DAL EM
Royal college residents
Meet our tight-knit team
Dr. Amber Hodder
(she/her) PGY 1
Originally from St. John's, NL, Amber completed medical school at Memorial University after a previous career as an emergency department nurse. She was excited to match at DalEM and remain on the East Coast, where the coastal views, friendly communities, and easy access to the ocean make this part of the country feel like home. Apparently, once you've lived on a rock in the Atlantic, it's hard to move too far inland.
Her interests in emergency medicine include POCUS, EMS, simulation, and medical education. Outside the ED, she enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, playing ultimate frisbee, running, and biking. She shares her Halifax home with her fiancé, Graham, and three cats who are convinced they run the household: Skippy, Jiggy, and Archie.
Dr. Emma Kempster
(she/her) PGY 1
While originally from Newfoundland, Emma grew up all over Nova Scotia and has called Halifax home for the past 15 years. Despite her love of traveling, she stuck close to home and completed both her undergraduate degree and medical school at Dalhousie University. She is thrilled to add EM residency to the list! Outside the hospital, Emma is a fan of all things sports and is currently zoned in on improving her golf game. She is also a dedicated animal lover (especially for her lap-cat, Joey). You will also find her working hard at pilates, trying new restaurants, playing all kinds of games with friends/family, or quietly relaxing at a nordic spa.
Dr. Ricky Liu
(he/him) PGY 1
Joining us from the prairies, Ricky grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and completed his bachelor’s degree and medical school at the University of Alberta. He is thrilled to begin a new chapter in the Maritimes and embrace the coastal lifestyle. Outside of the ED and when not spending time with family and friends, Ricky loves hiking/exploring nature, going for bike rides and searching for the best vanilla latte.
His interests in emergency medicine include pediatric emergency medicine, medical education and resuscitation.
Dr. Izabelle O'Connor
(she/her) PGY 1
Born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Izabelle completed her undergraduate degree in biology at Queen’s University before moving to McMaster University for medical school. When not at work, you can find her exploring outside, trying out a new coffee shop, or buried in one of her many craft projects! She also loves all things sports and would never say no to watching a game with friends. Her interests in EM include trauma and resuscitation, critical care, and wilderness medicine.
Dr. Marc Brousseau
(he/him) PGY 2
Ottawa-born but Dartmouth-raised, Marc is no stranger to the East coast having completed his undergrad and medical school in Halifax. When not working, you’ll find him spending time with his partner and their two golden retrievers and catching up with family and friends. He swears the only things he’s competitive about are trivia nights and besting his own personal record for books read in a year. His interests in emergency medicine include pre-hospital services, critical care, and toxicology.
Dr. Claire Dawe-McCord
(she/her) PGY 2
Born in Ottawa, Claire has lived all over the world. With brief stints in Tokyo, Singapore and New York followed by undergrad at McMaster and medical school in Calgary, she is thrilled to be coming to live ocean side. In her free time, you'll find her hosting elaborate themed dinner parties, buying too many plants, hiking, petting dogs, eating an inordinate amount of seafood, and hopefully learning to surf! Her interests in EM include harm reduction, critical care/resuscitation, and pediatrics.
Dr. Candis Lepage
(she/her) PGY 2
Born and raised in Dartmouth, NS, Candis completed her MSc in Epidemiology in Ottawa before making her way back home to the East Coast. Having completed medical school in Halifax, she is thrilled to be continuing her residency training at Dalhousie. When not in the hospital or happily lost in her research, you can find her trying new recipes or adventuring to local coffee shops with her husband Robbie and her sassy rescue pomsky Luna. Her interests in EM include resuscitation, harm reduction and addiction medicine, and toxicology.
Dr. Taylor Nimchonok
(she/her) PGY 2
Taylor is a proud Winnipegger, born and raised in Manitoba. She completed her Bachelor of Science and MD at the University of Manitoba as well as a Master of Science in Bioethics in the UK. Taylor is enjoying the change of scenery from the landlocked Prairies to the East Coast. She loves a side quest, collecting trinkets, spending time with her dog Piccadilly and being much closer to Europe for trips abroad! Taylor is interested in the intersection of bioethics with EM, pre-hospital medicine and resuscitation.
Dr. Becca Chilvers
(they/them) PGY 3
Although originally from Ontario, they are no stranger to the east coast, having earned a bachelors degree at Dalhousie before completing medical school at UofT. Hobbies: hockey, scuba diving, backpacking, local drag shows. Clinical interests encompass the intersection of social justice and emergency care, 2SLGBTQ+ health, person-centered addictions care and harm reduction.
Dr. Emma Bodnar
(she/her) PGY 3
Born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Emma completed her undergraduate degree at Acadia University in psychology neuroscience before moving onto to McMaster University for medical school. Loving all things East Coast, she was thrilled to move back to Halifax for residency at Dalhousie. You can often catch her babying her many houseplants or diving into a new knitting project, although you’ll just as likely see her at the gym, hiking, swimming laps, or trying to convince herself she likes running. Her interests in EM include global health, paediatrics, and addictions.
Dr. Mo Sultan
(he/him) PGY 3
Mo is originally from Syria but has called Halifax home since 2011 when he moved to Canada to complete his BSc, PhD and eventually Medical School at Dalhousie University. He is often planning the next adventure to explore a new country and learn about the local cuisine. When not travelling somewhere new or trying a new recipe he loves spending time with his wife Frankie and their two dogs, hiking and camping across the Maritimes. His EM interests include PEM, resuscitation, and wilderness medicine.
Dr. Rebecca Butler
(she/her) PGY 3
Rebecca was born and raised in beautiful Halifax, NS, and is thrilled to be completing residency here. You can often find her scuba diving local wrecks, playing D&D, or geocaching. After a busy shift in Emerg, she loves spending time with her husband and beloved rescue hamster Cleo. Her academic interests include geriatric emergency medicine, prehospital care, and physician wellness.
Dr. Regan McKeough
(she/her) PGY 3
Regan originally hails from a small town on the beautiful island of Cape Breton, but has called Halifax home since 2017. She is a lover of all things sports and can often be found on the golf course, out for a run, or having a friendly game of Spikeball in the Commons. She also enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and husband, Zack, trying out new recipes or catching some live music downtown. Her interests in EM include medical education, PEM, and sports medicine.
Dr. Casey Jones
(he/him) PGY 4
Casey was born in Kitchener, Ontario before moving to Upper Tantallon with his family as a child. He's stayed put, having done his BSc, MSc, and medical school at Dalhousie. When not panting at his favourite CrossFit gym or trying to break 90 at the golf course, he loves spending time with his wife and their dog. Casey's research interests are focussed on concussion pathophysiology in his work with the Dalhousie football team, in addition to pediatric ED department flow.
Dr. Breanna Hargreaves
(she/her) PGY 4
A true Haligonian, Breanna loves all things East-coast. When she isn’t exploring the never ending hiking trails and rural towns of Nova Scotia, you can find her mindlessly drawing, sweating on her yoga mat, falling off the bouldering wall (yikes), biking along beautiful wooded trails or at the archery range with her recurve bow. Although her favourite thing to do is cuddle up for movie night with her partner and cat Lucy. Breanna’s clinical interests include pediatric emergency medicine, advocacy, and wilderness medicine.
Dr. Rhiannan Pinnell
(she/her) PGY 5
Rhiannan grew up in Southern Ontario but has been slowly making her way eastward via med school in Ottawa before towing a slightly overloaded U-Haul to Halifax. On a day off, she can be found splitting her time between possible trauma-code inducing activities like horseback riding and waterskiing (as she has no talents at any sport involving projectiles) and cozier pursuits like testing out new recipes. Academically, Rhiannan is fascinated by the interaction between emergency medicine and the environment, and hopes to somehow integrate interests in prehospital care, geriatric EM and environmental health - but don't ask her how just yet!
Dr. Lewis Forward
(he/him) PGY 5
Lewis is from North Vancouver, BC via Queen’s School of Medicine. Lewis now lives a lovely East-coastal lifestyle, spending most of his time eating burritos and unwinding with climbs at Halifax’s plentiful climbing gyms, then mountain biking and trail running in Halifax’s healthy trail systems. Lewis’ clinical interests include critical care/resuscitation, incorporating outside voices into ED and trauma care, debriefing, harm reduction and addictions care.
Dr. AC Lamport
(she/her) PGY 5
Born and raised in Halifax, Anna-Claire (AC) joins us via The Dalhousie School of Medicine. In her spare time, AC can be found eating poutine at local restaurants and saying hello to every dog that passes by. In the summer months she plays co-ed softball and goes camping. AC’s emergency medicine interests include wilderness medicine, resuscitation and airway management.
ESEM residents
Meet our FM/EM full scope experts
Dr. Emma McDermott
(she/her) PGY 3
Originally from Prince Edward Island, Emma is excited to be back on the East Coast for Dalhousie’s ESEM program, before returning to Ontario to finish her public health and preventive medicine residency at McMaster University. Outside of medicine, Emma can be found working on overly ambitious crafts, attempting to keep her houseplants alive during busy rotations, or planning her next concert adventure. Her academic interests include planetary health and sustainable healthcare, resource stewardship, disaster preparedness, quality improvement, and health equity.
Dr. Michael Hannah
(he/him) PGY 3
Mike was born and raised on Prince Edward Island and completed Family Medicine residency training before joining Dalhousie’s EM team. Before medical school, he worked as an advanced care paramedic in PEI, New Zealand, and Nunavut — experiences that continue to shape his affinity for acute care. Outside the hospital, Mike can usually be found spending time with his wife and daughter, playing loud music, or trying to fix his golf swing. His interests in EM include prehospital care, resuscitation, trauma, point-of-care ultrasound, and simulation-based medical education.
Dr. Maya Venkataraman
(she/her) PGY 3
I was born and raised in Summerland, BC, located in the Okanagan Valley. I completed my undergraduate degree in Medical Sciences at Dalhousie before heading to UBC for medical school. I happily returned to the beautiful province of Nova Scotia for residency through the Halifax–South Shore program, reuniting with my Partner after a few years of long distance. Outside of work, I enjoy spending my time running, road or mountain biking, travelling, and doing dinner/live music nights with friends and family. My academic interests include rural and regional emergency medicine, medical education, and environmental health.
Dr. Josh Hamlin
(he/him) PGY 3
PEM FELLOWS
They're basically just small adults
Dr. Abdulrahman Aldainy
(he/him) Senior PEM Fellow
Born and raised in Saudi Arabia, he is a dedicated pediatrician with a passion for pediatric emergency medicine. His professional journey is driven by a commitment to improving the quality of care, especially within emergency health services.
Outside of medicine, he finds peace by the sea and deep joy in family life. He admires his wife and their baby boy. A foodie at heart trying to balance the joys of good food with a focus on healthy living.
