Leadership. Service. Impact. Meet the 2026 SMA Award recipients.
Across Saskatchewan, physicians and medical learners are finding new ways to strengthen patient care, support their colleagues and shape the future of the profession.
This year, the Saskatchewan Medical Association is recognizing seven members of the medical community whose leadership, service and commitment are making a difference in medicine in Saskatchewan.
The 2026 SMA Award recipients will be celebrated at the Fall Awards Night & Dinner on Friday, Oct. 30, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. at Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina.
Meet this year’s recipients:
Dr. Jonathan Hey: Physician of the Year
For more than 35 years, Dr. Jonathan Hey has helped strengthen family medicine, medical education and maternal health care in Saskatchewan.
Dr. Hey led the development of Saskatoon’s 24/7 in-house family physician coverage model for labour and delivery and created the Roster Doctor system for newborn care.
His influence has also extended nationally through 15 years of service with the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada’s ALARM Committee, including seven years as co-chair, helping advance obstetrical emergency training and clinical guidance across Canada.
Dr. Jess Melle: Physician Leader of the Year
A strong advocate for family medicine, Dr. Jess Melle has worked to strengthen both the profession and the role family physicians play within Saskatchewan’s health system.
Through his leadership with the Section of Family Medicine Board, Dr. Melle has championed collaborative, team-based care and stronger connections between learners and community-based family medicine.
His advocacy also helped secure formal recognition of family physicians as specialists in Saskatchewan, an important milestone recognizing the expertise required to provide comprehensive family medicine.
Dr. Andre Grobler: Board of Directors Appreciation Award
For Dr. Andre Grobler, connecting with physicians where they live and work has been a defining part of his leadership with the SMA.
A family physician based in Prince Albert, Dr. Grobler joined the SMA Board of Directors in 2017 and served as SMA President in 2024-25. His broad practice includes family medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics, GP surgery and hospitalist care. He is also director of the Enhanced Surgical Skills Program in Prince Albert for the Department of Academic Family Medicine.
As SMA President, he reshaped the President and Vice-President’s Tour around a simple goal: meet as many physicians as possible, preferably in their own communities. His direct and candid approach brought a strong physician voice to conversations with government, health-system leaders and colleagues across Saskatchewan.
Dr. Rizqi Ibrahim: SMA Service Award
Few careers reflect a commitment to organized medicine as deeply as that of Dr. Rizqi Ibrahim.
The retired Swift Current family physician has contributed more than four decades of leadership and service, including roles on the SMA and Canadian Medical Association boards, service as SMA President in 1990-91, and more than 35 years as a Representative Assembly delegate.
His contributions have touched negotiations, economics, primary health care, uninsured services and physician advocacy, while helping encourage generations of colleagues to become involved in organized medicine.
Dr. Zoher Rafid-Hamed: Resident Leader of the Year
Dr. Zoher Rafid-Hamed is helping shape medical education and physician leadership both in Saskatchewan and nationally.
A second-year Internal Medicine resident at the University of Saskatchewan who grew up in Unity, Dr. Rafid-Hamed serves as Vice-President of Resident Doctors of Saskatchewan and as a Board Director with the Canadian Residency Matching Service.
His work also extends into research focused on patient safety, transparent medical error disclosure and artificial intelligence in health care and medical education.
Dr. Ankit Kapur: Early Career Physician Leader of the Year
Dr. Ankit Kapur has built a reputation for turning ideas into action.
An emergency and family physician in Regina, Dr. Kapur is Managing Director of The Nest Health Centre, where he has helped develop an innovative team-based model that brings family physicians, specialists and allied health professionals together under one roof.
He is also founder and Medical Director of Prairie POCUS, which delivers more than 45 point-of-care ultrasound courses each year, and served as president of the Regina Medical Staff Association from 2024 to 2026.
Shawn Silver: Student Leader of the Year
Leadership and mentorship have been constants throughout Shawn Silver’s journey into medicine.
A fourth-year medical student at the University of Saskatchewan, Silver served as President of the Student Medical Society of Saskatchewan during the 2024-25 academic year, representing more than 400 students and helping advance safe and inclusive learning environments, student supports and organizational accountability.
Before medical school, Silver worked as a critical care and emergency nurse with STARS Air Ambulance and Royal University Hospital. Today, he continues to share that experience through peer teaching, mentorship and work to improve medical education.
The SMA congratulates all of the 2026 award recipients and thanks them for the many ways they strengthen medicine, their communities and patient care across Saskatchewan.
Join us in celebrating the 2026 SMA Award recipients at the Fall Awards Night & Dinner, Friday, Oct. 30, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. at Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina.