee (Site Director)

“Many of the residents that we trained in the 14 years of this residency program are actually serving our Tri-County communities as family physicians and are involved in the residency program now. I have been with this program from the start and felt it a real honor to serve as the site director in January 2025.”

Dr. Yee’s big smile and sense of humour is always evident, and they serve him well in a very busy position. But what exactly is the residency program? Dr. Yee tells us more.

“In the residency program, we train doctors to be family physicians. These family medicine residents are either Canadian Medical Graduates (CMGs) or International Medical Graduates (IMGs). In their first year, they spend about two days a week in the family medicine clinic with the preceptor. In the second year, they spend three days a week. We actually get to know the residents very well – they’re almost like family by the time we’re done.”

But those days aren’t the only time spent learning, not at all. “On the days when they’re not working directly in the family medicine clinic, the residents rotate through different services (such as doing deliveries, hospitalist care, emergency room care, etc.) so they can learn all the skills needed for family medicine.”

Programs like the Family Medicine Residency Program are vitally important to healthcare in our region, and we at the foundation are proud to offer annual support. And as a matter of fact, Dr. Yee himself was a member of our board for nine years! He remembers his time fondly. “I was amazed at the amount of talent in that group of people, and they were just volunteering their time. And the amount of money that was raised was amazing!”

We continue to recognize the importance of a thriving healthcare system in our region, and we know our wonderfully generous community will always have our back. If you want to help us in our mission, learn more about the many ways you can donate! Or, make a simple online donation today!

New Breast Cancer Technology Making a Difference

New Breast Cancer Technology Making a Difference

At the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation, we recognize the trust our donors place in us. Put simply, they want to know that their donations are truly making a difference. So, when we are able to follow up on a piece of equipment we funded and hear about the positive impact it’s making, we jump at the chance!

In the spring of 2024, fundraisers were held with all proceeds going towards the cost of a MOLLI® system (more than $102,000). An innovative piece of equipment, this technology helps surgeons remove lesions in the breast more efficiently and with increased patient comfort.  Recently, we were able to speak with Dr. Chris Murphy – and he had only good things to say. “I’m not an early adopter of new technology, I’m usually hesitant. I knew they were starting to use the MOLLI® system across the province, and I didn’t really think about it too much. But when we started using it, I immediately saw how good it was.”

A man demonstrates a piece of medical equipment to a woman. They stand in a hospital hallway.

Dr. Chris Murphy demonstrates the MOLLI® Wand to Mary Surette (Yarmouth Hospital Foundation Managing Director).

Keeping up with the times is always very important in the healthcare field, and this system’s status as an upgrade is without question. “I’ve been here since 2008, and we’d been exclusively using wire localization up until we moved to the MOLLI® system,” Dr. Murphy tells us. “This used to rely on a wire being passed through the breast. You’d look at the films with a radiologist and say, for example “Ok, the tumor is about 8 cms in.” But when they’re putting in that wire, they’re often compressing the breast to do it — and then when the patient is on the operating table, the breast is no longer compressed. So, you always had to kind of guess where to best make your incision.”

But now, precision is the name of the game in a way it never was before. Surgeons can localize the area of concern more accurately, and Dr. Murphy’s face lit up when discussing the difference. “It’s just so much more precise. This means less dissection and less surgery. So, it’s better for me, and it makes it easier for the radiologists to plan their day.”

That’s all well and good, but the best thing about the MOLLI® system is how much better it works for the patient. Dr. Murphy remembers how it used to work. “The old wire localization method always made for a long and stressful day, with the patient having to wait around for hours with wires in their breast until they could get in the OR. But now you can place a MOLLI® seed weeks before the operation and have the patient come in at the scheduled surgery time. The patient doesn’t need to be at the hospital any longer than they need to be! The convenience and peace of mind for the patient is really the biggest benefit.”

 

Two men (dressed in surgery scrubs) and a woman stand in a hospital hallway with a piece of medical equipment.

(l-r) YHF Managing Director Mary Surette, Dr. Chris Murphy, and Dr. Blair MacDonald with the MOLLI® Tablet.

It’s amazing to see healthcare professionals so excited over a piece of technology, but it warms the heart even more to know that our incredibly caring donors are the reason we were able to bring it to Yarmouth Regional Hospital. We pledge to continue bringing the best possible equipment to our healthcare centre, ensuring that our donors’ wishes are met. To each and every one who gave, we express our sincerest thanks!