CENTRE WELLINGTON – If you were Alan Simpson’s patient, he likely saw you in the office, maybe he’d even see you in the emergency room when you were really sick, or he assisted in the operating room when you had your appendix out or maybe he delivered your baby.
After nearly 50 years of doing it all, doctor Alan Simpson is officially retiring from his post in the medical community of Centre Wellington.
Having announced his official retirement on Mar. 31 of this year, his legacy includes a large family practice, multiple roles in Groves Memorial Community Hospital and facility physician at Portage Ontario and Heritage River Retirement Centre.
“The best way to put it is Alan is the epitome of the true rule family doc. He did it all,” Filomena Incitti, doctor at the Geddes Medical Group, explained.
Simpson has been in a semi-retirement mode for the last eight years. In September 2012, he retired from having his own practice. After a brief two weeks of retirement, Simpson rejoined the medical community.
“I thought I was ready, but I wasn’t,” Simpson explained. “Mentally, I still felt that I had something to do.
“The community is very supportive and very kind, they’ve been a wonderful community,” Simpson added. “It’s not just medicine, it’s all of the support for sadness and the tears of joy and happiness.”
In his semi-retired years, he continued to provide care in Portage Ontario, oversaw patients at Heritage River Retirement Residence and continued to assist in the operating room at Groves hospital.
“He continued to contribute in any way that he could,” Incitti said. “He was really quite remarkable that way and always did it with a smile on his face.”
Having grown up in Belfast, Ireland, Simpson received his qualifications at Queen’s University in Belfast in 1970 at the age of 24. From there, he completed his first houseman year and senior houseman year.
Simpson married in September 1972 and immigrated 10 days later to Toronto where he worked in the Wellesley emergency department for a year before an opportunity came to work in at the Elora Medical Group with doctor Cecil Wallace.
Simpson joined Wallace in the summer of 1973 and shared the practice up until he passed away.
Between the two of them, as general practitioners, they did everything. However, Simpson noted that he focused on medicine predominantly in addition to maternity and obstetrics.
After Wallace’s passing, Simpson shared the practice with Brian Haylock.
When talking about his contributions to the community Simpson said with a laugh he hopes it’s been positive.
“When we’re younger we have all of these ideas of how we’re going to change the world and it doesn’t always work,” he said. “We contribute in different ways.”
“I’d hope my contributions have been supportive and caring,” he added. “Patient care really is the key.”
Incitti has worked with Simpson in the community for 20 years. In 2002, she joined his practice at the Elora Medical Group and worked with him for 10 years as a practiced partner.
Incitti considered Simpson to be a great mentor, adding that he taught her the importance of really knowing your patients.
“He knew everything about them, not just their health issues,” she explained. “He knew the whole family and extended family–where they lived, what their struggles were, how their business was doing; everything. I was really inspired by that.”
Incitti recalled the times when she would cover for Simpson and meet with his patients and they would want to wait and see if Simpson agreed with the recommendations that she would make.
“As far as I’m concerned that is the ultimate sign of respect for your family doctor,” Incitti said. “His patients really loved him and appreciated the all-encompassing care that he provided to them.”
Whether it be a funny Irish joke to tell or a hearty laugh to be had with his patients, Simpson always tried to see the positive side of things.
According to Incitti, even in times of stress, Simpson always had a smile on his face and a laugh that came with it when having conversations with his patients.
“He always took the time to really personalize his interactions with his patients and never felt that it was some sort of formal relationship,” she explained. “I think patients felt that they could say anything to him and would trust him.”
“I love talking to [people] and I felt privileged to be included in their lives. It was just a privilege to have their trust and to give advice,” Simpson said. “You try to encourage people and to be a voice of reason or a voice of compassion.”
Incitti emphasized the care and dedication that Simpson exhibited throughout his career.
“Alan cared about his patients, but he also genuinely cared about his hospital, his colleagues and his community,” Incitti said. “He cared about the future of the medical community here and I think he set the stage for building the thriving collegial medical community that we have today.”
Simpson said he’s thankful to the community for the acceptance and support he’s received over the years, noting the privilege he’s had during his career to be a part of people’s lives.
“It’s just been a privilege,” Simpson said. “It is a privilege to be able to share special moments, not just blood pressures, to shared and to be entrusted with those personal things.”
