Physician Chiefs

Chief of Emergency Medicine

Dr. Joe Cherian, BSc, MD, CCFP (EM)

Dr. Joe Cherian graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1989 and later his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Manitoba in 1993. He received his Emergency Medicine certification from McMaster University in 1996. Other areas in which he has furthered his expertise include: emergency department ultrasound, pediatric advanced life support, neonatal resuscitation, advanced cardiac life support and acute trauma life support. 

Dr. Cherian began his professional career as an Emergency Room Physician at Brantford General Hospital and Hamilton Health Sciences in 1996. He joined Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) in 2001 as an Emergency Room Physician and since that time he has been appointed as the Interim Chief of Emergency Medicine (2010), Assistant Chief of Emergency Medicine (2012) and accepted his current role as Chief of Emergency Medicine in 2015. He also remains active as an Emergency Room Physician at St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Hamilton. Dr. Cherian is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine at McMaster University and was the clinical Teaching Unit Director at St. Joseph’s Healthcare from 2008 – 2012.

When Dr. Cherian is not practicing Emergency Medicine, he enjoys spending time with his family, scuba diving and snowboarding.

Chief of Family Medicine

Dr. Arshad Hack, BSc, MD

Dr. Arshad Hack has been a full service Family Doctor in Burlington, Ontario since 2009, providing outpatient care in his office, and both inpatient acute medical care and obstetrical care at Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH).

He completed his Bachelor of Science degree with honours at the University of Toronto followed by his Masters in Health Administration at Dalhousie University. He then went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Connecticut, and subsequently settled in Burlington while completing his Residency in Family Medicine at McMaster University.

Dr. Hack has been the Chief of the Department of Family Medicine at Joseph Brant Hospital since 2010 and Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University since 2009. He is also an active board member with the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation and is passionate about fundraising to improve the programs and services at JBH.

Dr. Hack has a special interest in full service community medicine, medical education and innovative programs and services that improve the healthcare experience. He currently lives in Oakville with his wife Dr. Crystal Hann and their two sons.

Chief of Pathology

Dr. Julian Hart, BSc, MD, MSc, FRCPC

Dr. Julian Hart has been a member of the medical staff at Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) for almost 30 years, and has been the Chief of Pathology and Medical Director of the Laboratory for 20 of those years.

Dr. Hart is first and foremost a surgical and cytopathologist involved in the diagnosis and staging of cancer, lymphoma and other malignancies. He is also engaged by coroners to aid them in medicolegal death investigations.

Prior to becoming Chief of Pathology at JBH, he was the Medical Director of a Gamma-Dynacare Laboratory. Dr. Hart has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology from the University of London (United Kingdom) and earned his Masters degree in Experimental Pathology and Toxicology from the Royal Postgraduate Medical School based out of Hammersmith Hospital in London (United Kingdom). He then completed his Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Toronto.

His postgraduate and speciality training was undertaken in Los Angeles and Toronto area hospitals. His research interests in the past have included prostate cancer and investigating the toxic effects of drugs on the liver.

He is a member of multiple medical organizations specific to the practice of Laboratory Medicine and is a longstanding member of the Hamilton Society of Pathologists. When he is not practicing medicine, Dr. Hart enjoys spending his free time with family and friends.

Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Dr. Christine Dejong, BSc, MSc, MD

Dr. Christine DeJong is Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Joseph Brant Hospital and Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster University. 

In addition to Obstetrics, Dr. DeJong has an interest in Urogynecology and Colposcopy.

After earning her BSc from Calvin College in 1987, Dr. DeJong attended graduate school at the University of Guelph, earning her MSc in 1989. In 1992 she graduated from McMaster University Medical School and entered a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Chief of Anaesthesia

Dr. Maneesh A. Deshpande, BSc, MD, MSc, FRCPC

After graduating with honours in Physiology from the University of Western Ontario in 1999, Dr. Maneesh Deshpande received the J.A.F Stevenson Gold Medal Award for graduating with the highest overall academic average in his class. He was also awarded the Sister Sheila Collins Bursary for Outstanding Volunteer service that same year. He continued on to earn his Masters in Physiology in 2001, including multiple scholarships for outstanding academic performance, before completing his Doctor of Medicine degree at Queen’s University in 2005. He completed his residency in Anaesthesia at the University of Toronto in 2010 and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Canada that same year.  

Dr. Deshpande began his career at Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) as an anaesthesiologist in 2010 and directed the Acute Pain Service as Physician Chair for the Acute Pain Task Force from 2012-2014. From 2013-2015 he served as a course consultant for Thompson Rivers University (Kamloops, British Columbia), working on the development of their Anaesthesia Assistant program curriculum. He is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) at McMaster University (Department of Anaesthesia). In 2014 Dr. Deshpande accepted the role of Chief of Anaesthesia at Joseph Brant Hospital.

 Dr. Deshpande’s research has been published in numerous scientific journals including the Biophysical Journal (2001), the American Journal of Physiology (2002) and Anaesthesia and Analgesia (2005). Outside of medicine Dr. Deshpande is an avid baseball fan. When not in the hospital, he spends his time travelling abroad, writing, and most of all, being a father.

Chief of Surgery

Dr. James Rogers, BSc, MD, FRCSC

Dr. James Rogers began his academic career at the University of Toronto, graduating with a double major in Mathematics and Biology in 1981. He went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1985 before completing an internship at the Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto. He completed both his General Surgery residency (1991) and his Critical Care Medicine Fellowship (1993) at McMaster University.

Dr. Rogers has served the Burlington community since 1994 having established a busy and thriving General Surgery and Adult Critical Care practice. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons with certification in General Surgery and Adult Critical Care Medicine.

Throughout his academic and professional career he has been awarded numerous honours including: multiple academic scholarships, Best Community Surgeon Award from McMaster University (2009) and most recently the Bill Love Sr. Distinction Award from Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) in 2016.

He is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Surgery, McMaster University, serving as a respected mentor for medical students and residents during their clinical rotations at JBH. He remains an active member of both the Department of Surgery and Critical Care Medicine at JBH and has served as the Chief of Surgery since 2010.

Dr. Rogers was the Interim Chief of Staff at Joseph Brant Hospital from July, 2017 until August, 2018 and has also held the position of Chief of Critical Care Medicine during his time at Joseph Brant.

Actively involved in the recently completed Hospital Redevelopment project, Dr. Rogers continues to advocate for outstanding patient care and excellence. His ongoing involvement in both hospital-wide learning and technological advancements exemplifies the high standard of healthcare he brings to the local community of Burlington.

Co-Chief of Psychiatry 

Dr. Anna Maria Abadir, MD, FRCPC

Co-Chief of Psychiatry 

Dr. Jeanetta Viljoen, MD, FRCPC

Chief of Pediatrics

Dr. Laura Waltman, MD, FRCPC 

Chief of Critical Care Medicine

Dr. Paul Lysecki, MD, FRCSC

Dr. Lysecki received his medical degree from McMaster University in 2010.  He remained at McMaster to complete residency training in General Surgery, followed by fellowship training in Critical Care Medicine.  He has been on staff at Joseph Brant Hospital since 2016 as a General Surgeon and Intensivist.  He is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University.

Throughout his career at Joseph Brant Hospital, Dr. Lysecki has maintained an active interest in teaching and research.  He has been the Site Principal Investigator for numerous national/international ICU research studies, and has helped to expand the role of the ICU in residency and fellowship training.

He was the recipient of the JBH Medical Staff Association "Rising Star" award in 2020, and the McMaster General Surgery Community Teaching award in 2021.

Dr. Lysecki took on a leadership role in the Intensive Care Unit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was named Chief of Critical Care Medicine in 2022. Dr. Lysecki is interested in fostering a culture of excellence in patient care, teaching, and research at Joseph Brant Hospital.

Chief of Medicine

Dr. Prasanna Kumaranayake, MD, FRCPC

Chief of Radiology

Dr Douglas Belton, MD, MBA, FRCPC

Dr. Douglas Belton received his Bachelor of Science in Biology, graduating with honours from Hampton University in Virginia. He was also the Team Captain for his Division I College Basketball Team. He earned his Medical Degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2004. Then he completed an internship in General Surgery at the University of Rochester in 2005, followed by a Residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Rochester General Hospital (2005 – 2009) and an MRI Fellowship with University Medical Imaging (2009 –2010).

He spent the next six years practicing as a Board-certified Diagnostic Radiologist in Rochester, New York while concurrently earning an MBA from the University of Florida in 2016.

Dr. Belton has held dual appointments as an Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine’s Department of Medical Imaging and served as Interim Area Department Co-Lead with the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Dr. Belton joined Joseph Brant Hospital in March 2022 as Chief and Medical Director of Diagnostic Imaging. He is a long-term advocate of increased provider and community awareness through his mentoring and teaching.

When he is not practicing radiology, Dr. Belton enjoys NBA basketball and spending time with his family.