Meet Our Orthopaedic Surgeons
Dr. Abuzgaya completed his residency at the University of Toronto. He has over 30 years of clinical experience in orthopaedic surgery, has been involved in medical mission work across the globe, and is a former Chief of Staff at Ajax Pickering Hospital. His extensive expertise in research has led him to become the head of Clinical Research and one of the co-founders of Durham Bone and Joint Specialists.
His interests include:
- Arthritis of the Hip and Knee
- Scientific Research including expertise running several FDA and Health Canada approved multicentre trials
- Educational Development for primary care physicians and orthopaedic surgeons
- Independent Medical Evaluations
Specialty
- Hip and Knee Arthritis, Clinical research
Degrees
- M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
Dr. Benfayed completed his medical training and residency at the University of Toronto. He has over 30 years of clinical experience in orthopaedic surgery, has practiced across Canada, and is a former Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Ajax Pickering Hospital. He is a provider for the Ontario Worker’s Network program and a co-founder of Durham Bone and Joint Specialists.
His surgical expertise includes:
- Unicompartmental Knee Replacement
- Total Knee Replacement
- Total Hip Replacement
- Arthroscopy of the knee.
Specialty
- Knee Arthroscopy, Arthroplasty of the Hip and Knee
Degrees
- M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
Dr. Aaron Frombach started with Lakeridge Health in August of 2019. He previously completed his residency training in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Ottawa before doing fellowships in Lower Extremity Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery at Sunnybrook Hospital through the University of Toronto. His elective surgical practice is focused on treating degenerative and post-traumatic conditions of the hips, knees and foot/ankle joints.
He specializes in hip arthroplasty through the muscle sparing Anterior Approach, taking advantage of infrastructure investment at the hospital to be the only surgeon in the region to offer this approach. Thanks to his subspecialty training in lower extremity trauma surgery Dr. Frombach is the consulting Ontario Workers Network Foot and Ankle surgeon for Durham region, and the trauma lead within the Division of Orthopaedics at the Ajax-Pickering Hospital.
Specialty
Anterior Approach Hip Arthroplasty, Knee Arthroplasty, Posttraumatic Foot and Ankle Reconstruction
Degrees
M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
Dr. Gallay completed a BSc with Honors in Physiology and a Medical degree at McGill University. Thereafter, he trained in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Toronto and completed a Fellowship in Upper Extremity Reconstructive Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital.
He joined Lakeridge Health Ajax & Pickering Hospital in 1997, formerly Rouge Valley Health System, and served as both the Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Chief of Surgery. He has been a longstanding Consultant Shoulder Surgeon at Sunnybrook hospital’s WSIB Specialty Program. Currently he is the corporate Strategy Lead and Associate Medical Director for the Department of Surgery and the Medical Director of the OWN-WSIB Specialty Program at Lakeridge Health.
Although Dr. Gallay’s clinical passion has always been Arthroscopic and Reconstructive Surgery of the Shoulder, he is also equally passionate about improving the healthcare system through the development of novel models of care. He is a recognized provincial clinical champion for value-based health care having completed studies at HBS under Porter and Kaplan and as an active contributor to the IHI community. He is currently working on his Masters in Health Care Management at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Over the last decade, Dr. Gallay’s healthcare system learning has been enriched by having been the President of the Ontario Orthopaedic Association, a member of the 2008 Ontario Medical Association Negotiations Team and various subsequent trilateral working groups with the Ontario Ministry of Health (MOH) and Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). He has served on Health Quality Ontario’s Panel on Quality Based Procedures for Degenerative Conditions of the Shoulder, co-Chaired the recent Bundled Care Working Group for Shoulder Arthroplasty, and has been a member of key MOH committees dedicated to improving Musculoskeletal Access to Care for Ontarians. Lastly, in 2016, Dr. Gallay co-founded The Shoulder Centre Model of Care, a value-based and regional primary/specialty shared-care program, which received Ontario Ministry of Health demonstration project funding becoming one of the three priority MSK models of care in Ontario. Along with his partners at The Shoulder Centre, Dr. Gallay collects and uses Patient Reported Outcome Measures and Evidence Based Medicine to continuously develop and refine surgical techniques, and physiotherapy aftercare protocols based on outcomes data.
Specialty
- Shoulder Arthroscopy, Arthroplasty, and Reconstruction
Degrees
- M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
Training
Dr. Joel Lobo completed his medical school and residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Toronto. Following his residency, he completed a Trauma and Upper Limb Reconstructive fellowship at St. Michael’s Hospital where he specialized in Shoulder and Elbow surgery. Subsequently, he completed a Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy fellowship at the Toronto Western Hospital, caring for players and staff from professional sports teams in Toronto. He currently practices at Lakeridge Health Ajax and Pickering Hospital and is the the Medical Director and co-founder of The Shoulder Centre.
Consultancies
Dr. Lobo is a consultant surgeon for the WSIB’s Shoulder and Elbow Surgical Specialty Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Ontario Workers Network. He is a former Division Head of Orthopaedic Surgery at Ajax Pickering Hospital.
He is an educational consultant for Arthrex, Inc. He regularly instructs at surgical skills labs in Canada and the United States to teach advanced arthroscopic reconstructive techniques in the shoulder and knee to residents, fellows and other practicing international orthopaedic surgeons. He is on the educational committee for the Arthroscopy Association of Canada and a member of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association, Canadian Shoulder & Elbow Society, and Arthroscopy Association of North America.
Specialty Interests
Since the development of The Shoulder Centre, his practice has become focused to include the reconstruction of sports-related knee injuries, as well as Arthroscopic reconstruction of the Shoulder and Knee with a special interest inand All-Inside ACL reconstruction using Quadriceps Tendon, Complex shoulder instability and labral repair, and Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. He is an international leader on Superior Capsular Reconstruction of the Shoulder. Along with a sportsmedicine practice, Dr. Lobo has an special interest in the treatment of injured Police Officers, Military and Fire Personnel, Paramedics and First Responders as a result of his training with Dr. Anthony Miniaci, formerly at The Toronto Western Hospital and now at The Cleveland Clinic.
The Shoulder Centre & Patient Reported Outcome Measures
Dr. Lobo is the Medical Director at The Shoulder Centre at Lakeridge Health. Along with his partners at Durham Bone and Joint Specialists, Dr. Lobo collects and uses Patient Reported Outcome Measures and Evidence Based Medicine to continuously develop and refine surgical techniques, and physiotherapy aftercare protocols based on outcomes data. This initiative has been recognized by the Provincial Government in Ontario, published in textbooks and medical journals, and presented at Health Quality meetings internationally.
Read more at
Transforming Shoulder Care by Hopital News
Specialty
- Sportsmedicine and Arthroscopic Reconstruction of the Shoulder and Knee
Degrees
- M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
Training
- M.D., 1997, University of Toronto
- Orthopaedic Surgery Residency 1997 – 2002, University of Toronto
- Orthopaedic Trauma & Upper Limb Reconstructive Fellowship, 2002, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
- Orthopaedic Sportsmedicine Fellowship, 2003, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto
Dr. Kajeandra Ravichandiran, H.BSc., MSc, MD, FRCSC
Orthopaedic Surgeon — Durham Bone and Joint Specialists
Affiliated with Lakeridge Health – Ajax/Pickering Campus
Biography
Dr. Kajeandra Ravichandiran completed his undergraduate, graduate, and medical training at the University of Toronto. He went on to complete his Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at the University of Western Ontario, followed by two fellowships in Toronto focusing on lower extremity reconstruction and sports medicine.
He joined Durham Bone and Joint Specialists in 2021 and has since developed a comprehensive surgical practice with expertise in both joint reconstruction and sports-related injuries.
Clinical Expertise
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Direct anterior and lateral hip replacement
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Total knee replacement
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Revision arthroplasty (hip and knee)
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Arthroscopic knee surgery
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High tibial osteotomy
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ACL reconstruction
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Multi-ligament knee injuries
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Trauma reconstruction of upper and lower extremities
Research & Academic Interests
Dr. Ravichandiran has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed research publications in Orthopaedics and Biomedical Engineering and has presented at several international conferences. His current interests include navigated and robotic-assisted orthopaedic surgery, with an emphasis on precision and improving outcomes in joint reconstruction.
Degrees
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H.BSc. — University of Toronto
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MSc — University of Toronto
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MD — University of Toronto
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FRCSC — Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Fellowships
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Lower Extremity Reconstruction and Arthroplasty – University of Toronto
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Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy – University of Toronto
Languages
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English
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Tamil
Dr. Meaghan Rollins joined Ajax Pickering Hospital in September 2018. Dr. Rollins completed her orthopedic residency at the University of Manitoba and subsequently went on to complete two upper extremity fellowships, at McMaster University and at the University of Ottawa, focusing on shoulder, elbow, and wrist pathology.
As a shoulder subspecialty surgeon, Dr. Rollins works with The Shoulder Centre at Ajax Pickering Hospital, which is a Regional Program providing both operative and non-operative clinical services to shoulder patients and is specifically designed to improve the health system through accountable shared-care specialist/primary care network partnerships.
As an ambassador of The Shoulder Centre, Dr. Rollins works closely with Durham region physicians to help increase knowledge in managing shoulder patients within the local community.
Dr. Rollins is passionate about all aspects of orthopedics, with a special interest in upper extremity arthroscopy, trauma, and reconstruction.
Specialty
- Arthroplasty, Arthroscopy and Upper Limb Reconstruction
Degrees
- M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
Dr. Marcin Kowalczuk is an Orthopaedic Surgeon with subspecialty fellowship training in upper extremity reconstruction, sports medicine and trauma.
Dr. Kowalczuk completed medical school and his orthopaedic surgery residency training at McMaster University. Following his residency, Dr. Kowalczuk completed a sports medicine and arthroscopy fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh where his training included working with members of the medical staff for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Steelers. Upon returning back to Canada Dr. Kowalczuk completed additional subspecialty training in upper extremity reconstruction and trauma at the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center.
His surgical expertise includes:
- Rotator Cuff Repair
- Shoulder Instability
- Anatomic Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
- Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
- ACL Reconstruction
Specialty
- Upper Extremity Reconstruction, Sports Medicine and Trauma
Degrees
- M.D., F.R.C.S.(C).
- B.MSc.
Meet Our Advanced Practice Providers
Daniel Avrahami completed his undergraduate degree from Queen’s University and received his Doctor of Chiropractic at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. He earned his Master of Science in Biomechanics at McMaster University and he has chiropractic sports residency training through the Royal College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences (Canada).
Daniel has worked as a chiropractor for 7 years in various multi-disciplinary clinics and for an Olympic bobsleigh and skeleton team. Daniel returned to school to become a physician assistant receiving his Bachelor of Science Physician Assistant degree from the University of Toronto.
Daniel worked for two years as an orthopedic physician assistant in outpatient clinics focusing on foot and ankle, spine and general orthopedics prior to joining The Shoulder Centre at Lakeridge Health Ajax Pickering Hospital.
Daniel joined Durham Bone and Joint Specialists in 2020. His breadth of knowledge, multidisciplinary approach and experience allows him to work closely with our team as an Advanced Practice Provider. He has developed many educational resources for patients and has been involved in Primary Care education through The Shoulder Centre and Durham Bone and Joint Specialists.
Specialty
- Advanced Practice Provider
Degrees
- B.Sc.P.A., D.C.
Work Days
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Natalie completed a Bachelors of Science specializing in Kinesiology and a Masters of Science in Physical Therapy from Queen’s University. She worked as a physiotherapist in a multidisciplinary clinic for five years with a focus in orthopaedic conditions and joined Durham Bone and Joint Specialists in 2022. Her experience in orthopaedics and rehabilitation allows her to work closely with the team as an advanced practice provider.
Specialty
- Advanced Practice Provider
Degrees
- M.Sc.PT
Work Days
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Avi completed his Bachelor of Kinesiology degree at Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master’s degree in Kinesiology specializing in Fitness and Nutrition from the University of Waterloo. As a Bracing Specialist, Avi works closely with the Advanced Practice Providers at DBJS to educate patients on the most appropriate bracing options. He draws on his extensive background in human movement to provide patients with expert guidance throughout each step of their bracing process.
Dana graduated in 2009 from The University of Toronto with a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy after obtaining her Honours Bachelor Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario. She completed her Diploma of Advanced Manual and Manipulative Therapy (FCAMPT) through the Orthopaedic Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association in 2016. Dana has worked as a physiotherapist in an orthopaedic and sports injury clinic for 15 years prior to joining DBJS as an Advanced Practice Provider in 2024.
Jez graduated with a Bachelor of Health Science degree in Kinesiology from Ontario Tech
University, and Master of Science degree in Physiotherapy from the University of
Toronto. Over the years, he has gathered valuable clinical experience in outpatient orthopaedics and has worked alongside excellent therapists and health care professionals that has refined him to be a compassionate and well-rounded individual in the field of health care. His background in rehabilitation as a physiotherapist allows him to contribute in the management of orthopaedic conditions as an Advanced Practice Provider.
