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The Deep River and District Hospital (DRDH) is thrilled to be welcoming two new physicians to our community.
Dr. Peter Ceponis and Dr. Michael Sage will both be coming to Deep River in the fall of 2021, adding to our community’s complement of family physicians.
Dr. Ceponis will be taking over for Dr. Terry McVey, who recently announced that after 33 fulfilling years, he will be retiring from his office-based family medicine practice at the end of this summer. Along with Dr. Ceponis, Dr. Sage will also be joining the ‘Family Health Organization’ physician group which includes Drs. Bushby, Greenfield and Noulty.
To put your name on the waitlist for doctors accepting new patients in our area, please call Health Care Connect at 800-445-1822 or click here to visit the Health Care Connect website.Dr. Ceponis will be assuming care for existing patients of Dr. McVey, and will not be taking on any additional patients at this time.
Although Dr. McVey is retiring from his family medicine practice, he will continue to provide care for residents of our local Long-Term Care homes, in-patients at the Deep River and District Hospital, and will continue his work as a Coroner for Renfrew County.
Lauren McVey and Dr. Terry McVey
Dr. McVey’s nurse, wife, and partner, Lauren McVey will be staying on for a period of time to aid in the transition for Dr. Sage, Dr. Ceponis, and Courtney Ceponis, before entering into a well-deserved retirement herself. Courtney Ceponis, a Registered Dietitian, will be assuming Lauren’s role within the practice.
Both new physicians may be familiar faces to many in Deep River already, as Dr. Ceponis has helped to provide coverage in the DRDH Emergency Department since 2012, and Dr. Sage is a Deep River local, returning home after living out west for a number of years.
Dr. Ceponis has been working as a physician in the Canadian Armed Forces since 2010, currently with the rank of Major. After completing his BSc in Toxicology at the University of Guelph in 1998, he completed his MSc in GI Physiology at McMaster University in 2000, and then his PhD in Microbiology at the University of Toronto in 2004. He completed medical school at the University of Toronto in 2008, and completed his Family Medicine Residency at Dalhousie University in 2010. Highlights of Dr. Ceponis’ military career include a deployment as NATO Medical Advisor in Baghdad, two trips to Canada’s Arctic, and supporting Navy clearance divers in Ukraine. Dr. Ceponis and his wife Courtney currently live in Petawawa with their two young children.
Dr. Sage completed his BSc in Kinesiology and Physical Education at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2006, where he also completed his MSc in Kinesiology in 2009, and then his PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences / Neurosciences at the University of Toronto in 2015. He completed medical school at the University of Calgary in 2019, and completed his Family Medicine Residency at the Strathcona Site of the University of British Columbia earlier this year. Dr. Sage will be returning to the area with his wife Claire Sage (nee: Leitch), who also grew up in Deep River, and their three young children.
“I am very grateful and I feel very comfortable having such a caring and competent doctor who will be able to step in to provide continuity of care and ensure that my patients will not be left without a doctor once I retire,” expressed Dr. McVey.
In addition to their family medicine practices, Dr. Ceponis and Dr. Sage will also both be providing care for in-patients and supporting the Emergency Department at the Deep River and District Hospital.
DRDH President and CEO, Janna Hotson, expressed her excitement to welcome these two new physicians to our community. “This is an exciting announcement for our community, as we are gaining two exceptional doctors with impressive clinical and educational experiences to provide first-class care to the people of North Renfrew. Increasing the complement of primary care physicians in our community provides more people with access to a family doctor locally”. Janna also extended best wishes on behalf of the Deep River and District Hospital to Dr. McVey on his retirement stating, “All of us at DRDH extend a sincere ‘thank you’ to Dr. McVey for his years of service and wish he and Lauren all the best in retirement”.
"Dr. McVey has been our valued colleague and friend for many years,” expressed Dr. Barb Bushby on behalf of all of the physicians in Deep River. “His leadership, compassion, and excellent patient care will be missed by our group and the community. We wish Dr. McVey and Lauren the very best in their retirement”.
Dr. Bushby went on to say that, “We are also very excited to welcome Dr. Ceponis and Dr. Sage to our local physician group. We have known Dr. Ceponis for several years as a part of our Emergency Department team, and we look forward to welcoming Dr. Sage back to his hometown. We are fortunate to have two excellent physicians who have chosen to join our physician group and Deep River as the community in which to set up their practices”.
The Deep River and District Hospital formed a “Medical Recruitment Team” in 2019, which primarily looks at physician recruitment and retention for our community. In addition to welcoming these two new physicians, the Medical Recruitment Team remains active with recruitment efforts underway for a role in the Family Health Team, as well as additional roles in the Emergency Department, and future planning.
The three municipalities of Deep River, Laurentian Hills, and Head, Clara & Maria recognize that recruiting and retaining physicians in North Renfrew is crucial to the physical and economic health of our communities. The four-party partnership with the North Renfrew Health Campus enables recruitment and retention activities to be supported.
Please join the Deep River and District Hospital in providing Dr. Ceponis, Dr. Sage, and their families a warm welcome to our community.
Dr. Peter and Courtney Ceponis and family 
Dr. Michael and Claire Sage and family
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