Unregistered Practitioners
In increasing numbers, the CPSO is being alerted to individuals who are claiming to be or posing as doctors and who, in many cases, are providing health care services without being licensed to practice medicine in Ontario.
The following is a list of people who have either:
- Been found by a Court to be violating the relevant legislation, or
- Who have entered into an agreement with us (called an “undertaking”) which prohibits them from using certain terms and titles, or providing certain health care services due to their lack of qualification.
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On September 15, 2021, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario obtained an order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against Isaac Aceveda under Section 87 of the Health Professions Procedural Code.
The Court ordered Mr. Aceveda to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and/or “physician” and/or any variation or abbreviation including MD; holding himself out as someone qualified to practice medicine; performing any controlled acts; and treating or advising individuals with regard to their health.
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On January 7, 2023, Arman Ahmadian, who is not a member of the CPSO or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, admitted to presenting himself as a doctor while offering to provide health care services. Mr. Ahmadian has agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and any variation of it, and to not present himself as a physician.
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On December 7, 2018, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario obtained an undertaking from Afshin Alavi-Darazam acknowledging that he used or allowed the terms “doctor” and a variation and/or abbreviation to be used in describing him on various websites in the course of providing or offering to provide health care to individuals in Ontario.
Mr. Alavi-Darazam undertook to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and/or “physician” and/or any variation or abbreviation including MD, in the course of providing health care services to any individual, and further undertook to not hold himself out as a physician.
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In January 2019, Warkaa Al-Shukrii, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, agreed to stop administering Botox and cosmetic fillers, or performing any other controlled acts. She also agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” or any variation of it in connection to providing health-care services.
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In July 2019, Rani Beharry, who is not a member of the CPSO or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, admitted to presenting herself as a doctor while offering to provide health care services. She has agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and any variation of it, and to not present herself as a physician.
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On November 27, 2023, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario obtained an order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against Mark Bentum under Section 87 of the Health Professions Procedural Code.
The Court order that Mr. Bentum permanently refrain from, among other things, performing any controlled act; using the title "doctor," "physician," "surgeon," "plastic surgeon," or "medical resident;" or holding himself out as a person qualified to practice in Ontario.
Court Order -
In October 2020 Samira Berenjian, who is not a member of the CPSO or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, admitted to presenting themselves as a doctor while offering to provide health care services. They have agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and any variation of it, and to not present themselves as a physician.
On January 18, 2022, the Superior Court of Justice further ordered Samira Berenjian to comply with the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Medicine Act, and to permanently refrain from using the title ‘doctor,’ ‘physician,’ ‘surgeon’ (or any other variation) in the course of providing or offering to provide care in Ontario; holding themselves out as persons qualified to practise in Ontario as a physician. They were also ordered to immediately remove and to permanently refrain from displaying or permitting to be displayed and advertisements or other documents connected to or associated with the provision of health care.
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In October 2015, the Discipline Committee of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners & Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO) found that Alan Canon committed professional misconduct when he:
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Performed a thread lift procedure, which involves inserting needles under the skin;
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Referred to himself as a doctor on his business card; and
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Engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct
CTCMPAO’s Discipline Committee decision from October 2015
In November 2018, the CTCMPAO Discipline Committee held another hearing regarding Mr. Canon and found him guilty of the following offences:
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committing sexual abuse of a patient;
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performing an unauthorized controlled act
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abusing a patient verbally, physically, psychologically and/or emotionally;
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failing to cooperate with an investigation;
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failing to comply with an order of a panel of the CTCMPAO
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engaging in disgraceful, dishonorable, or unprofessional conduct; and
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engaging in conduct unbecoming a member.
CTCMPAO’s Discipline Committee Decision, 2018
Alan Canon has also been charged with seven criminal offences including:
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Five counts of sexual assault
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One count of sexual exploitation
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One count of assault with intent to resist arrest
In August of 2018, by application of the CPSO, Alan Canon was ordered by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to permanently refrain from referring to himself as a doctor, surgeon or osteopath, and to stop performing the following controlled acts:
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Communicating a diagnosis;
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Inserting needles below the skin that does not constitute acupuncture;
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Administering a substance by inhalation or injection; and
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Performing spinal manipulations.
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He was further prohibited from:
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Providing health advice or treatment;
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Possessing acupuncture needles, syringes, needles, etc. that may be injected below the skin; and
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Holding himself out as qualified to practice in Ontario as a physician, surgeon or osteopath
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In November 2019, Carmenza Charry, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, agreed to stop performing controlled acts in contravention of the Regulated Health Professions Act. She also agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” or any variation of it in connection to providing health-care services.
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In March 2016, George Glumac’s medical licence was revoked after the CPSO Discipline Committee found that Dr. Glumac had committed acts of professional misconduct when he:
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Sexually abused a patient;
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Failed to maintain the standard of the profession; and
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Engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct.
In the face of an additional College investigation in September 2016, Dr. Glumac agreed never to seek reinstatement or to apply or re-apply for registration as a physician in Ontario or any other jurisdiction.
In October 2016, he was ordered by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to refrain from using the title “doctor” or any variation of it in offering or providing health care, including counselling and psychotherapy. -
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In December 2018, Arthur Da Lamba, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, admitted to presenting himself as a doctor on various websites while offering to provide health care services. He has agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and any variation of it, and to not present himself as a physician.
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In June 2019, George Grant, who is not a member of the CPSO or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, admitted to presenting himself as a doctor while offering to provide health care services. He has agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and any variation of it, and to not present himself as a physician.
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In July 2019, Nesrine Hussein, who is not a member of the CPSO or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, admitted to performing Controlled Acts in contravention of the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA). She has agreed to permanently refrain from performing Controlled Acts, consistent with the RHPA.
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In July 2020 Hamidreza Kalkou, who is not a member of the CPSO or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, admitted to presenting themselves as a doctor while offering to provide health care services. They have agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and any variation of it, and to not present themselves as a physician.
On January 18, 2022, the Superior Court of Justice further ordered Hamidreza Kalkou to comply with the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Medicine Act, and to permanently refrain from using the title ‘doctor,’ ‘physician,’ ‘surgeon’ (or any other variation) in the course of providing or offering to provide care in Ontario; holding themselves out as persons qualified to practise in Ontario as a physician. They were also ordered to immediately remove and to permanently refrain from displaying or permitting to be displayed and advertisements or other documents connected to or associated with the provision of health care.
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In November 2020, Taeyeon Kim, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, agreed to stop performing controlled acts in contravention of the Regulated Health Professions Act. They also agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” or any variation of it in connection to providing health-care services.
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In November 2017, Oleg Korbut, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, agreed to revise his website to correct misinformation about the health-care services he is permitted to provide in Ontario and country where he received his training.
Mr. Korbut also agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” or any variation of it, including “orthopaedic surgeon” and “osteopath,” in providing health-care services, and will not present himself as a physician or an osteopath.
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In February 2019, Sherman Shu-Seng Lai, a suspended member of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupincturists of Ontario, acknowledged there are pending criminal charges against him. He admitted to presenting himself as a doctor on various websites and in print while offering to provide health care services. He has agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and any variation of it, and to not present himself as a physician.
Mr. Lai also agreed not to diagnose anyone in Ontario by identifying a disease or disorder as the cause of their symptoms, or perform any controlled acts.
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In July 2019, James Martinez, who is not a member of the CPSO or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, admitted to presenting himself as a doctor while offering to provide health care services. He has agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and any variation of it, and to not present himself as a physician.
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In August 2018, Alexander Mostovoy, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, admitted to presenting himself as a doctor on various websites while offering to provide health care services. He has agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and any variation of it, and to not present himself as a physician.
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In December 2017, Levon Nersessian, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, agreed to stop representing himself as a physician, surgeon or neurosurgeon and to remove all references to himself as a doctor on his business cards and other print and online marketing. He also agreed to remove all references to academic degrees that he does not hold, and all references to employment as a physician at the Toronto Western Hospital and any other hospital in Ontario.
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In April 2023, Yu Hua Pang, a.k.a. Yuhua Pang, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, was ordered by the Superior Court of Justice to permanently refrain from performing any controlled acts; to not treat or advise a person with respect to his or her health in circumstances in which it is reasonably foreseeable that serious bodily harm may result from the treatment or advice or from an omission from the treatment or advice; holding herself out as a person qualified to practice in Ontario as a physician, surgeon, or plastic surgeon; from using the title “doctor” or any variation of it in connection to providing health-care services; to permanently refrain from using the titles “physician”, “surgeon” or “plastic surgeon” or any variation of; and from holding herself out as a person qualified to practice in Ontario as a physician, surgeon, or plastic surgeon.
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On March 9, 2019, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario obtained an undertaking from Alejandro Torres Perez acknowledging that he used or allowed the terms “doctor” and a variation and/or abbreviation to be used in describing him on various websites in the course of providing or offering to provide health care to individuals in Ontario.
Mr. Perez undertook to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” and/or “physician” and/or any variation or abbreviation including MD, in the course of providing health care services to any individual, and further undertook to not hold himself out as a physician.
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In January 2015, Javad Rabbani-Rassouli, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, was fined for using the title “doctor” while providing medical services. His business card identified him as, “Dr. Javad Rabbani M.D., Cosmetic Dermatology". He also admitted that on two occasions he administered a Botox injection when he was not authorized to do so.
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In June 2016, Allan Seltzer was convicted on one count of fraud by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and was also ordered to stop using the title “doctor” and to not offer to provide health care, counselling or psychotherapy in Ontario. Allan Seltzer used to be, but is no longer, a member of the College. You can learn more about him in his profile on the CPSO Find a Doctor database.
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In August 2018, Eve Stewart was, again, found to be in contempt of court in that she was in breach of the prior Court orders from 2014 and 2017. She was required to immediately and permanently cease injecting any medications or substances to herself, and she must not be in possession of any injection paraphernalia or injectable medications. Ms Stewart was also ordered to comply with certain terms of the previous Court orders.
August 2018 Reasons for Decision
In June 2017, Eve Stewart was found to be in contempt of court for performing prohibited acts including selling a drug and administering a substance by injection, which she was doing in violation of a 2014 Court Order that prohibited her from performing controlled acts such as injecting Botox and fillers. The CPSO had conducted an investigation following reports from the public that Ms. Stewart was continuing to perform these services at her home-based esthetics clinic, Eve’s Laser Clinic.
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In April 2021, Ali Vafaei, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, was ordered by the Superior Court of Justice not to perform any controlled acts; to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” or any variation of it in connection to providing health-care services; to permanently refrain from using the titles “physician”, “surgeon” or “dermatologist” or any variation them; and from holding himself out as a person qualified to practice in Ontario as a physician, surgeon, or dermatologist.
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In May 2017, Shahla Yeganeh, who is not a member of the College or of any regulated health profession in Ontario, acknowledged that she was referred to as a doctor on the website of the Hanh Wellness Spa and Salon, where she injected Botox and cosmetic fillers. She did this despite an earlier warning by the College in 2012 that she was violating regulations. She agreed to permanently refrain from using the title “doctor” or any variation of it in connection to providing health-care services.
