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Born in Belfast, Ireland, Dr. Richard Morrow was raised in Canada and is a graduate of St. George’s Medical School in the Global Scholar Program. He completed his family medicine residency in Northern Manitoba and graduated from the Addictions Fellowship at UM earlier this year. His practice is divided between community clinical work in Winnipeg and Thompson, as well as hospital work in Winnipeg and community outreach across the province, with a primary focus on addictions care.

Dr. Morrow thrives on supporting patients and says ​“there are few professions like Medicine that incorporate the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional aspects of the human experience, and I think that profound impact is really something I’ve always wanted to be a part of.” He feels energized and inspired when helping patients navigate addictions and says he is privileged to walk alongside them and celebrate their progress. He is inspired by the dedicated and passionate physician colleagues, support-peers, social workers, nurses, PAs, and counsellors with whom he has the pleasure to work. He credits these providers and allies with helping to shape his practice and says their ​“respect and appreciation for a person’s identity and how it shapes their interactions with their health, community, and wellbeing” has molded how he approaches patient care.

Dr. Morrow is concerned about the increased demands for health-provider time, energy, and services and the lack of supports to alleviate the demands and says the state of medicine and health care is ​“eroding the sense of fulfillment that many doctors began their careers with”. He is hopeful that solutions can be found and believes ​“an increased sense of influence, autonomy, and consultation in tackling these issues” and giving physicians the tools to achieve work-life balance would go a long way in finding the solution. 

Through creating an online networking group for new-to-Manitoba Residents, and the creation of a resource website for health care in Northern Manitoba, Dr. Morrow is proud to have built strong access points, resources, and informatics to save residents, providers, and the public time and energy. Dr. Morrow initially began curating resources for issues that were creating barriers to care for Manitobans living in the North and it later became North​ern​Harm​Re​duc​tion​.com, a resource ​“that supports healthcare workers, patients, and allies in empowering their care and wellbeing.” Its development has also provided Dr. Morrow the ​“invaluable opportunity to connect with people and communities to further inform [his] understanding of their needs and priorities.”

Dr. Morrow credits his partner Alyson with shaping how he understands people and their circumstances. Together they enjoy the antics of their two cats, and traveling. They hope to travel to see family in New Brunswick, Scotland, and Ireland soon and Japan and Hawaii are at the top of their travel bucket list. Post-pandemic, Dr. Morrow has changed his perspective when it comes to how he spends his spare time. Where he once wanted to hone specific hobbies, he is now open to making memorable experiences. He is currently on the lookout for wild mushrooms and is learning to grow them at home.

Dr. Lori Anne Archer is described as innovative, trail-blazing, inspiring and remarkable by her colleague and friend Dr. Kristjan Thompson. He adds that Dr. Archer’s many impressive accomplishments make her ​“one of Manitoba’s brightest rising stars.” 

Dr. Archer completed her medical degree at the University of Calgary, her Pediatric Orthopedic Residency at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2015 and completed fellowships in Vancouver, Australia and the United Kingdom. Since beginning her work as a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon at The Children’s Hospital in 2018, she has proven to be a change-maker. She created the first pediatric orthopedic fellowship program in Manitoba and she established the first-ever pediatric hip surveillance program in our province, which helps children avoid major surgical reconstruction. She has also advocated for greater, structured surveillance of developmental dysplasia of the hip — a problem that disproportionately affects Indigenous children. 

Dr. Archer says helping to improve a child’s function through surgery is ​“incredibly humbling and seeing the improvement during long-term follow-up is truly rewarding.” She is proud of her work to help establish a physician/​clinical assist program and of her with other physicians and allied health professionals at the Rehabilitation Center for Children to advance the orthopedic care of children with neuromuscular conditions. 

Like many of her fellow physicians she has serious concerns about our chronically underfunded medical system, and believes that without the required supports in place for both patients and physicians there will be negative impacts on physician well being and consequently patient care.

Dr. Archer was born and raised in Calgary, where she met her ​“kind, smart and talented” husband. She says he has been her ​“rock for 14 years” and in their spare time they enjoy gardening together.

Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End in a family of 7, family physician Dr. Helen Harmer is a multipotentialite, with many pursuits and interests, both professionally and personally. She completed all of her medical training at UM and says being able to ​“do it all” is what drew her to Family Medicine. Her focus of practice is broad and has been a mix of urban and rural care, minor procedures, ER, ICU, and low risk obstetrics. 

Dr. Harmer’s sister was diagnosed with leukemia in childhood, and in those ensuing years of treatment young Dr. Harmer met countless compassionate and engaging health care providers caring for her sister. Their expertise and knowledge made her hungry to learn and inspired her to become a physician, so she could ​“help people just like they were helping my family”. She adds, ​“Medicine has allowed me to walk alongside and guide patients during life-altering experiences. It is both powerful and incredibly humbling to experience humanity through the eyes of a physician.”

When asked about her proudest professional accomplishment, Dr. Harmer replied, ​“Every. Single. Baby. I have ever delivered. There is nothing as incredible as holding a brand-new life; presenting them to the proud parent you’ve been coaching through the night and through the pregnancy to get to this very moment!”

Dr. Harmer is married and, remarkably, gave birth to four boys from Med 2 through residency. In her spare time, she is an amateur vegan chef, enjoys long-distance running, and loves sailing her Alberg 37 up North. She is also a certified private pilot, doing both bush flying and float flying. Dr. Harmer competes in Aerobatics and won a STARS award at the Midwest Attitude Adjustment competition in Spencer, Iowa last weekend. She hopes to compete at the Nationals in August. 

Colleague and friend Dr. Yvette Emerson speaks highly of Dr. Harmer’s skills and competency, but says that, most importantly, Dr. Harmer ​“works hard, is kind to patients and colleagues but will hold colleagues to account (a little tough in a good way). I trust her.”

When Family Physician Dr. Hany Mansour was 15, he lost his mother to cancer. This loss motivated him to become a doctor and dedicate his career to ​“investigate patient’s issues and concerns, diagnose diseases early, prevent complications and improve outcomes for patients.” He passionately advocates for patients, to get testing or referrals to specialists that are needed to get diagnoses and work toward wellness. Dr. Mansour feels privileged to get to know his patients and amazed by ​“the amount of trust that we gain as family physicians”. Never taking that trust for granted, he works hard to provide thorough, patient-centered care, stressing that ​“words can’t describe how rewarding our job is!”

Born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, he graduated from Cairo University Medical School in 1996 and moved to Canada in 2003 with his young family. He moved to Morden in 2007 and completed one year of residency at UM and the IMG program in 2009. He has spent his entire career in Morden and has been a member of the team at Menzies Medical Centre for the last 14 years. Knowing the importance mentorship plays in medicine, Dr. Mansour has worked with the Clinical Teaching Unit at Boundary Trails Health Centre for over 10 years and loves teaching and working with students and residents. When he moved to Morden his intention was to stay 2 – 3 years, but Dr. Mansour says he and his family ​“fell in love with Morden and our family feels blessed to be part of this wonderful community”. 

Patient Al Wilcott appreciates the time Dr. Mansour takes, never rushing through his appointments. Dr. Mansour’s thoroughness and advocacy meant Al received the necessary diagnostic testing to expedite treatment, getting him on the road to recovery from a serious shoulder injury. Al appreciates that Dr. Mansour ​“listens to his patients and makes them feel like they are part of the decision for their healthcare,” and says, ​“when treatment is outside of his expertise, he has no problem referring you to other professionals.” 

With recent retirements and some leaving to work in urban settings or other provinces, family physicians are in short supply in Morden. This shortage has Dr. Mansour concerned about patients without a family doctor. They will likely need to wait longer for care, which may result in delayed diagnoses of serious illnesses that require more urgent treatment. 

Dr. Mansour and his wife Mona have been married since 1996 and enjoy traveling and hiking. He loves music, enjoys reading about history and other countries and cultures and closely follows global politics. Dr. Mansour is very proud of his two grown children. His daughter Jasmine graduated from the UM Faculty of Kinesiology this year and his son Fredy just graduated from medicine at UM and will follow in his father’s footsteps, practicing family medicine after residency. 

Originally from Holland, Geriatrician Dr. Kristel van Ineveld immigrated to Canada only knowing a few words of English when she was 8 years old. She recently retired from full-time practice but continues to work to support colleagues by filling in for vacations, illnesses and gaps in coverage, which has turned out to be close to full-time but with a bit more holiday and flexibility. She remains the Geriatrics Site Medical Lead for St. Boniface Hospital and provides clinical work varying between outpatient clinics in the Day Hospital, supporting outreach teams, and providing inpatient consults. As the former, longstanding program director, she was instrumental in ensuring the existence of the Geriatric Medicine residency program at the University of Manitoba and helped reinvigorate the Care of the Elderly Family Medicine training program in Manitoba. She was recently named a Fellow of the Canadian Geriatrics Society in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of geriatric medicine.

Listening to patients and families and finding ways to support and improve quality of life are central to why Dr. van Ineveld finds geriatric medicine so rewarding. She calls it ​“slow medicine, where you get to listen carefully” to solve a clinical puzzle. She loves the teamwork aspect required in geriatrics and is inspired by the ​“like-minded individuals who are dedicated to improving the care of older adults”. When working in geriatrics, Dr. van Ineveld says ​“you automatically become an advocate and teacher” and she feels rewarded when programs come to fruition as a result of her advocacy. She adds, ​“watching physicians and learners I have known from undergraduate and residency days develop into dynamic clinicians and leaders and knowing I had a small role to play in that is a source of great pride.”

There is a good reason for Dr. van Ineveld is concerned about the state of geriatric health care in Manitoba. In recent years she has seen a significant erosion in the capacity for home care to provide community support, which creates significant stress for older patients and their families. The pandemic has only exacerbated the long-standing areas of concern in long-term care and Dr. van Ineveld is saddened to see that these known issues have not yet led to measurable change.

When she was 38, Dr. van Ineveld was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a recurrence 2 years ago. She is grateful to have had the support of caring colleagues and for the flexibility that allowed her to deal with her illness and recovery before making a slow re-entry to practice. 

In retirement, Dr. van Ineveld plans to spend more time with her husband, a retired geriatrician. At one time, they were one of only two geriatrician couples in the country. They have a grown daughter and now have 2 cats to fill their empty nest. In her spare time Dr. van Ineveld enjoys gardening and is always excited to see which plants thrive each year. She is currently working on a pollinator garden, incorporating plants that are native to Manitoba and is converting some of her front yard into garden beds. Whenever she needs a quick pick-me-up, she plays the Pentatonix version of Take on Me!