Meet the Chiefs
Dr. Joan Abohweyere
Chief of Paediatrics and Neonatology, and Co-Medical Director, Women and Children’s Program
Dr. Anierhe Joan Abohweyere is a general paediatrician with clinical training in Nigeria, the UK and Canada. With an active community practice, Dr. Abohweyere has a special interest in children with ADHD, Autism and behaviour difficulties.
Dr. Abohweyere is currently a Board member of the Paediatricians Alliance of Ontario and a past President of the Durham Medical Society. She has participated in various leadership training via the CMA and Joule.
She had her medical education at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. Then completed Paediatric Residency training at the University College Hospital Ibadan culminating in Fellowship of the West African College of Physicians.
Dr. Abohweyere holds a Master’s in Public Health degree from the University of Lagos and is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. Dr. Abohweyere’s vision at Lakeridge Health is to expand Paediatric care in Durham to include sub-speciality services serving the children of region closer to home.
Dr. Kevin Chopra
Chief of Psychiatry and Medical Director, Mental Health and Addictions Program
Kevin Chopra, MD, PhD, FRCPC, is the Chief of Psychiatry and Medical Director, Mental Health and Addictions Program at Lakeridge Health. He is also the Medical Director of General Psychiatry at Ontario Shores.
Dr. Chopra has successfully implemented numerous strategies to enhance the delivery of mental health care services in the Durham Region. His priorities include building partnerships with mental health care providers across the region to advance health system integration, and leading evidence -based practices.
Dr. Chopra has extensive clinical experience across many community and hospital settings including Ontario Shores, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Department of National Defense at CFB Toronto, and a community health centre.
He completed his psychiatry residency training at the University of Toronto in 2005, and attained his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2013. He is an Assistant Professor at Queen’s University and an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical University of the Americas in Devens, Massachusetts.
Dr. John Dickie
Chief of Surgery and Medical Director, Surgical Program
Dr. Dickie is the Chief of Surgery and Medical Director, Surgical Program at Lakeridge Health and the Division Head of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Dickie received his Medical Degree from Queen’s University in 1991, a Masters of Science Degree in the Surgical Scientist Program at the University of Toronto in 1996, and completed the General Surgery and Thoracic Surgery Residency Programs at the University of Toronto in 1998 and 2000. He has held previous staff thoracic surgery appointments at Peterborough Regional Health Centre, where he also was Medical Director of Surgical Services, and at Toronto East General Hospital.
In 2010, Dr. Dickie returned to the Central East LHIN as the Chief of Surgery and Division Head of Thoracic Surgery at Lakeridge Health. His clinical interest is General and Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery, and he continues to have a focus on patients from the Peterborough area, where he grew up.
He has served as a panel expert for Cancer Care Ontario, including the Expert Panel on Thoracic Surgical Oncology, Invasive Mediastinal Staging Working Group, and Thoracic Surgery Quality Indicators Working Group.
He is a past chair of the Royal College Thoracic Surgery Examination Committee, and is currently Vice President of the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons.
Dr. Peter Dixon
Chief of Oncology and Medical Director, Durham Regional Oncology Program
Peter Dixon, MD, FRCP, is the Chief of Oncology and Medical Director, Durham Regional Oncology Program. Peter is a Radiation Oncologist in the Durham Regional Cancer Centre. He completed his post graduate training at the University of Manchester in the UK and the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver. As Chief of Oncology and Medical Director of the Oncology program since 2018, Peter leads a growing group of medical, radiation and hematology oncologists providing care for the Central East Region.
Between 2001 through to 2011, Peter, as Regional VP, lead the team that established the Cancer Centre and developed the Central East Regional Cancer Program.
Dr. Geoff Donsky
Chief of Diagnostic Imaging and Medical Director, Diagnostic Services
Dr. Geoff Donsky is the Chief of Diagnostic Imaging and Medical Director, Diagnostic Services at Lakeridge Health. Dr. Donsky received his medical degree from the University of Ottawa in 2000 and completed his radiology residency in Hamilton. In addition, he has completed a subspecialty fellowship in Cross-Sectional Imaging at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
Dr. Donsky has been a valued member of the Lakeridge Health Department of Diagnostic Imaging since 2005. Previously, Dr. Donsky has served as Department Chief from 2011-2013 and has served as the legacy lead previously for Ultrasound and CT.
Dr. Donsky spends his free time keeping active with his amazing wife Alex, his awesome children Ryan, Brooke, Rachel, and Maya and their dog MJ.
Dr. Jaclyn Herman
Chief and Medical Director for Emergency Medicine
Dr. Jaclyn Herman completed medical school and trained in Family Medicine at the University of Toronto and subsequently completed the CCFP (Emergency Medicine) program at McGill University. Although she is a former member of the Emergency Department physician team at Lakeridge Health, the bulk of her career has been spent at William Osler Health System (WOHS).
Dr. Herman has held numerous leadership roles, including Site Lead for the Peel Memorial Urgent Care Centre, Chief of Emergency Medicine at Etobicoke General Hospital, and Interim Corporate Chief and Medical Director for Emergency Services at WOHS. She also provided well regarded broader leadership during the worst phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Nadia Ismiil
Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief, Academic Affairs and Research
Dr. Ismiil is the Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Academic Affairs and Research at Lakeridge Health, where she has been making significant contributions since joining in September 2019. Initially, she served as the Chief and Medical Director of the Laboratory Medicine Program. Dr. Ismiil earned her Doctor of Medicine degree in Iraq and completed her residency in Anatomic Pathology at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
In her role as Deputy Chief of Staff, Dr. Ismiil collaborates closely with the Chief of Staff to support key initiatives, including quality and safety, leadership development, and human resources planning. She also leads efforts in Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism (IDEAA), serving on the IDEAA Committee of the Board.
As Chief of Academic Affairs and Research, Dr. Ismiil focuses on advancing strategic leadership in research and innovation, particularly in medical education with a strong emphasis on simulation. She has been instrumental in the development of the Queens Lakeridge Medical School, a key initiative aimed at strengthening primary care in the Durham Region.
With nearly a decade of leadership experience, Dr. Ismiil has been a driving force in transforming the Laboratory Medicine Program at Lakeridge Health. She led the transformation of Diagnostic Pathology into a subspecialized model and enhanced the Laboratory Medicine quality management system.
Before joining Lakeridge Health, Dr. Ismiil served as the Chief and Division Head of Anatomic Pathology at Sunnybrook Hospital. There, she pioneered an innovative leadership development program focused on fostering a culture of respectful relationships and equipping interprofessional teams with essential leadership competencies.
A dedicated mentor, Dr. Ismiil has always been committed to nurturing the next generation of medical leaders. She holds a Masters Certificate in Healthcare Management from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a Master of Management degree from McGill University’s International Masters in Health Leadership (IMHL) program.
Dr. Joel Kennedy
Chief and Medical Director, Family and Community Medicine
Dr. Kennedy has been with Lakeridge Health since 2011 and has been the Division Head of Hospitalist Medicine since 2019. Dr. Kennedy is an experienced medical leader who has demonstrated successful partnerships and held various leadership and administrative roles with key initiatives, including Connecting GTA, MyChart, Epic, Standardized Care, COVID-19 Capacity Planning, COVID-19 Response Team, and Patient Flow. Throughout the pandemic, he brought together primary care and acute care, including Virtual Urgent Care and led the development of the model for the COVID-19 Assessment Centre. He also provided leadership as the inaugural Interim Medical Director for Lakeridge Gardens.
Dr. Kennedy has received several awards and was a member of the Special 2022 Hak Ming Chiu Memorial Award team for their work during COVID-19 across the Central East Region.
Dr. Kennedy played an instrumental role in the development of the Department of Family and Community Medicine and is the ideal candidate to implement the department and work with key leaders, both internally and externally, to build out the vision.
Dr. Tumushabe (Shambe) Mutungi
Interim Chief, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Co-Medical Director, Women’s and Children’s Program
Dr. Mutungi has been a dedicated Obstetrician/Gynecologist with Lakeridge Health since 2020, practicing at the Oshawa and Ajax Pickering sites. She brings a strong commitment to patient care, leadership, and advancing equity in health care. Born in Uganda and raised in Toronto, she has a deep passion for global health and underserved populations. During her residency at the University of Toronto, she earned a Certificate in Global Health Education and worked internationally in women’s health.
Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Mutungi is actively involved in health care leadership and advocacy. She serves as the Ontario representative on the board of the Black Physicians of Canada, was part of the Board of the Black Physicians of Ontario for many years and is a member of the Ontario Medical Association working group addressing delays in patient care. Dr. Mutungi has been serving as Secretary of the Medical Staff Association since April 2023. She also completed a Master of Business Health Administration at the University of Toronto, graduating in 2024.
Dr. John Maybee
Chief of Anaesthesia and Medical Director, Anaesthesia
John Maybee, MD, FRCP(C), is the Chief of Anaesthesia and Medical Director, Anaesthesia. John graduated from Queen’s University Medical School in 1985, subsequently completing training in Anaesthesiology and Adult Critical Care Medicine at the University of Toronto in 1991. He joined the staff at Oshawa General Hospital in 1993.
In Anaesthesiology, his interests include peri-operative pain management. From a Critical Care perspective, he is interested in airway management and acute resuscitation.
He has been happily married to Jan for 37 years and is the proud parent of four wonderful children and grandfather to five awesome grandchildren.
His goal is to help Lakeridge Health become the best large community hospital in the GTA.
Dr. Anna Plotkin
Chief of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Director, Laboratory Medicine
Dr. Plotkin brings an impressive academic and professional background, including a Master’s Equivalent in Physician Leadership from OMA/Schulich in Toronto and a Laboratory Medical Director Program from the College of American Pathologists. Dr Plotkin completed her residency in Anatomic Pathology followed by Clinical fellowship in Gynecologic and Breast Pathology at the University of Toronto.
An active member of several prestigious professional organizations, Dr. Plotkin serves as the Director of Continuous Professional Development at the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto where she is an Associate Professor. She is the Lead of the Pathology Mentorship for the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) and Co-Chair of the Breast National Specialty Network for the Canadian Association of Pathologists (CAP-ACP). Her international contributions include roles on the Education Committee of the International Society of Gynecologic Pathologists (ISGyP) and the Professional Learning and Development Committee for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She has also collaborated with leading global organizations, such as the WHO, to support pathologists in under-resourced regions, enhancing their expertise in laboratory medicine. She is the first pathologist who was awarded by the life-time teaching award from IGCS.
Dr. Plotkin's leadership has significantly impacted both local and regional healthcare initiatives, including her tenure as the President of the Ontario Association of Pathologists and her involvement with the Cancer Care Ontario’s Gynecological Cancers Advisory Committee.
Dr. Dan Ricciuto
Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control; Chief and Medical Director, Quality and Person-Centred Care
Dan Ricciuto, MD, FRCPC is an Infectious Diseases specialist at Lakeridge Health. Dr. Ricciuto received his Medical Degree from the University of Toronto in 2006 and completed in training in Internal Medicine (2009) and Infectious Diseases (2011) at the University of Toronto. He began working at Lakeridge Health in 2011.
He is the Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control and Chief and Medical Director of Quality and Person-centred Care. He has also been involved in the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs on a regional and provincial level and was co-chair of the Public Health Ontario Antimicrobial Stewardship Advisory Committee.
He is currently an adjunct Assistant Professor at Queen’s University and the University of Toronto with an ongoing interest in quality improvement research with a focus in Infection Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship.
Dr. Karim Soliman
Chief of Critical Care and Medical Director, Critical Care Program
Karim Soliman is the Chief of Critical Care Department and Medical Director of Critical Care Program. Dr. Soliman is both Internal Medicine and Critical Care trained.
He is an Assistant Professor of Critical Care at Queen's University, Lecturer in University of Toronto Department of Medicine, and the Regional Medical Lead for the Trillium Gift of Life Network. His academic and research interests include organ donation practices, transfusion medicine, education and quality improvement.
As Chief of Critical Care Department and Medical Director of the Critical Care Program, Dr. Soliman works the physician team and program leadership to ensure the highest standard of care is provided in our three critical care units and other critical care services across the corporation. Dr. Soliman is a member of various committees across the hospital, including co-leading our COVID Response Team.
Dr. Hasan Zaidi
Chief of Medicine and Medical Director, Medicine Program
Hasan Zaidi, MD, FRCPC is the Chief of Medicine and Medical Director of the Medicine Program. Dr. Zaidi has been a member of privileged staff at Lakeridge Health since 2006.
He completed his Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology residency training at the University of Ottawa and practices Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Durham Region. His clinical and academic interests include colorectal cancer screening, inflammatory bowel disease, and quality improvement in endoscopy.
He has served on Cancer Care Ontario’s colonoscopy quality improvement committee and is a recent graduate of Rotman School of Management’s Advanced Health Leadership program.
As Chief of Medicine and Medical Director of Medicine Program, Dr. Zaidi leads a large team of Internists, Hospitalists, and Medical specialists to deliver high quality, safe, and person-centered care for the region of Durham.