Dr. Shane Szalai was born and raised in Sudbury, developing a deep commitment to serving the community from an early age. After completing a Bachelor of Commerce at Laurentian University in 2011, he decided to pursue a career in healthcare, driven by a desire to become a family doctor for the people in Northern Ontario. He went on to complete a Bachelor of Science at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2016 before graduating from medical school at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) in 2020. Following medical school, he completed the Family Medicine Residency Program at NOSM University in 2022, where he had the honour of serving in a leadership position as a Chief Resident.
Dr. Szalai is committed to providing quality care to the region, having taken over the family practice of retiring physician Dr. Anthony Zucconi in 2022. In addition to working in the community, Dr. Szalai holds hospital privileges at Health Sciences North and actively participates in academic teaching at NOSM University in both undergraduate and postgraduate education. Dr. Szalai is passionate about medical education, actively contributing to the training of family medicine residents, medical students, and other healthcare professionals in Northern Ontario.
Dr. Stephanie Sbrocchi is originally from Ottawa. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with Honour's in Biochemistry, focusing her research at the National Research Council of Canada. She went on to complete her Medical Degree at the University of Ottawa, graduating in 2000. It was in her fourth year of training that she was initially exposed to Sudbury, in a clinical elective in Family Medicine. From there her passion to care, not only for people of all ages, but to do so in the North, was affirmed. She left Ottawa to pursue her residency training in Family Medicine in Sudbury in 2002. Following graduation, she immediately opened a practice while working walk-in clinics and providing care in the emergency departments in Espanola and in Huntsville.
Since 2002 she has been committed to a full time family practice, caring for over 2100 patients from Northern Ontario. Moreover, she has held active hospital privileges at Health Sciences North and is an Associate Professor with NOSM U. She held the title of Site Director for the Family Medicine residency program at NOSM U for over 13 years. Her passion remains steadfast in teaching and mentoring medical students and residents both in the classroom and clinical settings.
She is further dedicated to raising two teenage boys and trying to exemplify primary prevention by living an active lifestyle herself in the North.
As a third-generation Japanese Canadian, I was born and raised in Ottawa. My academic path led me to McGill University, where I earned a Bachelor of science degree. I then worked Briefly as a dietician at the Ottawa general hospital while applying to medical school. I went on to receive my medical degree from the university of Toronto in 1994.
During my clinical clerkship at the Toronto General Hospital, I often felt like just another face in the crowd among many more senior learners. That experience motivated me to pursue training in smaller, more personal settings. I chose to complete my family medicine residency through the norther Ontario family medicine (NOFM) program, affiliated with the university of Ottawa, and graduated in 1996.
It quickly became clear during residency that there was a significant need for family physicians in norther Ontario. While it would have taker over a year to build a patient base in other areas, I've been fully booked in Sudbury since the day I opened my practice in October 1996 - without ever needing to advertise. Sudbury is a hidden gem, with its lush green spaces, countless lakes, and strong sense of community. It has been both a fulfilling place to practice medicine and a wonderful city in which to raise a family.