MICHAEL RACHLIS

From River Heights to Riverdale: And no sign of Archie or Veronica

After high school I went into science and then medicine at the University of Manitoba. I interned at McMaster University in Hamilton 1975-76, my first time ever away from Winnipeg. I moved to Toronto in June 1976 and became one of the two original doctors at the South Riverdale Community Health Centre. I have lived in Riverdale since.  Riverdale is a mixed-income, culturally diversified community just a 15-minute streetcar ride from the Sky Dome. It’s on a pretty ravine and I spend some of my better moments running there along the trail that follows the Don River. I have seen deer, hawks, woodpeckers, great blue herons, and even salmon migrating upstream. Other interests include playing duplicate bridge with Jack Gemmell — I guess people don’t really change.

I practiced family medicine at the community health centre until 1984. The best part of my fun time at the health centre was meeting Debby Copes, another doctor who started in 1978. We consummated our partnership by my moving in with her in August 1983. We have since added Linus (1985) and Leila (1988) to our family unit. I did specialty training in Community Medicine at McMaster from 1984 to 1988. A series of lucky coincidences led to the opportunity to write a book on Canada’s health care system, which I co-authored wrote with a friend, Carol Kushner in 1989. Since then I have been working as a consultant/social critic/policy analyst. I haven’t practiced any medicine at all for five years. I spend much of my time travelling and seeing innovative programs. My time on the road is the worst and best part of my work. It takes me away from my family but it also takes me to wonderful places and allows me to meet many interesting people.

I guess you could sum me up since high school as:

    “Rachlis tried to sell out his principles but no one would buy them.”

I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone