The Prairie Mountain Health Brandon Satellite Residency Program welcomed seven new family medicine residents this September, as the program continues to grow in an effort to bring more doctors to rural Manitoba.
The new residents are Taylor Bloomfield, Sam Narvey, Yamini Sharma, Yuliia Khudina, Shay Yakobov, YaeChan Son, and Eman Osman. Sarramma Mathai is also joining as the PGY2 Senior Admin Resident. They are among 13 family medicine residents in years one and two, two entering year three of family medicine residency in emergency medicine, 10 psychiatric residents, and one anesthesia resident entering year four.
In June 2026, the program graduated seven physicians: five family medicine residents and two residents in the enhanced-skills emergency medicine (CCFP-EM) stream. Most are staying in Manitoba, with several doing locum work within Prairie Mountain Health, one working in the Brandon emergency room, and another pursuing further training in Winnipeg.
The Brandon Satellite Residency Program started in 2013 and is run in partnership with the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine. It trains family doctors, psychiatrists, and emergency physicians in rural settings with the goal of increasing the number of doctors who stay to practise in smaller communities.
Prairie Mountain Health says the program has greatly increased the number of physicians who continue to practise in rural and remote communities after graduating.
This year’s Clinical Teaching Awards went to Dr. Brian Bookatz, chosen by family medicine residents; Dr. Jason Kilimnik, chosen by medical students; and Dr. Joel Braun, chosen by psychiatry residents.
The growth comes as western Manitoba lost eight doctors in the past year, even as the province added 196 physicians overall. The Manitoba government announced in July 2025 that 10 new doctor training seats would be created in Brandon by fall 2026, doubling capacity to 20 seats as part of a $56-million health funding package.
