
The Women’s College Hospital (WCH) Family Practice Health Centre provides care for patients of all genders and age groups — from newborns to the elderly. We are one of the largest clinics in Ontario, providing more than 54,000 visits per year to our patients. We are a Family Health Team and are fortunate to work together with nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, dietitians, a pharmacist, an occupational therapist, and a physiotherapist. We are one of the busiest family medicine training units within the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine.
Red Team – 3rd Floor
Contact: 6060 – Press 3 then press 1
Nurses:
- Helen Chen
- Sarah Lizius
Doctors:
- Dr. Tuhina Biswas
- Dr. Jesse Myers
- Dr. Sam Nutt
- Dr. Sheryl Spithoff
- Dr. Sejal Doshi (locum for Dr. Biswas)
- Dr. Viola Antao
- Dr. Melissa de Souza
- Dr. Sumeet Gill
- Dr. Ruth Heisey
- Dr. Darren Larsen
- Dr. Jordana Sheps
- Dr. Karen Wong
Blue Team – 3rd Floor
Contact: 6060 – Press 3 then press 4
Nurses:
- Jane McLeod
- Christina Szucs
Doctors:
- Dr. Rob Dmytryshyn
- Dr. Stephen Holzapfel
- Dr. Deborah Levitan
- Dr. Melinda Wu
- Dr. Diana Hsiang
- Dr. Bradley Lichtblau
- Dr. Aisha Lofters
- Dr. Dara Maker
- Dr. Claire Murphy
- Dr. Sejal Doshi (locum for Dr. Agarwal)
Green Team – 4th Floor
Contact: 6060 –Press 3 then press 2
Nurses:
- Dara Smiljanic
- Julie de Leon
- Yeon Sim
Doctor:
- Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya
- Dr. Danielle Martin
- Dr. Vanessa Rambihar
- Dr. Carrie Schram
- Dr. Hemen Shukla
- Dr. Cynthia Whitehead
- Dr. Vivian Choo (locum for Dr. Shukla)
- Dr. Betty Chen
- Dr. Noah Ivers
- Dr. Carol Kitai
- Dr. Laura Stratton
- Dr. Jessica Lax-Vanek (locum for Dr. Stratton)
Yellow Team – 4th Floor
Contact: 6060 – Press 3 then press 3
Nurses:
- Janet Probst
- Giuliana Furfaro
Doctors:
- Dr. Susie Kim
- Dr. Nikita Patel
- Dr. Jonah Schermbrucker
- Dr. Charissa Chen
- Dr. Ada Posner
- Dr. Ting Cai (locum for Dr. Schermbrucker)
- Dr. Kymm Feldman
- Dr. Batya Grundland
- Dr. Nick Pimlott
- Dr. Orli Shachar
The Family Practice Health Center at Women’s College Hospital uses an interdisciplinary approach to provide comprehensive primary care. We provide all primary-care services, plus a range of additional services, including:
- low-risk obstetrics
- special minor procedures clinic (referral required)
- sexual medicine counselling (referral required)
- occupational therapy
- social work
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Groups
- Diabetes Education and Self-Management Support
Please note that some services listed above are available only to patients of the Family Practice Health Centre. We accept outside referrals for low-risk obstetrics, minor procedures and sexual medicine counselling.
If you or your family have a concern or suggestion for improvement please contact
Huy Ngo
Huy.Ngo@wchospital.ca
Patient Experiences with Care
view the Patient Experiences with Care .pdf
Our clinic has been asking patients for feedback to make sure we provide the care you need. The survey is being done at all family medicine teaching clinics at the University of Toronto. Below are some highlights from Spring/Summer 2022.
We included new questions in our most recent survey to learn more from you about:
Phone Booking Experience
- 86% booked their appointment over the phone
- 18% waited more than 10 minutes before being able to speak to someone to book their appointment
- 79% rated their experience when booking an appointment as good, very good or excellent.
Care Experience
- 87% felt that they received care within a reasonable time from their primary care provider
- 95% felt they were involved in decisions as much as they wanted in their care by their doctor or nurse practitioner
- 93% were satisfied or very satisfied with the care they received at our clinic
Next Steps
We regularly meet as a team to discuss the survey results and how we can improve. We are working to:
- Ensure patients can access care within a reasonable time frame
- Provide access to urgent care on evenings, weekends and public holidays
- pilot online bookings with some providers.
Family practice health Centre 2023/24 quality improvement plan
View the Family Practice Health Centre 2023/24 Quality Improvement Plan .pdf
What is a quality improvement plan?
- A documented set of quality commitments we make to patients, staff and the community
- An opportunity for accountability to ourselves and Ontario health
- A progress report we can use to reflect on our growth
- A benchmark for continual improvement how we measure
How we measure:
Performance assessments provide us with the opportunity to pinpoint and analyze areas
of improvement, to serve you better. The WCH Family Practice Heath Centreʼs QIP performance remains in range of targets set out by Ontario Health.
QIP Category: Timely and Efficient Transitions
Can our patients access urgent care on the same or next day?
- Current Performance – 60%
- *Benchmark = 55%
- Target = 65%
What is being done to help improve rates:
- Allocating appointment slots for daytime same day urgent care
- Adding additional clinic hours to the Afterhours Urgent Care Clinic
QIP Category: Service Excellence
Do our patients feel involved in decisions about their care?
- Current Performance – 87%
- *Benchmark = 83%
- Target = 90%
What is being done to help improve rates:
- Routinely reviewing Patient Experience Survey data to understand how to best improve this indicator
QIP Category: Safe and Effective Care
Are we monitoring diabetic patients whoare over 40 years old effectively?
- Current Performance = 53%
- *Benchmark = 43%
- Target = 58%
What is being done to help improve rates:
- Create a diabetes working group that will commit to improving diabetes care
- Implementing a diabetes management flow sheet which will easily track HbA1C completion
QIP Category: Timely And Efficient Transitions
How would you rate your overall experience when booking an appointment over the phone?
- Current Performance = 56%
- *Benchmark= 60%
- Target = 60%
What is being done to help improve rates?
- Piloting online appointment booking
- Implementing self-check-in kiosks to help build secretary capacity
QIP Category: Safe and Effective Care
Are we effectively screening our patients for:
Colorectal cancer:
- Current Performance = 74%
- *Benchmark = 65%
- Target = 76%
What is being done to help improve rates?
- We are above benchmark and will continue with current process to maintain performance
Breast cancer:
- Current Performance = 71%
- *Benchmark = 55%
- Target = 73%
What is being done to help improve rates?
- We are above benchmark and will continue with the current process to maintain performance
Cervical cancer:
- Current Performance = 60%
- *Benchmark = 54%
- Target = 65%
What is being done to help improve rates?
- Running dedicated pap clinics with targeted outreach to those that are eligible with online booking options
- Quality Improvement Project being implemented to attach marginalized population to a pap appointment
in pursuit of health equity
*Benchmarks are calculated using the University of Toronto’s Department of
Family & Community Medicine (DFCM) averages (based on 14 academic teaching
sites), or the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network average.
Family Practice Health Centre (FPHC)
Women’s College Hospital
77 Grenville St.
Floor 3 and 4
Toronto, ON M5S 1B3
Phone: 416-323-6060
Hours of Service
For telephone line hours to schedule an appointment, please see above.
Visits are available during the times listed below by appointment only.
Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Urgent Care Appointments are available by appointment only.
Monday to Thursday 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
We are closed between noon and 1 p.m.
Appointments are available for registered patients of Family Practice:
Saturday 9:00 AM – 1:45 PM
Appointments must be booked the same day between 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Walk-in appointments are accepted, but pre-booked Saturday appointments take precedence over walk-ins unless there is a triaged medical urgency.
Urgent Care Appointments are available by appointment only.
Monday to Thursday 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
For patients seeking medical advice when the office is closed.
Monday to Friday: 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 24 hours
1-866-553-7205
In an emergency, you should call 911 or go to your local hospital emergency department.
If you are more than 20 weeks pregnant and have an urgent concern, please call 416-323-6400 ext. 4141 and ask to speak to the family practice OB doctor on call.
If you do not receive a call back within 30 min, please go to triage at Mount Sinai Hospital or call 911
The Family Practice Health Centre is not accepting new patients at this time.
For clinics hours, urgent & after hours care, please check here.
New Pilot! Online Appointment Booking
COVID-19 Information
- Women’s College Hospital – COVID-19 Information
- Confused about COVID-19? This is an excellent resource that addresses the most common questions from the public about symptoms, safety, testing and more. Confused about COVID.
- For more information on the COVID-19 vaccines in kids, please read this very helpful FAQ
- Help guide your child/children through the vaccination process.
Prenatal & Post Partum Services
See the physicians of the Family Way Obstetrical Group answer some of the most common questions posed by patients and their families about planning pregnancy, being pregnant and giving birth as well as bringing home a newborn during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are many resources available for both patients and health care professionals. The following are websites that will provide the answers to many questions you may have about your health and primary care:
Best Start Feeding Your Baby – A Guide to Help you Introduce Solid Foods
This guide for parents provides information about feeding their baby from six months to one year. It has information and answers questions they may have about breastfeeding and starting solid foods.
MyCancerIQ
Making a few changes to your lifestyle can go a long way towards reducing your risk of cancer. My CancerIQ is an online risk assessment tool that helps determine your cancer risk, relative to other Ontarians, and creates a personalized plan to take control.
- Build your cancer risk profile. Answer key questions about lifestyle, family history and screening history.
- Determine your cancer risk. See which factors are affecting your risk.
- Learn how you can reduce your risk. Take control of your cancer risk with a Health Action Plan offering links to trusted Canadian health resources to help you.
Get your report at MyCancerIQ.ca
Frequently Asked Questions
We generally do NOT call patients with test results. Appropriate followup will be arranged; please speak to your individual healthcare team. Due to the large number of patient visits (70,000/year), we discourage calling for test results.
You can access test results through MyHealthRecord.
Please Note: My Health Record is not linked to your Family Practice chart, do not send any messages to your provider through My Health Record.
We require 24 hours notice for the cancellation of an appointment. You may be billed for improperly cancelled or missed appointments.
Telephone Health Advisory Service (THAS)
For patients seeking medical advice when the office is closed.
Monday to Friday: 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 24 hours
1-866-553-7205
In an emergency, you should call 911 or go to your local hospital emergency department
After Hours Prenatal Care
If you are more than five months pregnant and are experiencing an emergency, or if you are in labour, please call 416-323-6400 ext. 4141 and ask to speak to the doctor on call for family practice obstetrics.
There is a weekly Saturday clinic with appointments available from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. for registered Family Practice patients. Please call between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on the same day to book an appointment. Walk-in appointments are accepted based on availability, however, pre-booked Saturday appointments take precedence over walk-ins, unless there is a triaged medical urgency.
Flu shots are recommended for all Canadians 6 months and older. It is especially important if you are 6 months- 5 years old, over 65, pregnant or have a chronic health condition (such as lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, etc.).
Team secretary
The secretaries schedule your appointments and are responsible for validating your health card at each visit. Please advise a team secretary of changes to your address, telephone number or health card.
Nurse
The family practice nurses work with you and your doctor to help you stay well. Our nurses have the experience and skills to assist with health concerns and are usually involved in some aspect of your visit, such as health teaching and history taking.
Doctor
The family practice doctor provides and coordinates your total health care. Your doctor may be a staff physician, fellow or resident doctor.
Staff physicians
Experienced family physicians and are members of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Fellows
Qualified family doctors who are completing advanced training in family medicine. Resident doctors are licensed physicians, learning the specialty of family medicine.
Residents
Supervised by staff physicians. Most residents are with us for two years; when they leave, their patients are typically reassigned to incoming residents with the same supervisor, on the same team.
Nurse Practitioner
The family practice nurse practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice nurse who specializes in primary health care. The NP, who may be your primary care provider, can assess and treat minor illnesses and monitor stable chronic diseases. The NP works independently and in collaboration with a consulting physician.
Dietitians
The family practice dietitians are available for individual counselling related to special dietary needs. Please discuss referrals with your nurse, family physician, or nurse practitioner.
Social Workers
The family practice social workers provide individual and couples’ counselling related to a variety of psychosocial issues. Please discuss referrals with your nurse, family physician or nurse practitioner.
Occupational Therapist
The family practice occupational therapist helps with specific issues around work related or repetitive injuries, and assesses and improves functioning in activities of daily living. Assessment of mobility issues and custom splinting is also offered.
Pharmacist
The family practice pharmacist is available to help answer any questions you may have about your medications. The pharmacist also works together with you and your health care team to identify, prevent and solve any issues related to your medications. Please discuss referrals with your nurse, family physician, or nurse practitioner.
We are not accepting new family practice patients at this time, however we are always accepting new obstetrics patients.
If you are looking for a family doctor, you can also register for the Healthcare Connects program by calling 1-800-445-1822 between Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m or visiting www.ontario.ca/healthcareconnect.
You can also visit our Find a Doctor page for more information.
Uninsured Services
The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) pays for the majority of your medical care however, you may need some services that are not deemed by OHIP as medically necessary. Some examples of these uninsured services include writing sick notes, charges for missed appointments, and completing forms for daycare, insurance, legal or employment purposes. In the past, we have not always charged for these services, however this is no longer sustainable. Moving forward, patients will be charged for all uninsured services.
When fees are charged for uninsured services, they are based on the Ontario Medical Association (OMA)’s suggested fees as found in the most current edition of the OMA Physician’s Guide to Third Party and Other Uninsured Services.
Tips to avoid being charged:
- If you are unable to make an appointment, please cancel it at least 24 hours in advance.
- Check with your employer to verify if you really need a sick note. Frequently it is not required.
- Check with your school/camp if a physician’s signature is required on medical forms – often it is not.
- Check with your insurance provider or workplace to find out who is responsible for any fees before having a form completed.
While traditionally many patients would come to their family doctor once a year for an “annual physical”, there is no scientific evidence that this prevents disease or saves lives. In fact, an annual physical can actually do more harm than good! As a result, in 2012, OHIP eliminated the Annual Health Exam and replaced it with the Periodic Health Exam.
A periodic health exam is an appointment that focuses on health prevention. Lifestyle changes such as exercise, limiting alcohol, and quitting smoking have all been proven to improve your health and will be reviewed at your Periodic Health Exam. Age-appropriate cancer screening tests, required blood work (if any), and immunizations will also be reviewed. A full head to toe exam is not necessary, and instead your doctor will do a focused physical exam based on your current health. The appointment is not meant to address all your “saved up” health concerns. Patients may be asked to book a follow up appointment should they have multiple health concerns in order to comprehensively address each issue.
Periodic Health Exams are NOT required annually for most patients. Many people in their 20s may go a few years without one, while those older than 65 or with multiple medical problems may need one more frequently. Check with your primary care provider to find out what is right for you. The BETTER Women program (see below under ‘Medical Updates’ section) is a fantastic option for women ages 40 -68.
Patients should book a regular appointment if at any time they feel unwell or have an acute concern. Patients with chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes will have more frequent monitoring visits in addition to their Periodic Health Exam.
Family Way Obstetrics

We are a group of family physicians with special interest, training and expertise in low-risk pregnancy and birth. We deliver approximately 300 babies every year. We are fortunate to work closely with superb nurses, obstetricians, pediatricians and anesthesiologists. This ensures access to the highest standard of care for our families.