Chatham-Kent Health Alliance announced four new physicians for its organization this past week.
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance announced four new physicians for its organization this past week.
Dr. Elyse Epp joins the emergency medicine and family medicine department; Dr. Matthew VanTil and Dr. Matt Milkovic join the emergency department and the hospitalist program; and Dr. Raid Shaarbaf joins the internal medicine department.
“We are so pleased to welcome Drs. Epp, VanTil, Milkovic and Shaarbaf to CKHA and the community of Chatham-Kent,” Dr. Pervez Faruqi, chief of staff, said in a release. “Their skills, and knowledge will make a positive impact on the delivery of safe, high-quality care.”
Epp attended the University of Guelph and earned a bachelor of science with distinction and completed her doctor of medicine at the University of Toronto.
She completed her family medicine residency in Chatham-Kent with an additional year of training in emergency medicine through Western University’s Canadian College of Family Physicians – Emergency Medicine Program. This program provides an enhanced skills experience to family medicine graduates.
“I am so grateful for all of the incredible mentors I have in Chatham and how welcoming the family and emergency medicine groups have made me feel the last three years in residency,” she said. “I am excited to be finally joining the team and to work alongside all of the wonderful doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other allied health at CKHA.”
VanTil earned his doctor of medicine and completed his family medicine residency in Chatham-Kent through the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University. He completed an additional year of training in emergency medicine through the University of Saskatchewan, College of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Enhanced Skills.
Originally from Blenheim, VanTil said he’s excited to be back and working at CKHA.
“I’m looking forward to coming back and working in the emergency department with everyone that I know, as well as with the hospitalists that I’ve worked with in the past. I am happy to be back,” he said.
Originally from Chatham, Milkovic earned a bachelor of medicine from Graduate Entry Medical School at the University of Limerick in Ireland in 2020. He completed his family medicine residency in Chatham-Kent through the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.
“I’m looking forward to officially joining the team at CKHA and to continue working with the hospital’s highly skilled inter-professional teams,” he said. “I’d like to thank my preceptors and the family and emergency medicine teams for their guidance and support during my residency.”
In June, Milkovic received the Leonora Sheppard Award in family medicine. This prestigious award is presented to Schulich to a student in the final year of their family medicine residency who demonstrates clinical excellence and a commitment to practice comprehensive family medicine in Ontario, in particular Southwestern Ontario.
Shaarbaf started his medical education earning his medical degree in Baghdad, Iraq. He then completed his internal medicine residency program at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.
He spent six years practicing internal medicine and five years as an assistant professor of internal medicine at Dalhousie before furthering his education by completing a fellowship in adult critical care medicine at the University of Toronto.
“I’m looking forward to the challenges that come with the work,” Shaarbaf said. “There are a lot of challenges, and I am excited about that.”
Shaarbaf and his family reside in Southern Ontario where he enjoys technology and playing the guitar.