Zaharo Katsios MD CCFP

William M. Glenn

Like so many love stories, this one started in a coffee shop in Greece. That’s where Dr Zaharo Katsios met her future husband, Bill. She had just finished her medical training, while he was taking a short Mediterranean vacation before launching a career in architecture back home in Canada.

Shorty after, Dr Katsios married Bill, moved to Canada, and started a family. Every spare hour was spent studying to pass her qualifying examinations and obtain an internship position. This was followed by a family medicine residency at Western University, earning her Certification in family medicine. And for the past 21 years she has managed a close-knit family practice—“it’s just me, my patients, and my secretary”—in London, Ont.

Dr Katsios quickly fell in love with her adopted country … and with family medicine. “I’m still so happy to get up and go to work every morning,” she says. “It’s a traditional family practice. It was very small when I took it over, but over the years it has grown to a busy practice.”

Her patients represent a range of social and ethnic backgrounds. “They are a true reflection of our Canadian society and I have found it so rewarding to serve them for all these years,” she says. She is very proud that her first pediatric patients are now bringing their own children to her office.

While the work can be demanding, she still maintains a strong family life. She and Bill still live in the same house they bought 20 years ago. Their oldest daughter, Christina, is an intensive care fellow and their younger daughter, Anna, is a junior architect following in her father’s footsteps.

In her free time, Dr Katsios works in her flower garden, takes long walks, and enjoys preparing healthy Mediterranean meals for her family. “We also love traveling,” she says. “We love learning the history of new places, exploring museums, and, of course, appreciating architecture.” Although she has traveled widely, going back to her birthplace by the Ionian Sea is very special to her.

Unfortunately, longer vacations are not feasible. Finding locum coverage for her practice is difficult, and although colleagues are kind to cover for her, “I have to get back to the office,” she says. “We are very accommodating to our patients. If they call with a problem, we do our very best to see them that day.” It is not uncommon to start the morning with 2 or 3 walk-ins and then to squeeze a couple more in at lunch. Dr Katsios doesn’t turn anybody away.

While managing a solo family medicine practice has its own challenges, Dr Katsios remains passionate and excited about her work. “I like what I do. Following my long-term patients throughout their lives makes family medicine a very rewarding journey,” she smiles. “I can’t imagine doing anything else!”

“[My patients] are a true reflection of our Canadian society”

PHOTOS (LEFT): Dr Katsios at home in her kitchen.

PHOTOS: Dr Katsios in her garden (above). From top down: Dr Katsios and Bill enjoying tea; Dr Katsios on the island of Santorini in Greece (photo submitted by Dr Katsios), reading at home, and gardening.

Footnotes

Dr Katsios is a family physician practising in London, Ont.
THE COVER PROJECT Canadian Family Physician has embarked on a project to assemble the portrait of family medicine in Canada. Each cover of the journal features a family physician chosen at random from our membership list, along with a short essay—a brief glimpse of the person and the practice. Over time, the randomness will become representative and the differences, taken together, will define what it is that all family physicians have in common.