Congratulations to our physicians in recently being honored at the Doctors Manitoba 2017 Awards:
Dr. Klassen completed a Bachelor of Science in 1970 and a teachers certificate in 1972 at the University of Manitoba. Subsequently, he entered the medicine program at the University of Manitoba where he completed his medical degree in 1976 and training in family medicine and anesthesia from 1976 to 1978.
Dr. Klassen has been a dedicated family physician in Winkler and the Boundary Trails Health Centre since 1978. His work at the hospital includes having privileges in family medicine, anesthesia, and emergency medicine. In addition to his work in the above clinical areas, Dr. Klassen has been the medical director for Manitoba’s Office of Rural and Northern Health since 2002 and has been an Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba, Department of Family Medicine since 2003. In 2010, Dr. Klassen was appointed Associate Head (Distributed Medical Education), Department of Family Medicine at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Klassen has received a number of Awards and Honors for his medical work including being selected Manitoba Family Physician of the Year by the Manitoba College of Family Physicians, and was named Citizen of the Year by the City of Winkler in 2014. In 2015, Dr. Klassen was awarded the Rural Long Service Award by the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada. Dr. Klassen is married to Betty and they have two married sons, two wonderful daughters-in-law and 5 grandsons (Liam age 14, Asher 11, Adam 6, twins Graeme and Alex 4).
Dr. Booy completed his medical degree at the University of Manitoba in 1977. He started practicing in Winkler in 1983.
Dr. Booy has been active in providing the broadest level of rural Family Practice including emergency, obstetric and anaesthesia services, as well as inpatient and outpatient care for many years. Dr. Booy has had a sincere and sustained commitment to work with Medical Missions. He showed an early interest in this in medical school. With the help of a Readers Digest International Scholarship he did his Third year elective period in the Republic of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). As a result of that experience, following his Family Medicine Residency, he added further training in obstetrics and anaesthesia so that he could provide these services in underprivileged countries. After completing his training and a two month locum in Winkler, he moved to Pakistan with his wife Katie and their oldest daughter Michelle where he served at Bach Christian Hospital from 1980 to 1982. He then moved back to Winkler, but returned to Pakistan for 3 months in 1985/86. Dr. Booy wanted his children to experience serving people in the developing world. He worked on several two week projects with Medical Ministries International accompanied by each of his children. These included the Dominican Republic in 1997 and 1999 and Equador in 2001. This led to other opportunities to serve on projects in Bolivia, Peru, the Dominican Republic and most recently Haiti. In addition to his medical career, he and his wife worked with youth through their church for 10 years. Their service projects for underprivileged communities included street work, soup kitchens and building with Habitat for Humanity.
On retiring from youth work, they began fostering children. Over time this resulted in the adoption of their two sons. Dr. Booy has shown a persistent love of providing service to those in underprivileged countries and communities. He models that service to his colleagues, his family and his community.
