Local News
Lorne Bellan, Winnipeg’s first oculoplastic surgeon, looks back on nearly 35 year-career
By MYRON LOVE Ophthalmologist Dr. Lorne Bellan, Winnipeg’s first oculoplastic surgeon has retired. He stepped down at the end of June after a career spanning almost 35 years.
“One issue was that I was finding the physical aspects of my work becoming increasingly difficult,” he says. “It was particularly hard on my neck and shoulders.
‘I also felt that it was time for me to make way for new people.”
Lorne Bellan is the son of the late Ruben Bellan, a greatly respected economist and University of Manitoba professor, and his equally accomplished wife, Ruth. The future ophthalmologist grew up in River Heights. He attended Ramah in his early years and, later, River Heights School and Grant Park.
“I did my Grade 12 year in England,” he recalls. “My dad was on a sabbatical year in England.”
In university (at the U of M), his interests were in Math and Science. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after graduation,” he notes. “Some of my friends encouraged me to consider medicine.”
Berllan graduated from UBC with a specialty in oculoplastic surgery and, in 1991, joined the staff of the Health Sciences Centre as Winnipeg’s first oculoplastic surgeon.
He relocated to the Misericordia Eye Centre in 1994 when all surgical eye care in the city was consolidated there.
“Basically, an oculoplastic surgeon deals with all structures pertaining to the eyelids and orbit,” Bellan explains -“conditions such as tearing issues, droopy eyelids, traumatic injuries and cancers.”
He shared an anecdote about one case that stood out. “I had a patient who was deaf and mute,” he recounts. “He communicated by writing. But his cataracts were so bad that he had to use crayons and his letters were really big. After the surgery, when he returned to see me, he was using a fine pen and much smaller print.”
Bellan was not only a surgeon but also an educator and leader in his field. He taught in the Maxwell Rady School of Medicine’s Ophthalmology Department for 33 years. In 2001 he became Department Head and served as the chair for 20 years. He was the driving force in establishing the Ophthalmology Residency Program in Manitoba. He also created and ran the undergraduate teaching curriculum.
Bellan was recognized nationally for his research interests in Ophthalmology health human resources and wait times and was a leader in promoting ergonomics for ophthalmologists.
At the national level, he has served with the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) in numerous capacities over the years. He chaired the Council on Provincial Affairs and the COS Clinical Practice Guideline for Cataract Surgery committee. Bellan was the COS representative to the Wait Time Alliance where he was elected by the 14 medical societies to be chair and spokesperson. He served on the COS Board of Directors for 9 years and was the COS President in 2009-11. During his term he commissioned the first guideline for ethical charging for uninsured ophthalmic services.
For the past six years, Bellan has been the chair of the Royal College Ophthalmology Specialty Committee and has served on that committee for over 20 years. He notes that he will be stepping down from that position at the next AGFM in June, 2025.
Last year, the COS recognized Bellan with its Lifetime Achievement award.
In retirement, Bellan is looking forward to spending time reading, exercising and spending winters in the south. For now, Bellan and his wife of 43 years, Dr. Bonnie Cham, are busy packing up their house for the move to their new condo.
Bonnie, he notes, was a pediatric oncologist who was also chair of the Canadian Association of Medical Ethics. She retired a few years ago.
Bellan is proud to report that – as is often the case in families – two of the couple’s three sons have gone into the “family business”. Eldest son, David, is an ER doctor in Vancouver while second son, Gary, is a family doctor at the St. Boniface clinic. Youngest son, Jonathan, has chosen to pursue a career in engineering.
Lorne Bellan does have one regret. It is that the young doctor from England who was supposed to replace him bowed out two weeks before he was scheduled to arrive.
“There are efforts underway to recruit another oculoplastic surgeon,” he reports. “There is an Israeli doctor in training whom we hope will be coming here soon.”
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First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students
By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard. Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging.
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty. “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”
Local News
Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition
By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”
