Celebrating Canadian Women Physicians Day - Meet Dr. Stephanie Scott, Dr. Abir Hussein, Dr. Andrea Faryniuk, and Dr. Alison Freeman

On March 11, we celebrate Canadian Women Physicians Day, recognizing the incredible women doctors making a difference in Nova Scotia. Whether caring for patients, mentoring future physicians, or leading healthcare initiatives, their dedication is shaping the future of healthcare in our province.

We profiled four physicians who embody what it means to be a woman practising medicine. They bring passion and dedication to their work, making a profound impact on their patients and communities. We are incredibly proud to have all three of these women practising in Nova Scotia and grateful for their contributions to healthcare in our province. Today, we extend our gratitude to them and to all women in our medical community.

Meet Dr. Stephanie Scott, Gynecology Oncologist in Halifax

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Stephanie Scott provides compassionate, comprehensive care for women facing gynecologic cancers. As part of a team of five gynecologic oncologists in Nova Scotia—four of whom are women—she plays a key role in both surgical and chemotherapy treatment for patients with ovarian, uterine, cervical and other gynecologic cancers. Every day, Dr. Scott and her team guide patients through some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Originally from Burlington, Ontario, Dr. Scott attended medical school and residency training at Western University in London, Ontario, before completing a fellowship at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Scott was the first surgeon to perform robotic surgery for gynecologic cancer in Atlantic Canada.

Her journey to Nova Scotia was both professional and personal. Her husband, a spine surgeon, began working in Halifax first, and she soon followed. Having met during residency and later married, she saw the move as an opportunity to join a strong, supportive medical community.

One of Dr. Scott’s favourite parts of her job is the team she works with. She speaks highly of their collaboration and dedication to patients, describing the team as a strong, supportive group where each member plays a vital role in ensuring patients receive the highest level of care. “It’s amazing to work in an environment where we not only support each other but also provide such comprehensive care to our patients.”

Beyond her physician colleagues, she highlights the importance of working closely with a multidisciplinary team, including nurses, pharmacists and radiation oncologists. “We work really closely with our nursing partners in the cancer centre, and obviously, amazing teams in the operating room,” she says. “It takes a whole team to care for these patients, and I’m fortunate to work with such an incredible group.”

No two days are the same in Dr. Scott’s practice. “I spend one or two days a week in the operating room, and then the majority of my other time is in the clinic—seeing women for new consultations, chemotherapy or follow-ups,” she explains.

Beyond patient care, Dr. Scott is involved in medical education, training obstetrics and gynecology residents and mentoring medical students. “We always have residents with us on rotation, and medical students are in our clinics often,” she says. Her advice to them is simple: “Go into a field that you love, because you’re going to be doing it a really long time.”

As a surgeon and a mother of three, she acknowledges the challenges of balancing a demanding career with family life. “Both are hard,” she admits. “But you build your life how you want it. There’s never going to be a perfect time to start a family or make big life decisions—you just must put the pieces where you want them.

Dr. Scott’s expertise and dedication to her work as a gynecology oncologist continue to make a meaningful difference in women’s health in Nova Scotia, shaping both the care patients receive and the future of the field in our province.

Meet Dr. Abir Hussein, Family Physician in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

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Dr. Abir Hussein has dedicated her career to family medicine and medical education, building a practice in rural Nova Scotia while also shaping the next generation of physicians.

Born in Kuwait and raised in Egypt, she studied medicine at Ain Shams University in Cairo. After graduating, she worked as a family doctor in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait before moving to Halifax in 2009 with her physician husband and their two daughters.

Upon immigrating to Canada, Dr. Hussein completed the qualification process through the Practice-Ready Assessment Program (PRAP), allowing her to practise medicine in the province.

Settling in Yarmouth, Dr. Hussein not only provides primary health care to patients but has also become actively involved in medical education, mentoring medical students and family medicine residents. In 2018, she was appointed site director of the Southwest Nova site for Dalhousie’s Family Medicine Residency Program, a role she held for six years.

In January 2024, she stepped into a new leadership position as the assistant dean for Distributed Medical Education at Dalhousie University. This role is “focused on medical education in rural areas and regional hospitals, helping to address physician shortages and recruit new doctors."

Despite the challenges of balancing her medical career with family life—especially as a mother of four daughters—Dr. Hussein is a strong advocate for women in medicine. She encourages her students and residents to pursue both their careers and personal lives without unnecessary delays. “Balancing a medical career with family life is never easy, but I remind my students and residents that they don't have to feel pressured to choose one over the other. Career and personal life should grow alongside each other. There will be times when one takes more focus than the other, but do not put your plans on hold waiting for the perfect moment."

Practising in a rural community has allowed Dr. Hussein to build meaningful relationships with her patients and colleagues. "My hospital is very collegial, and my colleagues are very friendly. It’s a cohesive group of doctors, so I really enjoy the practice, and I enjoy the environment. It’s one of the reasons I stay in Yarmouth.” Outside of medicine, she enjoys traveling with her family and exploring Yarmouth’s many beaches.

Dr. Hussein's dedication to her patients, medical learners, and the broader mission of enhancing medical education and healthcare access in rural Nova Scotia will leave a lasting impact. Her efforts not only improve patient care but also shape the next generation of physicians, ensuring stronger, more accessible healthcare for communities.

Meet Dr. Andrea Faryniuk, General Surgeon in Amherst, Nova Scotia 

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Dr. Andrea Faryniuk has built a fulfilling career in surgery while staying deeply connected to her roots in Nova Scotia. Born in Halifax, she spent much of her early life in New Brunswick before returning to Halifax for high school. She completed both her undergraduate degree and medical school at Dalhousie University before heading west to Winnipeg, where she pursued a general surgery residency.

Despite her time away, Nova Scotia was always home. “I always planned to come back,” she says. True to her word, she moved to Amherst immediately after completing her residency in 2013 and has been practicing there ever since.

Dr. Faryniuk didn’t always know she wanted to be a doctor. In fact, she once considered becoming a veterinarian. What truly drew her to medicine was the challenge. “I wanted to do something that was hard, something that challenged me.”

Her decision to specialize in surgery came naturally. “I’ve always been a doer,” she explains. “As a kid, I was constantly moving—my parents had to put me in gymnastics because I was climbing everything. Sitting at a desk, solving a mental puzzle, wasn’t for me. I needed to work with my hands, to fix things.”

Since joining Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre, Dr. Faryniuk has found a strong professional home among her colleagues. “My general surgery colleagues, especially Dr. Nabil Nader, are a big reason I’m still practising here,” she says. “Dr. Nader has been a mentor to me from the very beginning.”

In addition to her surgical work, Dr. Faryniuk is involved in medical education. Cumberland Regional hosts residents from the North Nova Family Medicine Residency Program, allowing her to mentor and train the next generation of surgeons.

For medical students and residents, particularly women considering a career in surgery, Dr. Faryniuk offers valuable advice. “You should never hold back from doing what you want to do,” she says. “Surgery is more accessible to women now than it was in the past, but it still comes with challenges. The key is to love what you do—but don’t let it be your whole identity.”

She emphasizes the importance of balance. “Loving your work is important but so is having a life outside of it.”

For Dr. Faryniuk, that balance comes from her family. She and her husband spend most of their free time with the hockey community and their two sons, aged nine and six. “Hockey is like our second home,” she says. “As someone who grew up playing sports, it’s incredibly rewarding to watch my kids do what they love.”

Reflecting on her career, Dr. Faryniuk acknowledges the weight of her role. “Medicine and surgery come with great responsibility,” she says. “But to whom much is given, much is required. That’s how I see my work, and it has been incredibly gratifying.”

Dr. Faryniuk continues to make a significant impact on healthcare in Nova Scotia. As a demanding and highly skilled field, surgery requires both precision and dedication—qualities she fully embraces in her work.

Meet Dr. Alison Freeman, Family Physician in Liverpool, Nova Scotia

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Dr. Alison Freeman has built her career in rural and remote medicine, dedicating herself to improving healthcare access in underserved communities.

Growing up in Oakfield, Nova Scotia, medicine was always part of her life. "My father was a pathologist, my aunt and uncle were physicians, and my mom was a nurse. From as early as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor," she says. While she once considered pathology, pediatrics and emergency medicine, she ultimately chose family medicine. "I realized I had a broad scope of interest, and family medicine allows me to do a little bit of everything—pediatrics, hospital medicine, urgent care—while also developing long-term relationships with my patients.

She attended the University of Wollongong in Australia, drawn to its rural and remote medicine program. "A year of my training was attached to a rural community, where I worked alongside family physicians and saw the expanded scope of practice firsthand," she explains.

After medical school, she completed a family medicine residency at the University of British Columbia in Victoria, focusing on Indigenous health and wellness. She then moved to Whitehorse, Yukon, where she practised family and emergency medicine for five years before transitioning to a remote health centre in Haines Junction, Yukon working alongside a group of expanded-scope nurses.

"Every two weeks, I would drive up the Alaska Highway to provide care in small communities like Destruction Bay and Beaver Creek," she says. "It was a unique experience to offer care in such remote areas."

While in Yukon, Dr. Freeman served as president of the Yukon Medical Association for two years and was a member of the Yukon Medical Council for three years.

After returning to Nova Scotia, she spent a year at Saint Martha’s Regional Hospital before settling into a permanent practice. "We didn’t want to settle into a community until we knew for sure it was the right place for us," she explains.

Dr. Freeman currently practises family medicine and hospitalist care in Liverpool, embracing the rewards of rural healthcare. "In a small town, everybody has a role," she says. "You know your patients as your neighbours, and that creates a sense of being on the same team. People are invested in the community’s well-being, and that’s something that can be lost in a big city."

Despite rural medicine's challenges, she remains passionate about her work. "I love the broad scope of practice," she says. "You get to know your colleagues so well, and when I need to call a specialist, they know who I am, and I know who they are. That kind of relationship leads to better health outcomes for my patients."

She is also involved in physician recruitment, a cause close to her heart. "You won’t find a physician who loves Nova Scotia more than I do, and I want to show others how wonderful it is to live and work here."

Dr. Freeman is a strong advocate for cultural diversity in medicine, believing it plays a vital role in improving healthcare. "I love talking to physicians from all over the world and helping them see the benefits of practising in Canada," she says. "Increasing diversity in our medical community is so important—we all bring a different lens to how we practise medicine, and that makes us better as a whole."

As a mother and physician, Dr. Freeman values maintaining work-life balance in her demanding career. "It’s important to know that you can have both a meaningful career and a meaningful family life," she says. "Women bring such valuable contributions to medicine, and we thrive when we have that balance."

In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family. Looking ahead, she is excited to continue her work as Physician Recruitment and Retention Lead in Western Zone.

"With a growing and aging population, we don’t have enough medical school positions in Canada to supply the workforce needed to provide adequate healthcare to Canadians,” says Dr. Freeman. “We are fortunate to be able to offer exciting opportunities for physicians from all over the world and I'm excited to work as part of a team to welcome new physicians to our area."

With her commitment to rural healthcare, leadership in physician recruitment, and passion for diversity and community, Dr. Freeman is making a lasting impact on medicine in Nova Scotia and her community.

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On Canadian Women Physicians Day, we celebrate the dedication, resilience and leadership of women like Drs. Scott, Hussein, Faryniuk, and Freeman.