September 8, 2026
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General surgeon, Dr. Isabella Graham (above), is joining the team at the Listowel Wingham Hospitals Alliance, this month.
The announcement was made in a press release, issued Tuesday, by the alliance.
Graham’s arrival will establish a two-general-surgeon model, as she will be working alongside Dr. Mike Saba, who has served as the alliance’s general surgeon since 2024. Together, they will provide a greater capacity for general surgery services, and strengthen after-hours coverage while supporting the alliance’s emergency departments, obstetrical services and growing breast health program.
“This is an important step forward for surgical care at the alliance and for the communities we serve,” said Esther Millar, president and chief executive officer. “Building a two-surgeon model gives us greater stability, capacity, and flexibility. It also strengthens our ability to support emergency and obstetrical care and to play a larger role in meeting surgical needs across our region. We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Graham to the hospitals alliance.”
“Our board is focused on ensuring that people in rural communities have access to excellent care, close to home, and this recruitment is a powerful example of that commitment in action,” said Derek Mendez, chairman of the alliance's board of directors. “The growth of our surgical program means greater access, stronger services, and a more sustainable hospital system for the communities we serve. It also demonstrates what rural hospitals can achieve when we invest in excellent people and build programs designed for the future.”
The hospitals alliance operates a cross-site surgical program serving Listowel, Wingham and surrounding communities. The program provides a range of general surgical procedures and diagnostic services, including colonoscopies and gastroscopies, while supporting specialized programs, such as breast and obstetrical care.
Saba currently brings extensive experience to the program following many years of surgical practice in Nunavut. In addition to general surgery, he performs breast surgery as an integral part of the Listowel hospital's breast health program and provides surgical support to the obstetrical program, including Caesarian sections.
Graham will work within these same core areas, including general surgery, breast care, obstetrical support and endoscopic procedures.
“I grew up on a farm in southern Ontario, and I am excited to build my practice in a rural community, providing surgical care that is so important to keep patients and families close to home,” said Graham. “I look forward to delivering a broad range of general surgical services to support the community while working closely with colleagues to provide a multi-disciplinary patient care team. This hospitals alliance has an exciting surgical program, and I am very pleased to be joining the team.”
Graham completed her undergraduate and Master’s Degrees at Western University before attending St. George’s University School of Medicine as part of the Keith B. Taylor Global Scholars Program. Her medical education included training in various countries, such as the United Kingdom, Grenada, and the United States (U.S.).
She subsequently completed general surgery residency training at Henry Ford St. John Hospital, a Level I trauma centre in Detroit, Michigan. During her residency, Graham cared for high-acuity, complex surgical patients and received extensive training in minimally-invasive surgical techniques, trauma, emergency general surgery, and surgical oncology. Her research has included trauma surgery, vascular surgery, and surgical oncology, with work published in peer-reviewed journals and numerous research presentation awards in the U.S.
Graham has held leadership roles with the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Surgeons and the American Board of Surgery, serving to develop a model of competency-based surgical training.
Her recruitment builds on a broader surgical model that brings both permanent and visiting surgeons and specialists to the hospitals alliance. Visiting services at Listowel include gynecology, orthopedics, urology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, dental surgery, general surgery, maxillofacial procedures and gastroenterology. Wingham also hosts visiting specialists providing ear, nose and throat (ENT), urology, orthopedics, dental and general surgical services.
This model provides patients with access to a broader range of specialized services closer to home while making productive use of available operating room and clinic capacity. It also allows the alliance to support regional efforts to improve surgical access and reduce wait-times by making capacity available to surgeons and patients from outside the immediate area, when appropriate.
The alliance continues to participate actively in regional surgical planning, including specialty-specific networks and broader regional discussions aimed at improving access, reducing wait-times, and developing sustainable models of surgical care. It sees its surgical program as an important part of the regional solution, while continuing to strengthen care for the communities of Listowel, Wingham, and surrounding areas.
The hospitals alliance appreciates the efforts of Dr. Jennifer Ford, Jan McKague, and Saba, who were instrumental in Graham’s recruitment, and to the operating room staff, surgical service, and anesthesia, for creating a welcoming environment and enabling change and growth in the surgical program.
Graham will begin practising at the hospitals alliance, this month.
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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