Pass the stethoscope

Meet the Lougheeds, a family of physicians whose care defines Markham Stouffville Hospital’s community spirit.

By Devon Scoble
Photo: Andrew Fleming

Whenever the Lougheed family gathers at the dinner table, talk naturally turns to medicine. Dr. Eileen Lougheed, family matriarch and a retired MSH family doctor, sits alongside her husband, Brandon, and her adult children, four of whom took up her mantle in medicine. Chatter fills the air as grandchildren — all 13 of them — dart in and out.

“I think we have a very different definition of appropriate mealtime topics,” says first-born son, Dr. Daryl Lougheed, who, like his mom, is a family doctor at MSH. The non-physicians in the Lougheed brood “should have honorary medical degrees by now,” he jokes. His younger brother, Dr. Justan Lougheed, now a psychiatrist at MSH, laughs in agreement.

A family tradition begins

Blending home and hospital comes effortlessly to the Lougheed family. In 1982, when Dr. Eileen was a young mother, she set up a full-service medical clinic in the basement of their Unionville house. “In the early days, I built a home office so I could be there for my kids. Patients loved it, and so did my family. It made medicine part of our everyday lives,” she recalls.

Her children would walk home from school for lunch, wander into the clinic after classes, and sometimes even help with small tasks. A decade later, in 1992, Dr. Eileen moved her practice to MSH, where she also helped establish palliative care, and a young Daryl would join her on weekend rounds.

“Everyone lit up when Mom walked into the nursing station. Then she’d take their questions like it was batting practice,” he says. “All of a sudden, she was speaking a different language. I couldn’t understand it, yet I could sense her depth of knowledge and see what she meant to the staff and her patients.”

‍

All in the family: Dr. Eileen’s third son, Dr. Taylor Lougheed, completed part of his residency training at MSH and is now Chief of Emergency Medicine at North Bay Regional Health Centre. Her eldest daughter, Dr. Maran Lougheed, was Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Guthrie Corning Hospital in New York State until her passing in 2018.

Continuing the rounds

The tradition of care that Dr. Eileen brought from her home office to her practice at MSH lives on through Drs. Daryl and Justan.

“Medicine is about understanding the whole person, not just treating symptoms,” says Dr. Daryl, sharing how his mom’s example has shaped his approach. “The patient is the captain, and I’m the navigator. I’m here to give the best advice and then let you go with it.”

It’s a practical philosophy for a field that increasingly demands co-operation, empathy, and active listening. “A family doctor used to be a jack of all trades, and today, we work in a collaborative health care model,” he says. Complex conditions require a group effort, with family doctors co-ordinating with other medical professionals, such as pharmacists and occupational therapists, and with the patients themselves.

For his part, “being the child of a legend made it easier to find my place at MSH,” says Dr. Justan. Through his mother’s example, he knew from a young age what a healthy physician-patient relationship and a high standard of care look like. “She really valued her connections with her patients,” he says. “You could tell they trusted her to help with difficult decisions. Seeing that made it easier for me to aspire to that path.”

Giving back and looking forward

The Lougheed family’s commitment to MSH has taken them far beyond the hospital’s halls. In 2011, Dr. Eileen and Brandon, along with fellow staff and supporters, climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, raising nearly $530,000 to expand MSH’s mental health facilities. Then, in 2018 and in their 60s, they hiked with a team of fundraisers to Mount Everest Base Camp to help generate nearly $750,000 for a new operating room and equipment.

Giving back to MSH is all in a day’s work for the Lougheeds. It’s where five grandchildren were born, and where Drs. Daryl and Justan continue the family’s legacy of care.

‍