Dr. Devon Evans is one of Canada’s leading experts in endometriosis, pelvic pain, and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (MIGS), recognized for transforming care for patients across Manitoba. After completing residency and fellowship training, he chose to move to Manitoba to establish his practice. He founded the Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis Clinic at St. Boniface Hospital, making significant contributions to reduce pain and suffering for Manitobans and building on local capacity to provide care closer to home. 

A committed system‑builder, Dr. Evans has worked to improve the province’s historically low minimally invasive hysterectomy rates through mentorship, education, and direct support for gynecologists across the province. As a Quality Officer for women’s health, he collaborated on development of the province’s first gynecologic surgery report cards to help track progress and provide feedback. As head of the Section of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery and founder of Manitoba’s MIGS fellowship program, he is shaping the next generation of specialists with rigorous, compassionate mentorship and improving the lives of countless patients. 

Respected nationally and internationally for his surgical expertise, research, and contributions to practice guidance through the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and the World Endometriosis Society (WES), he recently authored two landmark publications in Lancet highlighting global inequities in endometriosis care and policy. Dr. Evans is known for his humility, patient‑centered advocacy, and ability to unite surgical teams with kindness, precision, and exceptional clinical judgment.

Dr. Cliff Yaffe has been a transformative leader in surgery and medical education for more than four decades, shaping generations of physicians through his unwavering commitment to mentorship, professionalism, and patient-centred surgical care. He has guided residents, medical students, and junior colleagues and consistently championed their growth while strengthening the academic and clinical foundations of the programs he has led. As Associate Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education at the Max Rady College of Medicine (2011−2022), Dr. Yaffe played a pivotal role in expanding the Family Medicine and Psychiatry Residency Programs and establishing subspecialty programs in Geriatric Psychiatry, Colorectal Surgery, Hematological and Forensic Pathology, Palliative Medicine and the Addictions Medicine Family Medicine Enhanced Skills Program. His steadfast support of program directors and staff elevated the quality and accreditation status of multiple training programs. 

Throughout challenging times, Dr. Yaffe provided calm, principled leadership, balancing resident advocacy with the development of strong, resilient clinical teams. 

Currently, Dr. Yaffe provides support and advice to medical teaching faculty through his role as the Max Rady College of Medicine, Faculty Advisor, a responsibility he has held since 2023. 

In addition to his leadership roles at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Yaffe has played a significant role on the national stage, including decades of service to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Canadian Association of General Surgeons, Canadian Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), and the College of Family Physicians of Canada. 

A champion of innovation, he helped implement Competency-Based Medical Education and collaborated with his national counterparts in developing, framing and implementing the current system of accreditation of all Canadian and many international residency programs

Dr. Holly Hamilton is a rural family physician whose humanitarian work is grounded in simple, meaningful acts of service. In Notre Dame de Lourdes, she has been a long‑time supporter of Aspen Winds/​Vents de Tremble, an organization that provides both a day program and a home for adults living with disabilities. She served on the board for years, but now contributes in the ways that feel most natural to her: organizing major fundraising events geared toward building a new fully accessible home, preparing home cooked, from scratch food with love, sharing time with participants through pottery and creative activities and sparking ideas for new opportunities. For her, this work is a form of medicine too — the kind that heals the soul. 

Her commitment is shared by her partner, their four children, and extended family members, who are often by her side at events, because Aspen Winds is a place where everyone belongs. 

Dr. Hamilton practices full‑scope rural family medicine and is known for the same humility, warmth, and dedication in her clinical work as in her community. A longtime champion of rural medical education and recruitment, she now leads the Family Medicine Practice Ready Assessment Program, helping strengthen Manitoba’s physician workforce. 

Whether welcoming learners to her farm, coaching youth sports, or rolling up her sleeves at Aspen Winds, she brings people together with a blend of practicality, compassion, and heart. 

Dr. Tegan Turner is an exceptional emergency medicine resident whose clinical excellence, calm leadership, and commitment to others have made a lasting impact on her program and colleagues. Known for her strong communication skills and centred approach under pressure, Dr. Turner demonstrates an impressive drive to continuously improve, both academically and clinically. 

A dedicated mentor and advocate, she has held leadership roles with Women in Emergency Medicine and has been deeply involved in mentorship initiatives through Doctors Manitoba and national medical organizations. After participating as a mentee for several years, she now gives back as a mentor, supporting learners at multiple stages of training. 

Dr. Turner’s passion for emergency care extends beyond the hospital, including an interest in motorsports medicine. She has pursued specialized education and on-site training opportunities connected to Formula 1 and IndyCar racing, bringing perspective to trauma and sports medicine. Currently completing a master’s program in Sports Medicine and Exercise Science through the University of Bath, Dr. Turner is helping shape the future of emergency care in Manitoba and beyond. 

Dr. Mandy Buss is a distinguished physician, educator, and national leader whose work has reshaped medical education and improved access to culturally safe care for Indigenous peoples across Canada. An Assistant Professor and Indigenous Health Lead in the Department of Family Medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine, she has been instrumental in developing anti‑racism and anti‑colonial curricula, integrating Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers into primary care, and transforming admissions and residency processes to support Indigenous learners. Her leadership has been pivotal in advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action within medical education. 

In her roles as president of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada and a member of national committees for medical education and family medicine, Dr. Buss has been behind system‑level reforms that bridge Indigenous knowledge with Western medical practice. She is also a committed clinician with deep experience in northern and remote communities, including service as Chief of Staff at Percy E. Moore Hospital and with Ongomiizwin Health Services. 

A fierce advocate, mother, auntie, mentor and role model, Dr. Buss continues to guide the next generation of Indigenous physicians, advancing equity, representation and culturally safe care. Her leadership has had a lasting impact on learners, patients, and health systems across Manitoba and beyond. 

Dr. Natalie Casaclang immigrated from the Philippines in 2012. Overcoming barriers that international medical graduates usually face in their journey towards medical licensure in Canada, she began her career as a Medical Officer of Health in 2020, supporting the response to the COVID‑19 pandemic. Today, she provides clinical leadership in vaccine policy, injury prevention, healthy parenting and early childhood development. Known for her competence, empathy and calm presence, she quietly improves Manitoba’s health landscape — often behind the scenes, always with impact. 

In 2025, she co‑led the implementation of Manitoba’s expanded RSV immunoprophylaxis program to protect more newborns against RSV, a major step forward for equitable infant health. Dr. Casaclang and her colleagues have been integral in leading the response to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as invasive meningococcal disease, measles and hepatitis A in Manitoba. As a member of the Provincial Baby‑Friendly Initiative Sub-Committee, Dr. Casaclang collaborates with other health care professionals to standardize infant feeding practices across Manitoba and support parents and families in reaching their infant feeding goals. She also created and reviewed content for the recently launched Parenting in Manitoba website, which aims to provide clear and trustworthy information to help parents support their child’s healthy development, from pregnancy through the first five years of life. Her confident yet humble communication style during media outreach, clinician education and public engagement has been instrumental in fostering trust among colleagues, policymakers, and the public. 

Alongside her system‑level work, Dr. Casaclang helps infants have a healthy start in life through breastfeeding as a dedicated frontline clinician in breastfeeding and lactation medicine. 

Dr. Shayne Taback is an insightful leader, mentor and clinician‑scientist whose work has transformed research training in Manitoba and across Canada. As the founding director of the Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) at the University of Manitoba, he created a pathway that bridges clinical practice with innovative research, trained 39 clinician‑scientists to date. Many now lead major research programs, clinical trials, and academic initiatives — evidence of Dr. Taback’s profound influence as both a builder of systems and a mentor of people. 

Establishing the CIP required extraordinary perseverance, from securing Royal College approval to negotiating a nationally admired funding model that ensures trainees can pursue research without financial barriers. Dr. Taback championed individualized training, international opportunities and rigorous standards, helping develop a national framework for CIP education now adopted across Canada. 

A dedicated mentor, he is also a certified executive coach who supports trainees, colleagues and leaders through compassionate, thoughtful guidance. As a Physician‑Mentor in the Office of Anti‑Racism, he models humility and fosters inclusive dialogue. Dr. Taback’s leadership has reshaped clinician‑scientist training and strengthened the future of medical innovation in Manitoba and beyond.