I was born in Sydney, Cape Breton and was educated at Dalhousie, where they saw fit to give me a B.Sc. (Hon) in Biology, Geology and Chemistry in 1974 and an MD (Cum Laude) in 1979. After postgraduate training in Vancouver, I practised Family Medicine in Penticton BC for 9 years. Upon returning to Nova Scotia in 1989 I took on the position of Chief, Department of Family Medicine at the Halifax Infirmary, and then the Camp Hill Medical Centre and the QEII Health Sciences Centre after a spate of mergers.

I taught and practised at Dalhousie Family Medicine and completed a Master’s Degree in Medical Education while there. I was appointed director of Faculty Development for the Maritime Family Medicine Residency Program.

I took three sabbaticals during my time at Dal. I first travelled with my family in a small pop up camper across the US to California, making visits and giving talks along the way, before studying briefly at Stanford University. We continued our tour with visits to the Grand Canyon, rafting on the Colorado River, exploring Yellowstone and Zion Parks, then heading north to BC. We made our way back home across Canada, stopping at Yoho and Banff and numerous provincial parks. The total distance was 23,000 kilometers over 3 months on the road. It was a great experience for our family, where we learned self-reliance and how to get along in close quarters.

My second and third sabbaticals were spent in New Zealand, where I studied their electronic record system and practised on the North Island in Rotorua, Thames, Peyroa and a few other small communities. I was fortunate to work with the Maori people and to learn their holistic concepts of health.

At the time of my retirement in 2017 I was at the rank of Associate Professor and was the recipient of several distinctions including the Patient Education Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Family Medicine Research from the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Lea C. Steeves’ Award for Excellence in Medical Education from Dalhousie University Medical School.

Since retirement I am enjoying more time with our three daughters and five grandchildren, foreign travels with my wife Cathy, and my long-time loves of astronomy and RVing. I currently also serve on the board of the Seniors’ College Association of Nova Scotia and have given two lecture series there on medical topics.