March 11 is Canadian Women Physicians Day, a celebration of the women who have dedicated their lives to providing patient care in every medical specialty and every type of community imaginable. Female physicians – who increasingly outnumber their male colleagues – play a pivotal role in patient care, research and medical education.

In Nova Scotia, we are lucky to have women physicians from across the country and around the world taking the lead on patient care and medical innovation. To mark Canadian Women Physicians Day, we’re highlighting some of the female physicians who make a positive difference for their patients – and Nova Scotians at large – every day.

Dr. Toni Sappong – In addition to providing primary care at the Newcomer Health Clinic in Halifax and as part of the Nova Scotia Sisterhood, which hosts clinics Black and African Nova Scotian women in historic Black communities across HRM, Dr. Sappong is a mentor for medical learners. She works with Promoting Leadership in health for African Nova Scotians (PLANS), a Dalhousie program that provides guidance and mentorship for Black students at every stage of their training, from junior high through to community practice.

Dr. Shelly McNeil – Dr. McNeil (pictured above) is an infectious diseases specialist based in Halifax and played an important role in guiding the province through the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to providing patient care, she serves as the Senior Medical Director of the Emerging and Re-emerging Infections Network (formerly the COVID-19 Planning and Implementation Network) at Nova Scotia Health. Dr. McNeil is the President of Doctors Nova Scotia for 2025–26.

Dr. Jillian DiPenta – A family physician working with an interdisciplinary collaborative care team at the innovative Mentor Clinic in Halifax, Dr. DiPenta and her colleagues focus on encouraging overall wellness, where primary care physicians work in concert with a social worker, registered dietitian, exercise physiologist and physiotherapist. “I want to contribute to a model where we prevent illness before it begins [and] empower patients in their health journey,” said Dr. DiPenta.

Dr. Anuradha Mishra – As an ophthalmologist providing comprehensive vision care to patients in Halifax, Dr. Mishra feels lucky to be able to make a positive impact on her patients’ lives. In addition to her practice, Dr. Mishra works with medical students from Dalhousie University, with a particular emphasis on helping learners better understand vision loss.

Dr. Alana Soares – After building a career as an internal medicine physician specializing in gastrointestinal medicine in Brazil, Dr. Soares found herself wishing for a change of scenery. She relocated to Nova Scotia in 2022 and began the long process of earning her Canadian accreditation. Dr. Soares now practises internal medicine in Cape Breton.

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