Doctors’ Day takes place in Canada each year on May 1 to recognize and celebrate the critical role physicians play in our collective health and wellbeing. In this profile series, we’re pleased to shine a light on a few physicians working across Nova Scotia Health zones. Read all Doctors Day profiles here.
Dr. Mashallah Masoumi-Ravandi’s career in medicine has taken him across continents and communities, eventually landing him and his family in the perfect Nova Scotia setting.
From his early training in England, to his long‑standing work in rural Nova Scotia, his story reflects a deep commitment to family medicine and the relationships that make it meaningful.
Born in Iran, Mashallah was accepted to medical school there but left due to his political beliefs, ending up in London, England, where he began his medical degree and started pursuing surgery in 1995.
During that period, he also married and had his first of two sons. It was then that he realized the demands of surgery weren’t going to allow him any time with his family. So, he changed direction and first tried emergency medicine before deciding on family medicine around 2001.
“I never saw myself enjoying family medicine, but life proved me wrong,” says Mashallah.
The high cost of living and long commute in London began to take its toll, and his family started to explore other possibilities when he came across an advertisement for Canada.
He contacted someone from Newfoundland and Labrador, and his family decided to pack up and move from busy London to Fogo Island– a remote Newfoundland community with a population of under 2,000.
“That turned out to be the best decision. It had many limitations, but the people were extremely kind and down to earth,” says Mashallah.
Fogo Island gave their family the chance to slow down and spend time together, but after a couple years they were ready for a bit faster pace again as the kids got closer to high school. They wanted to stay in Canada and began considering Nova Scotia.
“We visited Halifax, and as soon as I saw the traffic, I realized I was no longer a city person,” he recalls.
The town they settled on was Truro, where the pace of life was slower than a city but faster than a remote island. It was a perfect fit.
“Within a month of arriving in 2007, we bought a house. The kids loved the school, we had supportive neighbours and we built strong friendships. In big cities, you don’t always find that community connection,” says Mashallah.
He started out working alongside other doctors and slowly built up his own roster of patients, some of whom he has been seeing for close to two decades now. His days are filled with patient appointments, but he also teaches medical students and residents through Dalhousie University, and mentors international medicine graduates through programs like PACE (Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence). One of his sons even decided to follow in his footsteps and is completing his medical residency in urology in Halifax.
“When you practise family medicine in a rural setting, you’re not just part of the patient’s family – they become part of your family too,” says Mashallah. “You follow people through all the ups and downs of life including relationships, grief and rebuilding their lives. Over time, that relationship becomes deeply meaningful.”
Family medicine has provided Mashallah with everything he wanted in a career. After spending his days with patients, he gets to go home, spend time with his family, and still have enough time for hobbies and friends.
Some of his hobbies include wood working, epoxy, fishing, gardening, building and fixing things, home renovation, cooking Middle Eastern food and boating with family and friends.
Patients know about his love of fishing and will share some of their best fishing spots. And Mashallah even makes handmade wood and epoxy graduation gifts for his medical residents.
“I wake up every day and look forward to going to work,” he says. “I believe I was meant for family medicine.”
Nova Scotia Health is proud to partner with Doctors Nova Scotia on in-zone activations this Doctors Day. Keep an eye out for pop-ups across the province on-and-around May 1, as we come together to share a heartfelt thanks to Nova Scotia doctors.
Photos of (1) Dr. Mashallah Masoumi-Ravandi and (2) one of his handmade wood and epoxy pieces of art.
