Niagara Health has added more than two dozen permanent physicians since January, a recruiting push that is strengthening care across emergency rooms, operating theatres and clinics in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland and beyond.
The new hires span specialties including emergency medicine, internal medicine, anesthesiology, critical care, diagnostic imaging, oncology and surgery, according to Niagara Health. Many of the doctors come from outside the region — and outside the country — and several say the same things kept them here: supportive colleagues, room to grow, and a community where they can put down roots.
From Iran to Niagara
Dr. Mahya Hashemi Kazar moved from Iran in 2021 and worked in Saskatchewan as an emergency physician, hospitalist and family physician before joining Niagara Health's Emergency Medicine team this year. She said the welcome she received made the transition easier than expected.
Moving from one province to another and starting in a new setting can be stressful and challenging, but the team made it easy. Everyone was very supportive and friendly, that made the transition much smoother than I expected.
Hashemi Kazar, who had done locum work elsewhere before settling in Niagara, said the friendliness extended well beyond the physicians. "What I found here was a very supportive and friendly environment, from the physicians to the nurses, and that made a real difference in deciding this was somewhere I could stay," she told Niagara Health. "It's not just about work. The lifestyle here is exceptional."
A homecoming for one doctor
For Dr. Rahil Patel, who grew up in Niagara Falls and now works with Niagara Health's Mental Health and Addictions team, joining the organization meant coming home. He trained at Niagara Health during medical school and residency, and said returning as an independent staff physician has been a chance to give back.
I don't see myself being anywhere else for the next 20 or even 40 years. I'm excited to keep building my career here while also helping train the next generation.
Patel is combining clinical work with teaching, taking on medical students and residents through connections with McMaster University in an effort to expand training in his department.
Building careers and lives in the region
Dr. Rohan Pandey joined the General Internal Medicine team after finishing his residency in Buffalo. He said mentorship from colleagues helped ease his move into independent practice, and that Niagara Health lets doctors shape careers around clinical care, education, research or leadership.
Pathologist Dr. Shangguo Tang, who had previously worked with the Laboratory Medicine team, returned for what he described as a straightforward reason: "I knew the environment, I knew the people and I liked both." He added that at this stage of his career, he wanted to spend more of his time contributing to patient care.
According to Niagara Health, the recruitment effort is drawing physicians from across Ontario, Canada and around the world, and the new arrivals are helping strengthen care throughout the region's hospitals.
