Dr. Sarah Lespérance
Dr. Sarah Lespérance
MD, CCFP, FCFP, FRRMS
Director-at-Large
Amherst, Nova Scotia | Locum family physician, Nunavut
Dr. Sarah Lespérance was elected by CFPC members in 2024 for a three-year Director-at-Large term.
Dr. Lespérance is a rural generalist physician, who currently practises in the region of Mi'kma'ki that is Nova Scotia, in Nunavut, and recently in the Northwest Territories, on the traditional lands of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. She provides 10 weeks a year of clinical service to those living in the north of Canada. Her comprehensive practice includes obstetrics, in-patient care, community practice for individuals of all ages, as well as fly-in clinics to health centres in Inuit Nunangat, where acute care, collaboration with community health nurses, and chronic disease management are all part of the work. After completing residency at Dalhousie University, she has lived and worked for extended periods in rural and remote areas of Yukon, Labrador, Nunavut, and New Brunswick.
Dr. Lespérance has held a variety of leadership roles including as the Chair of the CFPC’s Self-Learning Committee and in medical education, family medicine maternity care, and continued professional development for family physicians. Her research interests are varied, from resilience of rural family physicians, latent tuberculosis treatment in Nunavut, factors impacting individuals' choice of maternity care provider, and, most recently, supporting rural women physicians in leadership. She recently ended a two-year term as President of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) and will continue to serve as Past President until April 2025.
As a leader, Dr. Lespérance takes a collaborative approach, focusing on finding common ground and mutual respect. She is an advocate for high-quality family medicine education that responds to the needs of rural communities while understanding the needs of those who practise in bigger centres. Dr. Lespérance is also a clinical assistant professor at Dalhousie University.
Dr. Lespérance is passionate about equity, inclusion, reconciliation, and care close to home, and feels strongly that family physicians have a critical role to play in the health care system.
Dr. Lespérance is a rural generalist physician, who currently practises in the region of Mi'kma'ki that is Nova Scotia, in Nunavut, and recently in the Northwest Territories, on the traditional lands of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. She provides 10 weeks a year of clinical service to those living in the north of Canada. Her comprehensive practice includes obstetrics, in-patient care, community practice for individuals of all ages, as well as fly-in clinics to health centres in Inuit Nunangat, where acute care, collaboration with community health nurses, and chronic disease management are all part of the work. After completing residency at Dalhousie University, she has lived and worked for extended periods in rural and remote areas of Yukon, Labrador, Nunavut, and New Brunswick.
Dr. Lespérance has held a variety of leadership roles including as the Chair of the CFPC’s Self-Learning Committee and in medical education, family medicine maternity care, and continued professional development for family physicians. Her research interests are varied, from resilience of rural family physicians, latent tuberculosis treatment in Nunavut, factors impacting individuals' choice of maternity care provider, and, most recently, supporting rural women physicians in leadership. She recently ended a two-year term as President of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) and will continue to serve as Past President until April 2025.
As a leader, Dr. Lespérance takes a collaborative approach, focusing on finding common ground and mutual respect. She is an advocate for high-quality family medicine education that responds to the needs of rural communities while understanding the needs of those who practise in bigger centres. Dr. Lespérance is also a clinical assistant professor at Dalhousie University.
Dr. Lespérance is passionate about equity, inclusion, reconciliation, and care close to home, and feels strongly that family physicians have a critical role to play in the health care system.