Dr. Caroline Chan

By: Dr. Caroline Chan

I grew up in Scarborough, often spending “take your daughter to work” days at my father’s family practice. For more than 45 years, my dad, Dr. Paul Chan, has been a dedicated family physician in this community. I watched him explain diagnoses with patience, call patients after hours to check in, and care for families across multiple generations. That compassion inspired me, and it is why I became a physician myself and chose to return to serve Scarborough.

Today, I am an emergency physician at SHN and the Academy Director for the new Scarborough Academy of Medicine (SAM), opening in 2027. The Academy represents more than classrooms and lectures. It’s about fostering a space where students can see what Scarborough has to offer: a vibrant, diverse community, patients who challenge them, and teachers who inspire them. It’s about training doctors locally, who will return to serve the community—just as I have.

The truth is, Scarborough faces serious challenges. Today, more than 120,000 people here don’t have a family doctor. That means patients often come to the emergency department for issues that could have been prevented or managed earlier. Our emergency departments see more than 176,000 visits every year and are operating at 200% of their intended capacity.

SHN is fundraising for the new Scarborough Health Centre of Excellence, which will change the landscape of care. It will house a Family Medicine Teaching Unit (FMTU), simulation labs, research facilities, and flexible spaces for learning. This is where future family doctors from SAM will be trained and where primary care innovation will flourish. It’s not just about bricks and mortar—it’s about creating a pipeline of physicians and health professionals who will stay and serve Scarborough. I know firsthand that when you’re trained here, you feel the pull to come back.

At SHN, where I’ve worked for nine years as an emergency physician, I see the impact of our community every day. Patients arrive with problems that could have been addressed earlier if they had a family doctor. Fundraising ensures that we don’t just patch holes—we build lasting systems of care. It ensures that a child growing up in Scarborough today will have access to the doctors, facilities, and innovations they deserve.

Scarborough has given me memories that anchor me: trips to the Toronto Zoo with my family, ice cream cones on sunny afternoons. But beyond these simple joys, it has given me purpose. Scarborough taught me resilience, the value of community, and the importance of connection. To me, Scarborough is a tapestry—a weave of cultures, stories, and people, all contributing to the vibrant fabric of this place I love.

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