2024/2025 Lakeridge Healthcare Heroe Award Winners
On June 19, Lakeridge Health hosted its Annual General Meeting at the Latcham Centre in Port Perry. A memorable moment of the evening was the celebration of two remarkable individuals recognized as the 2024/2025 Health Care Heroes: Dr. Rebecca Wray and Stephen Gray.
Dr. Rebecca Wray’s contributions span every facet of care, from hands-on clinical practice to regional leadership and advocacy. She balances a full family medicine practice in Port Perry while also providing palliative care in patients’ homes and at Oak Ridges Hospice. In addition, Dr. Wray is the Physician Lead serving the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation and holds dual leadership roles as Primary Care Co-Lead for the Durham Ontario Health Team and Regional Primary Care Lead for the Central East Regional Cancer Program.
Her dedication to mentoring the next generation of physicians is evident through her role as Port Perry site lead for the Queen’s-Bowmanville-Oshawa-Lakeridge Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Wray also sits on the boards of both Lakeridge Health and the Port Perry Hospital Foundation. Her impact is far-reaching, strengthening local services while influencing the evolution of health care delivery throughout the region.
Stephen Gray has likewise shaped the landscape of health care in North Durham through his visionary leadership. As CEO of Medical Associates of Port Perry (MAPP), he has guided the clinic’s growth into one of the province’s most prominent family health organizations, expanding access, recruiting physicians, and establishing both a Family Health Team and an unattached patient clinic.
A founding co-chair of the Durham Ontario Health Team, Stephen has been an advocate for underserved populations, including orphan patients, newcomers, rural residents, and the unhoused. His work has been instrumental in developing urgent and emergency care options during the Port Perry hospital closure in 2017–2018 and in leading the region’s coordinated response to COVID-19.
Currently serving as Chair of the Oak Ridges Hospice Board, Stephen played a central role in creating Durham Region’s first residential hospice. His collaborative approach has united primary care, Indigenous health teams, and regional partners to build a model of integrated care that is now guiding rural health care innovation across Ontario.
Please join the Port Perry Hospital Foundation in extending heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Wray and Stephen Gray. Their dedication, compassion, and leadership embody what it means to be true health care heroes in our community.