Two doctors from Southwestern Ontario have returned to the area to finish their medical training.
Family Medicine residents Dr. J. Andrew Lanz-O'Brien and Dr. Brent Rowden started their training at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance in early July. According to a media release sent by the CKHA, Dr. Lanz-O'Brien grew up in Blenheim, while Dr. Rowden is from St. Thomas.
"Residencies are an excellent opportunity to showcase [the] Chatham-Kent Health Alliance and everything that Chatham-Kent's rural setting has to offer young physicians and their families," says Lori Marshall, president and CEO at the CKHA.
Dr. Lanz-O'Brien received honours specialization in actuarial science from Western University. He then went on to earn a doctor of medicine from Western University's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.
As to why he chose to do his residency at the CKHA, he says there's a major benefit to learning in a rural community as opposed to a big city, in terms of gaining a "broader scope of practice".
"The exposure that I have gotten has been direct and quite significant," says Dr. Lanz-O'Brien. "Normally in a larger centre, you don't have quite the same level of responsibility as you do in a smaller centre because you're competing with other learners. Here in Chatham, as one of two residents that started in July, I've found that I've been exposed to many things so far -- even some things that I haven't seen in other centres like London or the Toronto area."
Dr. Lanz-O'Brien adds it is a bonus to be able to return home.
"The community here in Chatham-Kent is a very warm community. People look out each other in a way that they don't in big cities, people here can be relied upon," he says. "I think it's good to give back to a place like that, a place that has given so much to me."
Once his medical training is complete, Dr. Lanz O'Brien says he does have plans to stick around Chatham-Kent.
The CKHA has also landed another Family Medicine resident, Dr. Rowden. He has a bachelor of science with honours in environmental science from Western University and a masters of public administration from Queens University. As stated in the release, Dr. Rowden developed a monitoring and evaluation system for an AIDS reduction program in Ghana; before earning his doctor of medicine from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.
"I always knew I wanted to work in a small town, rural setting," says Dr. Rowden. "Coming from St. Thomas I could appreciate the charm and opportunities CKHA and the Chatham-Kent community could offer to my wife and myself."
Dr. Lanz-O'Brien and Dr. Rowden will stay in Chatham-Kent for the next two years to complete their training.