Dr. Meenakshi Natarajan - Family Physician

08/25/2026

I’m sitting in the Qamaria coffee shop here in Streetsville Mississauga, enjoying a very warm fragrant cup of clove and mint tea. I’m also reading posts about the first day of medical school at Dalhousie University for the class of 2030 and reflecting back to my first day of medical school around this time August 25-26 of 2006, 20 years ago.

The first day ceremony is certainly a day of relief, but then intense humility, pride and a little fear… it’s real.. your family
Attends and they are of course proud of you.

But I did not tell my parents. Or my brother .

I didn’t tell my parents I applied. I didn’t tell them that I got accepted. I simply handed them tickets to what I told them was a concert at the Rebecca Cohen auditorium at the Dalhousie art Centre.

This is not a stretch.

I’ve performed in many concerts there and told them, when you’re here in Halifax this week there’s a concert I’m in. It’s a really big concert so please go .

Sometimes they say yes sometimes they say no, but I insisted that it was a big concert. I gave then the tickets in a little envelope and ushered into the concert hall. They asked are you playing your flute? Are you singing? What are you doing? I Said well it’s a bit of us singing and I’m playing my instruments as well.

Imagine their surprise a few minutes later when we all sat at the front of the auditorium and we’re welcomed to the first day of medical school. In the reception that followed of course people were walking around shaking hands, and my parents stood there completely shocked, not knowing what to expect.

I did this intentionally.

if I told them I had applied and didn’t get in. I would’ve been a complete failure and all I would hear was the fear of failure … and I had already spent my life dealing with the fears of academic failure. It’s comes honestly. My own PhD did not go well. And my father despite his PhD found himself on the receiving end of abuses that resulted in a loss of his academic career.

I could not add my failure to him

If I told them I got in, they would’ve spent their whole time worried about money and I didn’t want them to do about that.

I really came to medicine in a very roundabout route, but very genuinely and organically from my heart.

Surprises still make me uncomfortable (unless it’s a good outcome like presents and flowers and stuff .. yes. Go ahead any surprise me friends! 😂)

I will always be the girl whose parents thought they were attending a musical concert (I did not lie… the Testostertones sang- yes Dalhousie’s own med school boyband) and walked away hopefully proud that their little (age 36) girl was starting med school.

So what did I say? Well mom and dad, you know I have been sending you money every month… that may be hard to do that for a little bit.

Everyone’s family were lovely, gracious. In meeting some of the other East Indian parents my parents were a bit nervous. They still felt the stigma of poverty and class and felt awkward. Not a problem, people cared not for such frivolous and unimportant things. They started talking about food, kids, hair loss (my dads bald spot was always a point of worry for him), how their families back home “don’t get it” and all sorts of things that felt warm, welcoming and safe.

What a tremendous evening of love and inspiration and support. Order of Canada winners, wealthy philanthropists, immigrant families from rich and poor means, blue collar workers, single parents. All trying to find the charcuterie board that wasn’t picked over. All sharing stories about their kids … playing hockey, being in band, wondering if they would ever get serious about school.

Well to all the moms and dads, partners and friends, I think we did ok. The class of 2010 Dalhousie is a proud, accomplished and kind, generous groups of doctors who I would gladly call my friends and colleagues.

To the new classes starting this year.
Welcome to the one of the most meaningful adventure of your life! Wishing you great success for you and your future patients.

08/20/2026

20 years ago to the day, August 20th, 2006. I was on a train bound for Vienna. This musical score is an excerpt from "The Red Violin", probably my favourite film ever. This scene shows the journey of the young musical prodigy Kaspar Weiss, as he is plucked out of an orphanage to journey to Vienna. The scene where he presses his face against the glass of his carriage all wide eyed and full of wonderment at the sights of Vienna bring me back to that day, when I too had my face pressed against the train window in awe of what I was about to experience.
This was a very meaningful trip for me. 2006 was the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, so what a time to be in Vienna and Salzburg, the streets packed with musicians! I backpacked through Europe, at the tender age of 36. It was my "present to myself" for starting medical school, which would be just a week later.
And so I reflect back on the past 20 years, from the start of medical school to now. Right now, I am sitting in bed catching up with, you guessed it, paperwork while awaiting the next group of patients, and yes it's well past midnight into the next day.
So many profound moments since then, and in a very personal way, there is a running soundtrack in my head. From singing to and cuddling babies I had just delivered in the maternity wards, to holding the hand of a palliative patient, singing favourite songs and hymns with their families.
And as I am entering my 14 year of Family Medicine, I think back on these years with at times, a wistful sigh, missing the chance to show my father what I would become, and at times, honestly lamenting that I did not attend to my own personal life in some ways.
But I have the personal narratives of my patients, and hope i played some small role in their journeys. These 14 years have been rewarding, terrifying, exciting, exhausting, challenging and ultimately defining who and where I need to be.

https://youtu.be/6PNRjUDim3U?si=fG7O9SKMOPwlcafL

07/30/2026

In moose factory. Heading to the grocery store

This is how we do grocery run…
On the way back… no vehicle or cab so a community member offered to drive us… I bought enough food for his family of 6!! Good time as well, the farmers who come to community to sell were on their way back to the train.. and there is a feast in town

So lots of food donated!!

07/23/2026

07/16/2026

Thank you for birthday wishes. I flew back from Nova Scotia yesterday and literally within 2 hours, found myself appointed an MD lead for evacuation of Eabametoong First Nation. The fires are furiously approaching communities in northern Ontario. Many communities have been evacuated already. I will be flying there in a few days to support the evacuation in the ground and to care for the folks staying behind

And honestly, the best birthday gift I could have asked for… is jumping onto meetings… terrified as I’ve never led an evacuation… to be met with a team whose first comment is… we’re here and ready to help you and teach you what need to learn.

You’ve likely seen my posting “hero of the day” recently. It’s a focused effort on my part to change my social media feed and my daily approach to give voice to the stories of too quiet greatness around us. Well, today and everyday… my
heroes are the search and rescue, first responders and firefighting teams

55 years done. Sure, I would like flowers, dinner, an evening out… maybe I’ll get a birthday do over.. once in your 50s I thought it was birthday weeks right?? 😜

07/15/2026

Just a snapshot of some of the devastation in northern Ontario and the almost 200 raging forest fires. The community go to is on an evacuation order. I’m going up there in 3 days head up there in 3 days so hopefully can provide care to the folks in the area and in mid evacuation.

The winds are shifting south east and southern Ontario is scheduled to have one of the worst air quality days in history. Stay indoors if you can, wear eye protection, wear face masks and please stay hydrated.

Some phone meetings today watching the fires near the lake- which for now is a buffer between the community and the fire. But image the air… thick, dark, full of ash, soot. Especially dangerous for those who smoke and have respiratory diseases, and require puffers/oxygen, or allergies.
Thank goodness for firefighters, emergency medical
Personnel and search and rescue workers. Heroes among us.

Stay safe everyone

Harrowing video captures some of the frantic evacuations underway i...

07/11/2026

Just an addendum… it’s not her birthday… save those wishes for December!

This is the incredible Dr.Patricia J McKenna. This wonderful Family Physician is 80 years old and still practices 4 days a week. She says without missing a beat “well I’ve cut it down to about 4 days a week. Usually 0630 until about 1600 now.

Hospital rounds,inpatient care, family practice.

She has been practicing medicine since 1974. (I hope that’s correct!). Imagine the innovations, the developments and the knowledge she has accumulated over this time.l and what a gift she has been to all who know her personally and professionally.

I know this lovely woman as her children have been dear friends of mine since my very young childhood days in Antigonish Nova Scotia. Walking home late at night from school, then university, especially around Christmas time, would always see the big beautiful Christmas tree in their parlor window and I knew home was only a few minutes away.

When they sold that home a few years ago, I asked if they could put a tree in that window for Christmas!

I continue to be in awe of the knowledge base, commitment and humanity of this woman who has literally been the town’s doctor for over 50 years.

This is the heart and soul of family medicine. Dr. Patricia J McKenna

06/30/2026

Tomorrow is July 1.

In medical education, this is the day when medical school graduates enter residency. The cognitive leap is huge going from "student" to resident. You are given a mountain of work and a level of responsibility that grows exponentially every minute.

I tell each of my learners, we are colleagues. We have been colleagues the minute your took the Hippocratic Oath. We are just at different points along the same journey and at every point, your humility should actually grow.

After 14 years now as a physician.... I realize everyday, just how much there is to learn.

As I tell my learners, everyday, every minute... you will never be more protected than you are at this moment. Every moment from here on is a step towards becoming an attending physician, so ask every question you have, offer to shadow and assist, everyone and anyone.

Offer to move, turn or take that patient to X-ray. Offer to sit with a grieving family member for a cup of tea. And ALWAYS take the opportunity to play with a child. You will learn more about the patient, the condition and their clinical situation simply by observing and engaging with the most simple everyday tasks. This is where the most subtle art of medicine lies, and honestly, its just a nice and proper thing to do.

Every single person in that hospital is rooting for you, has something to teach you, and has your back... as you too will support them. And I mean everyone.

I think back of the young janitor who showed me the food wrappers and discarded food in a room, from a patient admitted with an eating disorder. "Here doctor, I thought you might want to see this so you know exactly whats happening with Mary"

The seasoned "old timey" doctor who asks you what your'e interested in and then begins to tell you stories of how they turned an impossible situation into success, or how an impossible situation became worse... and took a moment to cry and self reflect on a treatment, a surgery, an evacuation that did not go as planned.

The nurse who shares with you how the culture of the hospital, clinic, community has been shaped by adversity, and by successes.

I write this because I've already started to see the yearly social media posts ..."Avoid the hospital, new doctors with no brains and big ego coming" " Young doctors, the nurses will eat you alive!!" Or most upsetting... "great its a foreign doc..."

Ignore those posts. Ignore the hate. We have entered an age where ignorance, stupidity and bravado is masquerading as bold thought. People have reviewed the Great Pyramids as " too sandy" or the Grand Canyon was just a big rock cliff.

To the patients, and the public who write these posts...Nothing could be further from the truth... you will have new, slow (yes it takes time to be thorough), very intelligent residents who will assess, reassess, investigate and ask you a hundred questions.

And, in the case of a foreign graduate, CAN you imagine the skill and bravery to practice medicine in your 1st, or 2nd, or 3rd or 4th language in which you're fluent?? Consider, this person has already likely practiced for years in other countries and brings that wealth of experience. Give them your time, and be grateful for that time, they are listening to you.

Welcome the new residents of July 1, 2026. I hope tomorrow is the first day of a tremendous career in Medicine and am proud to work alongside of you, my new colleagues.

06/21/2026

Summer solstice. 0424 June 21, the start of Summer, Indigenous Peoples day and here I am in the ER (well not 0400 but 0700). I woke at 0400 though.

I just finished a busy 11 day run of hospitalist that saw me in hospital for easily 12-16 hrs a day. (Some days longer… but that’s because after about 10-12 hrs …. Everything takes that much longer and a 15 minute catnap easily becomes an hour. I am back home and set to head out to Thunder Bay/ Fort Hope in 2 days… but here I sit in the ER with my own issues.

Working in a hospital is a very unique world, one in which I get drawn into very acute medicine, social determinants of health, navigating the multiple presenting medical conditions and navigating travel to appointments (I do a lot of remote fly in community work), and grateful for lots of telephone advice from tertiary care institutions. But working the walk in clinics and front line family practice (‘my own in New Brunswick) has given me a tremendous insight into one of the most challenging issues in medicine.

Access and entry into the system.

So many of the conversations around me are about how people like or hate their family doctors. Then people chime in about how they have no family doctor. I think to myself… I could write a Billy Joel Piano man, or the Beatles Penny Lane type song about the stories I am seeing and hearing.
The business man walking around speaking loudly on his phone, the tearful young woman watching videos of cats, the little kid cuddling a stuffy (yes I gave him stickers… I seem to have them in my purses), and the very quiet frail older woman in the corner (who fortunately seems to be FaceTiming family).

So many of these conditions strike me as those that access to primary care could have prevented or at least addressed and initiated investigations and treatments. The ERs are overwhelmed. patients are stressed and things that could have been prevented, screened, assessed, or triaged to a lower acuity are now in the same area as heart attacks, strokes, and trauma.

Primary care must have investment, in money, in time and in respecting the scope of skill and knowledge of family physicians . Primary care access is improving with nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and working in teams with the family physicians. Teams are being expanded to improve access to physio and occupational therapists, social workers and mental health workers.

But these changes are happening too slowly. IF you have a Family Physician, or access to a primary care team with providers such as nurse practitioners … you’re among the lucky ones. But Health Care in a wealthy modern nation should
not be a gamble to the highest “better”,

It is the foundation of a just society

06/15/2026

Bought dinner for all staff on the floor. It’s been a brutal day of work.