Dr. B. Ayach MD PhD FRCPC
Dr. B. Ayach is a Cardiologist and Cardiac Imager at Lakeridge Health since 2020. He is also the former director of the ECHO lab at Lakeridge Health. He is the founder of Durham Cardiology.
His passion includes advancing patient care and cardiac excellence in the Durham region. He has particular interest in cardiac imaging and stress testing with advanced fellowships in these fields.
. BSc University of Victoria
. MSc Laval University
· MD at St. George’s University
· PhD at the University of Toronto
· Internal Medicine residency at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio
· Cardiology residency at the University of Manitoba
· Echocardiography Fellowship at McGill University
· Cardiac CT, Certification at Johns Hopkins University
· Nuclear Cardiology Fellowship at the Ottawa Health Institute.
Dr. G. Bisleri MD FRCSC
Dr. G. Bisleri is a Staff Cardiac Surgeon and Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital. He is also Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Bisleri has extensive expertise in the full spectrum of adult cardiac surgery with a special expertise in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. He is also an integral member of the Structural Heart Program at St. Michael’s Hospital with direct involvement in percutaneous treatment of valve disease (mitral, aortic, tricuspid), either for transcatheter valve repair or replacement. Dr. Bisleri has pioneered endoscopic treatment of atrial fibrillation in 2005 and contributed to the introduction of the hybrid approach and combined epicardial/endocardial advanced mapping in combination with the Arrhythmia team.
Dr. Bisleri completed his medical education as well as cardiac surgical training in Italy at the University of Brescia and the University of Padova. He further expanded his clinical and research interests in minimally invasive/robotic/arrhythmia surgery thanks to a research fellowship at Columbia University in New York. He received additional surgical training as Senior Fellow at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre (UK) before returning to Italy as Attending Surgeon and Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Brescia in 2009. Dr. Bisleri has authored more than 155 peer-reviewed papers and more than 200 presentations at national and international meetings.
He has been acting as Principal or co-investigator in several research grants both in Europe and
in Canada.
Dr. M. Bokhari MD FRCPC
Dr. M. Bokhari is Cardiologist and an Electrophysiologist who joined Lakeridge Health in 2023. This is a join partnership with Scarborough Health Network.
His expertise lies in managing heart rhythm-related cardiac conditions such as atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, conduction abnormalities and much more.
Dr. Bokhari's patient-centered approach involves understanding each patient's unique needs and tailoring a management plan, which may include lifestyle changes, medications, and invasive procedures like ablations, cardiac device implantations, and left atrial appendage closure (e.g., Watchman procedure).
Dr. Bokhari completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Western Ontario, followed by cardiology training at the University of Toronto. He pursued a two-year fellowship in invasive cardiac electrophysiology at Toronto General Hospital and an additional third-year EP fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, further enhancing his skills. He is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiology, and electrophysiology in both Canada and the US and has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed papers while holding leadership roles in his field.
He previously worked as an assistant professor and Cardiologist/Electrophysiologist at Northwell Health in New York, USA.
Dr. A. Kharazi MD
Dr. A. Kharazi is Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist who Joined Lakeridge Health in July 2024. He began his career in cardiology and arrhythmia management in Iran and accumulated a decade of experience prior to moving to Canada.
He then completed a fellowship in electrophysiology at the University of Calgary, followed by 5 years of clinical and academic practice at Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Thunder Bay. He brings an abundance of experience in cardiovascular care to the Durham region. His interest includes all cardiac issues; including arrhythmias and syncope, and hold a particular interest in
autonomic dysfunction.
Dr. P. Khatri MD FRCPC
Dr. P. Khatri is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCPC), certified in Internal Medicine. His practice has a Cardiovascular Focus. He is a staff physician at North York General Hospital and a Lecturer at the University of Toronto.
He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa, where he was awarded the Governor General’s medal for attaining the highest academic standing upon graduation. He then completed medical school at the University of Ottawa followed by residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Khatri has published several peer-reviewed journal articles in the cardiology field, including research he completed for NASA on cardiovascular physiology in astronauts. He welcomes general cardiology referrals.
Dr. M. Mumtaz MBBS, MD, FRCPC, FACC
Dr. M. Mumtaz is a distinguished triple board-certified Cardiologist and Cardiac Imager, bringing a wealth of expertise to Durham region. She is currently pursuing advanced training in Echocardiography at Toronto General Hospital. She exhibites a passion for patient-centered care. Her dedication to primary prevention, early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, and management of comprehensive cardiac conditions, underscores her commitment to improving patient outcomes. Dr. Mumtaz is fluent in English, Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi. She is poised to make a significant impact on the cardiovascular health in our community.
BSc- University of Punjab- Lahore- Pakistan.
MBBS – King Edward Medical University -Pakistan.
Postgraduate fellowship medicine – Mayo Hospital- Lahore- Pakistan.
Postgraduate fellowship Cardiology – Punjab Institute of Cardiology – Lahore- Pakistan.
Fellowship in General Cardiology – Peter Munk Cardiac Centre-Toronto.
Internal Medicine Residency- University of Toronto.
Cardiology Residency- University of Toronto.
Advanced fellowship training in Echocardiography- Toronto General Hospital.
Dr. V. Garg, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Dr. V. Garg completed his BHSc in Health Sciences at Western University before attending Queen's University for medical school. He completed his Internal Medicine and Adult Cardiology training at the University of Toronto. He also recently completed a Master of Science Degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology. He has been very involved in clinical trials research out of St. Michael's Hospital with the CardioLink Clinical Trials Group. He completed sub-specialist training in Cardiac Electrophysiology and Arrhythmias at St. Michael's Hospital. He is currently Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa and St.Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
Dr. N. Saukila MD FRCPC
Dr. N. Saukila has been an internal medicine specialist at Lakeridge Health since 2022. His
main interests lie in identification of at-risk individuals, early diagnosis and optimization of comprehensive cardiovascular care as well as general health to prevent the development of complications of atherosclerotic vascular disease.
Prior to joining Lakeridge Health, he has worked in the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador then later western Canada in British Columbia where he maintains active practice. Outside of Canada, he has worked in the countries of South Africa, Namibia and Malawi.
Dr Saukila is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. He is also a Fellow of the College of Physicians of South Africa and completed residency in internal medicine at Wits University. He primarily qualified as MD in 2003.
Dr. U. Shafique MD ABIM
Dr. U. Shafique grew up in Toronto. He completed his medical training at SABA University School of Medicine. After which he pursued a research fellowship in adult cardiology at the University of Toronto. Subsequently he did his residency training in Internal Medicine at Staten Island University Hospital.
After completing his training, he spent 3 years practicing in Mississippi eventually becoming outpatient clinic director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport. He moved back to Ontario in 2024 to practice internal medicine in Durham Region.
He is interested in all aspect of internal medicine: ie. Diabetes, COPD, Hematology, HTN, etc..
Dr. C. Tarola MD MPH FRCSC
Dr. Tarola is a Cardiac and Aortic Surgeon at the Schulich Heart Center at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. He received his MD and completed his residency training at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University. During residency, he completed his Masters in Public Health with a focus in Clinical Methods and Biostatistics from the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University. He completed a fellowship in advanced aortic surgery at Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Tarola has published multiple manuscripts in peer reviewed journals, and has presented at multiple national and international meetings. His current clinical and academic interests are in the management of aortic disease including aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections, and minimally invasive applications to treat aortic valve pathology.
