Dr. Sarah Cook
Dr. Sarah Cook
MD, CCFP, FCFP, CCPE, CHE
President
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Dr. Sarah Cook was confirmed by members in 2024 as Director, holding the office of President-Elect. In 2025 she was acclaimed as Director, currently holding the office of President for the 2025/26 term. She will be the Past President for the 2026/27 term.
Dr. Sarah Cook is a family physician based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where she provides comprehensive community-based primary care, including general practitioner oncology and maternity care.
Originally from Nova Scotia, Dr. Cook earned her medical degree from Dalhousie University and completed her family medicine residency at the University of Ottawa. During both, she took an interest in Indigenous approaches to health and wellness and sought out rural experiences including in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. She relocated to Yellowknife in 2008, drawn by the opportunity to practise full-scope family medicine and to learn from Northern and Indigenous communities. Her work continues to be guided by a commitment to listening and learning.
Although she has been in the north for most of this time, she lived and worked “back home” in Nova Scotia in 2022- 2023, providing and teaching primary care both at an urban Indigenous health clinic (Wije’winen) and at the Dalhousie Department of Family Medicine’s teaching clinic, while also working as the Chief for the Department of Family Medicine – Maternal Newborn Care at the IWK Health Centre.
Dr. Cook holds the Canadian Certified Physician Executive and Certified Health Executive designations. She has held a range of leadership roles at both territorial and national levels, bringing a strong voice for equitable, community-driven care.
Outside of medicine, she enjoys exploring the outdoors by sailboat, canoe, skis, or on foot—often alongside her husband, three children, and their energetic husky—and as a certified fitness instructor, she teaches community classes to share her love of physical activity.
Dr. Sarah Cook is a family physician based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where she provides comprehensive community-based primary care, including general practitioner oncology and maternity care.
Originally from Nova Scotia, Dr. Cook earned her medical degree from Dalhousie University and completed her family medicine residency at the University of Ottawa. During both, she took an interest in Indigenous approaches to health and wellness and sought out rural experiences including in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. She relocated to Yellowknife in 2008, drawn by the opportunity to practise full-scope family medicine and to learn from Northern and Indigenous communities. Her work continues to be guided by a commitment to listening and learning.
Although she has been in the north for most of this time, she lived and worked “back home” in Nova Scotia in 2022- 2023, providing and teaching primary care both at an urban Indigenous health clinic (Wije’winen) and at the Dalhousie Department of Family Medicine’s teaching clinic, while also working as the Chief for the Department of Family Medicine – Maternal Newborn Care at the IWK Health Centre.
Dr. Cook holds the Canadian Certified Physician Executive and Certified Health Executive designations. She has held a range of leadership roles at both territorial and national levels, bringing a strong voice for equitable, community-driven care.
Outside of medicine, she enjoys exploring the outdoors by sailboat, canoe, skis, or on foot—often alongside her husband, three children, and their energetic husky—and as a certified fitness instructor, she teaches community classes to share her love of physical activity.