Wawa doctor named Ontario Family Physician of the Year

Dr. Anjali Oberai of Wawa has been named the 2022 Ontario Family Physician of the Year by the Ontario College of Family Physicians.

“The Ontario College of Family Physicians thanks Dr. Oberai for her dedication and service,” said college president Dr. Mekalai Kumanan in a news release.

“At a time when our health care system is in crisis, family doctors continue to go above and beyond for Ontarians …We appreciate her extraordinary leadership during these challenging times.”

The Reg L. Perkin Family Physician of the Year Award is the OCFP’s highest honour, presented annually to a family doctor who provides exceptional patient care and improves the health of communities and well-being of society.

Described by a colleague as ‘the epitome of a country doctor,’ Oberai has been providing comprehensive primary care for more than 25 years – including, at times, when Wawa has been clinically underserviced.

She delivers patient care in homes, in her office and in the emergency room, where she regularly works 24-hour shifts to ensure it remains open.

She also responds to community needs by providing cardiac stress testing, so patients do not have to leave Wawa to access the service.

“Oberai is passionate about prenatal care and, for the past five years, has been the sole local physician dedicated to on-call deliveries,” the College said in the news release.

Academically, she is an associate professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and has been co-chair of Family Medicine since 2015.

Beyond her local contributions, Oberai, with her husband Dr. Michael Cotterill, spent a year overseas with their two children in 2012-2013, volunteering with local physicians to help implement the first Family Medicine Residency Program at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.

“Dr. Oberai is a highly skilled and respected physician in our community,” said Ruth Davidson, administrative coordinator of the Wawa Medical Centre.

“I see her hard work, commitment, compassion, kindness, and respect for others in everything she does. As a northern physician, her job entails so much more behind the scenes.”

For more information, visit the OCFP website.