Our Physicians

Dr. Brad Bahler

BSc, MD, CCFP

Dr. Bahler was raised on a farm between Sylvan Lake and Red Deer. He graduated in 2002 from the U of A Medical School and went on to complete his residency in Rural Medicine through the University of Alberta.

In July 2004 he began practicing at the Sylvan Family Health Centre. Dr. Bahler is a preceptor with the U of A and enjoys the teaching aspect of medicine. He also has several provincial roles within Alberta primary care. He is currently the provincial Medical Director for Primary Care Network in Alberta and does consulting work in the area of access, integration and quality improvement. Dr. Bahler married Jennifer in 2000 and now has four wonderful children. Besides the joys of being a proud and busy father, he enjoys sports - especially hockey and golf. He spends time relaxing, reading, camping and spending time with close friends.

Dr. Ieleen Taylor

BSc, MD, CCFP

Dr. Ieleen Taylor was born in the Fiji Islands and then grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. She completed her medical degree at the University of Alberta followed by residency in family medicine in Hamilton, Ontario.

When she moved back to Alberta, Dr. Taylor worked in a number of medical practices in rural areas as a "locum tenens" prior to settling in Sylvan Lake. She enjoys the wide spectrum of practice that rural family medicine has to offer and also enjoys teaching.

Dr. Taylor has four beautiful daughters and enjoys living in Sylvan Lake.

Dr. Muti Kauchali

MB, BCh, DFFP

Dr. Kauchali came to us from London, England in December 2009.

He enjoys reading, movies, soccer, cricket, volleyball, table tennis and hiking. He is already proficient at skiing.

He has found that the staff at Sylvan Family Health Centre are friendly and down to earth, efficient, competent and knowledgeable. He has been loving the great team work and camaraderie at the clinic.

Dr. Jordan LaRue

BSc, MD, CCFP

Dr. LaRue graduated medical school in 2009 from the University of Alberta, going on to the challenge of rural medicine through Red Deer's Rural Alberta North Residency program. In particular he finds the comprehensiveness and breadth of rural medicine both engaging and rewarding. He is the current chair of the Wolf Creek Primary Care Network

He balances his professional life with music, reading, motorcycling, video games, traveling, and spending time with his much-appreciated friends and family, and most importantly his wife.

Lindsay Nanninga-Penner

 BSc, MD, CCFP

Dr Penner was raised near Barrhead, Alberta. She spent most of her adult life in Edmonton going to College and University, completing her Medical Degree at the University of Alberta in 2010. She was drawn to "lake life" and moved to Sylvan Lake in 2010 while she pursued Rural Family Medicine Residency training in Central Alberta.

She spent time during her residency, learning from the doctors at Sylvan Family Health. Dr Penner was drawn to the collaborative, efficient and team focused care, and joined the practice in 2013.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her two young girls. They like to spend their time walking or biking the trails around town, hanging out at the beach, and participating in various children focused community programs.

Dr. Jessica Maciejko (Ma-Jay-Ko)

BSc, MSc, MD, CCFP

Dr. Maciejko was born in Houston, B.C. a rural community in northern B.C. She completed her undergraduate degree in Edmonton and Victoria and spent some time traveling before completing a Masters degree at the U of A. She graduated with her medical degree in 2011 from the University of British Columbia at their distributed site in Prince George.

She then moved to Central Alberta to complete her rural family medicine residency through the Rural Alberta North (RAN) program in Red Deer. During her residency she had the pleasure of training under many of the doctors at Sylvan Family Health and thoroughly enjoyed the collaborative, supportive and multi-disciplinary working environment, joining the clinic in February 2014.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, son, and 2 dogs. She also enjoys spending time with friends, playing most sports and spending time outdoors. Her family believes they have found a great community to raise a family and call home.

Dr. Amy Cockburn

BSc, MD, CCFP

Dr. Amy Cockburn was raised in Beaumont, Alberta. She completed an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Alberta. She then worked as the director of a science/engineering outreach program for youth and became passionate about rural medicine while travelling across northern Alberta and the NWT. She graduated from the University of Alberta medical school in 2016.

Dr. Cockburn then moved to Red Deer to complete her residency in rural family medicine. During her residency training she spent time with the physicians at Sylvan Family Health and was drawn to the clinic's collaborative approach and focus on the patient's medical home. Dr. Cockburn is thrilled to be working in Sylvan Lake and looks forward to working with her patients meet their health goals.

In her spare time, Dr. Cockburn enjoys hiking, skiing and spending time with her husband and two sons.

Dr. Darren Bugbee

BSc, MSc, MD, CCFP

Dr. Darren Bugbee was born on a farm outside of Sylvan Lake and raised in Innisfail, Alberta. He started his post-secondary education at Red Deer College and finished his Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Alberta. After completing this degree he pursued research and completed a Master of Science degree in 2008. Dr. Bugbee then continued and enjoyed medical research for several more years.

Dr. Bugbee completed his medical degree in 2014 at the University of Calgary. He went on to complete his training in Red Deer, Alberta through the University of Alberta’s Rural Alberta North (RAN) program. In early 2020 he joined the Sylvan Family Health Centre practice because his interests align with the clinic’s drive for effective, efficient patient centred care.

In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wonderful wife and three children as they explore and enjoy their new home in Sylvan Lake.