In 2026, Doctors Nova Scotia and the Canadian Medical Association honoured 10 physicians and one medical student for exemplary achievement.

Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Andrew Lynk

While Dr. Andrew Lynk was taking a master’s degree in tropical medicine, a terrible human-caused famine was underway in Ethiopia. 

“When I graduated, I joined Save the Children and worked in an Ethiopian refugee camp for six months, looking after 5,000 children under the age of five with an amazing small team,” he said. “It was both a brutal wake-up call to the devastation that war bestows on innocent children and families, and a confirmation of my love for everything pediatric.” 

For 35 years, Dr. Lynk has worked in Sydney and Halifax to make sure every child in his care has a better chance at a healthy future. Career highlights include helping to set up youth health centres in all eight Cape Breton high schools, resulting in a 50% drop in teen pregnancy rates, and convincing the Cape Breton Regional Municipality council to ban smoking in indoor public places when only one other Canadian municipality had done so. 

“If there is one piece of advice I would give to younger leaders, it would be to confirm your guiding principles and seek out mentors who have ‘got stuff done.’” 

Each year, the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award is given the opportunity to donate $1,000 to the charity of their choice. Dr. Lynk’s donation will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Breton. 

Community Family Physician of the Year: Dr. Abir Hussein

Dr. Abir Hussein’s journey in medicine took her through several countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, before she settled in Nova Scotia in 2011. She now practices family medicine at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Her experience has shaped how she sees community. 

“I love the human side of medicine. One of the joys of rural family medicine is how everything connects. Family physicians get to know people not just as patients but as individuals, families and members of a community.” 

Family medicine is about relationships and trust, she said. “In places like Yarmouth, you’re not just a doctor; you’re part of the fabric of the community.” 

Dr. Hussein is also a longtime preceptor and former site director of the Southwest Nova Family Medicine Residency Program at Dalhousie. 

“Watching a learner grow in confidence, develop their clinical judgement and eventually become a colleague is incredibly fulfilling. Some of the physicians now serving rural communities trained right here with us. Seeing that full circle moment is one of the greatest rewards of teaching.”  

Community Specialist of the Year Award: Dr. Andrea Faryniuk 

From a young age, Dr. Andrea Faryniuk enjoyed being active and working with her hands. 

“Surgery felt like a natural extension of that part of my personality,” said Dr. Faryniuk. She has practised as a general surgeon at the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre in Amherst since 2013. “It combines action, technical skill and problem solving in a way that allows me to make a meaningful difference to patients.” 

She takes pride in safely guiding patients through some of their most vulnerable moments, whether it’s an emergency in the middle of the night or helping someone recover from cancer surgery. 

Her care for community extends well beyond her medical duties. From shaving her head in support of cancer research to collaborating on a program teaching young hockey players the virtues of respect and humility, her dedication runs deep. 

Dr. Faryniuk has two children. She spends much of her time outside of surgery attending their hockey, soccer and baseball practices and games. “I truly would not have it any other way.” 

Dr. William Grigor Award: Dr. Selene Etches

A champion of equitable and evidence-based mental health and addictions care, Dr. Selene Etches has devoted her career to caring for the most vulnerable and stigmatized youth in Nova Scotia.  

“Addiction is a disease that starts in adolescence in over 90% of cases, so focusing on children and adolescents means that I can help to intervene early in the course of this illness,” said Dr. Etches, a respected physician leader in IWK Health’s Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry since 2012. “I feel very privileged to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to developing comprehensive treatment pathways for youth struggling with substance use disorders and their families.” 

Her many innovative and compassionate initiatives include province-wide substance use education groups for caregivers, setting up direct pathways for addiction care for young people in care or in the shelter system, and ensuring relapse prevention medications are accessible to youth and covered by Pharmacare.  

“I’m proud of what we have built and are continuing to build to serve these youth and their families.” 

Physician Health Promotion Award: Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed

A role model and visionary leader, Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed is one of Nova Scotia’s most experienced and influential public health physicians. Yet when she applied to the Canadian Resident Matching Service, she did not know public health was an option. 

“My sister, also an MD, insisted that I reflect on my clerkship choices to date – which had been all about social justice, health equity and advocacy – and look at the Public Health and Preventative Medicine websites. I was blown away that you could do an entire residency in these areas, as well as health policy and disease prevention.” 

 She went on to help shape policy and engage communities in health-promoting initiatives as Halifax’s Medical Officer of Health from 2005 to 2016 and then as the province’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health from 2016 to 2021. Her work included leading Nova Scotians through complex public health challenges, developing population-level prevention strategies and promoting equity-focused approaches to public health decision-making.  

Now Associate Dean for Serving and Engaging Society with Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Watson-Creed is deeply committed to ensuring equity and community engagement are key pillars of medical education.  

Dr. Clement Ligoure Award: Dr. Jeannette Comeau

Under Dr. Jeannette Comeau’s guidance, the IWK Health Centre took a progressive, evidence-based approach to family and visitor presence policies during the pandemic. It was one of the first hospitals in Canada, for example, to allow support people for pregnant and labouring women. It also navigated this challenging time without a single nosocomial transmission of COVID-19.  

A pediatric infectious diseases physician at the IWK since 2017, Dr. Comeau also serves as medical director for its Infection Control and Prevention team and medical lead for its Antimicrobial Stewardship service.  

Dr. Comeau also lent her expertise to shape provincial policy on pandemic school closures. Her advocacy put the needs of children and families first, resulting in fewer restrictions and more classroom time for Nova Scotia students, especially those in elementary grades.  

“I have always loved working with children and families, and during my general pediatrics training, I realized I also loved the puzzle that is infectious diseases. I think of infectious diseases physicians as general consultants, given that infections can affect any part of the body and are ever evolving.” 

Outstanding Resident Award: Dr. Marihan Farid, internal medicine

Whether caring for patients through complex illness, mentoring junior learners or supporting resident colleagues, Dr. Marihan Farid exemplifies service, empathy and excellence.  

Much of her work as a resident has focused on advancing equity in medical education. She is the co-author of two award-winning resources on disability justice and ableism in healthcare and medical education. Seeing colleagues engage with the material and bring its insights into their own teaching and clinical work has been rewarding, Dr. Farid said. 

“I see advocacy as inseparable from good medicine. It is about ensuring our systems, education and clinical care serve people more thoughtfully and more fairly.” 

It’s the breadth and complexity of internal medicine that appeals to her, she said. “It requires careful clinical reasoning, collaboration across specialties and the ability to manage patients with multiple intersecting conditions.” 

She is grateful to train in the province that welcomed her and her family 12 years ago, and for this award.  

“This recognition reflects the mentors, colleagues and patients who have shaped my training and continue to inspire the physician I hope to become.”  

Outstanding Medical Student Award: RJ Roggeveen, Class of 2027

As Dalhousie’s first medical student using a wheelchair, RJ Roggeveen has made disability advocacy a key part of his learning journey. In 2025, he worked with an interprofessional team to create a set of policies and procedures for wheelchair users to access operating rooms and take part in surgery without compromising patient safety. 

“This allowed me to successfully complete my surgical rotations in clerkship but also have the hospital ready for the next time a wheelchair-using learner or staff requires OR access.” 

He is also part of the medical school’s first cohort in its Indigenous Learners Pathway program. Mr. Roggeveen approaches advocacy through a traditional and anti-colonial lens, prioritizing care for the generations to come and respecting the work done before by others.  

Co-founder of the Disabled Not Dead Society, Mr. Roggeveen enjoys teaching wheelchair competency and confidence. He is also active in parasports, including adaptive skiing and surfing.  

“This award means a lot. I hope this inspires others with disabilities who are considering medical school to keep pursuing that dream and know that it is possible.” 

Doctors Nova Scotia Senior Membership Award

Dr. Lynn Johnston

After a rotation in infectious diseases as a medical resident, Dr. Lynn Johnston knew she’d found the right path. 

“It was a subspecialty that was very broad in its scope, frequently involved solving complex medical puzzles, and included patients from all walks of life and parts of the world.” 

She has relished the challenge of constantly seeing new microbial threats, from HIV when she started her career to SARS CoV2 when she finished. 

A leader in infection prevention and control, Dr. Johnston has played pivotal roles in national and international health organizations. This included volunteering with the WHO during the West Africa Ebola crisis. 

Her professional journey has spanned decades of service as a clinician, educator and leader. Whether at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine or the QE II Health Sciences Centre, she has demonstrated a deep commitment to advancing infectious disease care and mentoring the next generation of physicians. Dr. Johnston has shown patience, kindness and respect while applying her vast depth of knowledge, striving not only to understand her patients’ medical issues but their humanity as well.  

Dr. Robert Merritt

For 35 years, Dr. Robert Merritt practised full-scope medicine among his neighbours and friends. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics, he completed his medical degree and rotating internship at Dalhousie. In 1990, he set up a family medicine practice in Porter’s Lake. There he provided comprehensive care to his patients and residents of Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore.  

In addition to a large office practice, Dr. Merritt provided obstetric care, rural emergency care, inpatient care and nursing home visits. He also took on leadership roles at Twin Oaks Memorial Hospital in Musquodoboit Harbour as chief of staff and site lead. 

Dr. Merritt supported his colleagues by sharing his wisdom, knowledge and expertise. Starting in 2006, he served as an active preceptor, mentoring and teaching family medicine residents, medical students, and physicians with defined licences and in the Practice Ready Assessment Program. 

A quiet, constant, humble and dependable leader, Dr. Merritt showed deep joy and excitement for lifelong learning throughout his career, especially for the art and science of medicine. Dr. Merritt retired in 2025.   

CMA Honorary Membership Award

Dr. Doug Sinclair

Dr. Sinclair, a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Dalhousie University, receives the CMA Honorary Membership award in recognition of his distinguished service, visionary leadership and commitment to advancing medicine.

After graduating medical school at the University of Toronto in 1980, Dr. Sinclair completed a family medicine residency at Dalhousie, then a Toronto-based emergency medicine residency. In 1987, he returned to Halifax to practise emergency medicine at the Victoria General Hospital, Halifax Infirmary (HI) and IWK Health. Over time, his work expanded to encompass leadership roles.

Instrumental in establishing Dalhousie University’s independent academic Department of Emergency Medicine – one of the first in Canada – Dr. Sinclair considers “recruiting and mentoring new leaders in emergency medicine and many other specialities associated with acute care” to be his greatest accomplishment. He later put his leadership skills to work as Vice President of Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, then as Vice President, Medicine/Quality/ Safety at IWK Health. His stewardship of national initiatives like Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids has improved emergency care for children and youth across Canada.

Dr. Sinclair and his wife, Paula, enjoy travelling between Halifax, Toronto and Edmonton to see their children and grandchildren.