Each month we will be sharing stories of team members at HHCC; their history with the hospital and the transformative work they do every day to strengthen our culture and community. This month we celebrate Dr. Cormier, who has been a Family Physician at HHCC for 35 years.
Dr. Cormier grew up in St. John, New Brunswick where his father was a Dentist. In high school he began to consider following that same career path. However, his father expressed to him that, "If you don’t like being a Dentist, you are always stuck looking at people’s mouths." There are so many more avenues within medicine which influenced Dr. Cormier to pursue a career as a Family Physician.
Dr. Cormier went on to graduate from Dalhousie Medical School and shortly after landed an internship at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. He liked Toronto, but didn’t love living there, which led him to move his practice to Shelburne District Hospital in 1983. This gave him a unique opportunity to work at both Shelburne and Orangeville until he ultimately moved to Orangeville in 1985, where he has stayed ever since.
When asked what his favorite part of the job is, he had a hard time narrowing it down to just one thing. He explained, "It is incredibly rewarding because I work with multiple generations throughout their life cycles." Dr. Cormier enjoys building lasting relationships with his patients and being a positive influence in their lives. When it comes to highlights of his career, he simply stated that he has, "Moments like that every day".
David continued to work at HHCC throughout his career because it is a friendly hospital where everyone gets along well. "People will go out of their way to help you out and work together as a team," he said. He is happy to be a part of that team.
When he is not working, he loves to be active and has even participated in a few Ironman Triathlons with his colleagues Dr. Davenport and Dr. Wilson. The Ironman Triathlon is a grueling long-distance race consisting of running, biking, and swimming which can take over 12 hours to complete. They have even raised over $25,000 for Headwaters Heath Care Foundation as part of their triathlons.
Dr. Cormier exemplifies passion and kindness in all areas of his life and is committed to improving the community even in his free time. We thank you Dr. Cormier, for your contribution to HHCC and to our community.