Benefits of Connector Program highlighted by new physician’s arrival
January 29, 2025

Dr. Coakley joined the oncology team at Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital in October and was celebrated with a welcoming reception co-hosted by the Municipality of Inverness County and the Cape Breton Partnership, which administers the Welcome Network and the Connector Program on the island.
Keith MacDonald, CAO of the Municipality of Inverness County, noted the importance of supporting healthcare provision in the municipality. “We’ve partnered with the province for funding and we’ve welcomed Lynn Carter to her new role as Healthcare Navigator to help attract and retain new healthcare professionals to the area.”
“I think this is the first time that we’ve collaborated on connecting with a healthcare professional, and I think that’s a really important step for the Connector Program,” says Ocean Le, who heads up the program. “When people want to live in a specific area, they want to ensure there’s adequate health care. I’d like to do more of it.”
Held at the Inverness County Centre for the Arts, the public reception featured live music and refreshments, and was a valuable networking opportunity that Le hopes may eventually attract more healthcare professionals to the county.

The Connector Program matches community and business leaders (connectors) with local and international graduates, newcomers and other qualified professionals (connectees) in their industry of expertise.
Le says a big part of the program is its new regular newcomer community socials, which the Partnership organizes to instill a sense of belonging for newcomers and helps to grow a network that will make it easier to attract and retain professionals.
He says the program has worked a great deal with international students attending Cape Breton University, but he’s looking forward to working more in places like Inverness County.
“We do find there’s a really good success rate when people are matched in a rural area because rural people are more engaged, and the connectors really want the connectees to have a really great quality of life and are meeting really quality individuals to grow their professional network.”
No stranger to Cape Breton, Dr. Coakley was born in Sydney and spent summers in Baddeck with her family. She was also based in Inverness, working at the hospital as a rural primary and emergency care physician from 2004 to 2006.
Dr. Coakley received her medical degree from Queen’s University in 2001 and completed her residency in 2003 in the university’s Department of Family Medicine. Over the next several years, she practiced emergency and outpatient family medicine throughout Ontario and Nova Scotia, often working in remote, rural communities.
In 2008, she relocated to Calgary, working as a hospitalist locum at the Peter Lougheed Centre and practicing outpatient family medicine and urgent care at the Sheldon Chumir Urgent Care Center. In 2009, after completing her Diploma of Tropical Medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, she began practicing at the Calgary Refugee Health Program where, in 2012, she became medical director, a post she held until last year. She is also the Medical Director of the Alberta International Medical Graduates Association (AIMGA).
Dr. Coakley has dedicated her medical career to caring for marginalized and vulnerable patients, including refugees who often arrive in Canada dealing with myriad health issues after enduring unimaginable trauma. In 2016, she marshalled the community to welcome and care for the influx of Syrian refugees coming to Calgary, establishing satellite clinics and caring for those who arrive battling illness, injury or trauma. Over the course of 2017 and 2018, she helped welcome the Yazidi refugees to Calgary, providing health care to this highly traumatized population.

During the height of the pandemic, Dr. Coakley helped lead the health response to the COVID-19 outbreak at meat-packing plants near Calgary, specifically evaluating patient experience to improve the quality of care in the future. She worked with AHS Public Health, Primary Care Networks and immigrant-serving agencies to address the needs of the impacted workers while in isolation and quarantine. Subsequently, she became active in advocating for and providing on-site vaccination clinics at the meat-packing plants themselves.
Currently the co-chair of the International Refugee and Migration Health Conference, Dr. Coakley has also been the recipient of several healthcare awards for her dedicated service to her patients, including: Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal – for contributions and service to Alberta (2023); Dr. Mark Sosnowski Award – Mosaic Primary Care Network Champion for Primary Care (2019); and the Compassionate Services Award – Alberta Medical Association (2016).
Her most recent award is the 2024 Jean-Pierre Despins Award which was presented by the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine of the College of Family Physicians of Canada in October in Vancouver. This award recognizes one family physician in Canada each year, identified as an outstanding advocate and public spokesperson for family medicine.
When asked what it felt like to be back in Cape Breton, Dr Coakley said, “I am so happy to be back in a community that practices kindness and compassion for others. It also feels so good to return home where people are placed first before power or politics. I’m very excited to explore more of the island by bike – this is a big hobby of mine. It feels great to be home!”


