COUNCIL AWARD
A passionate
advocate for
rural medicine
Dr. Jason Malinowski
D
r. Jason Malinowski, a family physician
from Barry’s Bay, was presented with the
Council Award at the September meeting
of Council.
Dr. Malinowski has distinguished himself as a clinical
leader and is credited with developing programs and sys-
tems that have contributed to the continuous improve-
ment of the region’s integrated health system.
Dr. Malinowski received his medical degree at Queen’s
University, where he also did residencies in family medi-
cine and palliative care. Almost immediately upon receiv-
ing his qualifications, Dr. Malinowski moved to Barry’s
Bay, a village in eastern Ontario, to fulfill his ambition to
be a rural family physician.
In addition to his private medical practice, Dr. Ma-
linowski is the Chief of Staff at the St. Francis Memorial
Hospital, where he established a program to bring experts
to Barry’s Bay in an effort to assist physicians and allied
health-care professionals stay current with medical best
practices.
He also co-led the creation of the Madawaska Valley
Hospice and Palliative Care Program, one of the first
Ontario hospices within a public hospital. He now serves
as the program medical director and has the same role at
the Valley Manor Long-Term Care Home.
Dr. Malinowski is the recipient of several awards that
recognize his skills and dedication to teaching, includ-
ing being named Community Teacher of the Year by the
Ontario College of Family Physicians and Distinguished
Preceptor two years in a row.
We recently spoke to Dr. Malinowski about
his life and work.
Did you always want to provide medicine in a
rural setting?
When I was 15, my family moved from suburban To-
ronto to a farm in Beaverton, Ontario. We all fell in love
with the freedom of rural life. By the time we arrived in
Beaverton, I’d already settled on the idea of a career in
medicine, so I spent some time volunteering in the office
of a local family physician. I loved the experience and it
told me that this type of medicine was what I could do
and this kind of community was where I needed to be. I
like the breadth of family medicine, the fact that I can see
babies and older people, do pre-natal and palliative care.
Practising in a rural setting means there is something dif-
ferent every day.
ISSUE 3, 2018 DIALOGUE
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