Our Services

Paediatrics

The ByWard Family Health Team is proud to have pediatricians part of its team. The first few years of your child’s life are very important and BWFHT is happy to take care of your child’s health.

Patients can book or cancel an appointment by calling 613-564-3950 ext 8818 or can cancel their appointment online.

We are consulting pediatricians who are happy to provide consultation and follow-up for a specific medical issue when patients are referred by their family physician or primary care provider. We are unable to accept requests for primary care as our pediatricians do not have a primary care practice. We accept consultations for ages 0-17 years. Quebec patients are accepted, but our pediatricians are English speaking, so consultations are done in English. Referring providers can send consults to our pediatrics team at fax 613-564-6627. Referrals are triaged according to urgency and booked accordingly. If you would like your patient to be seen by the first available pediatrician at our clinic then please mark your referral to “Pediatrics” without specifying a specific provider. If you would like your patient to be seen specifically by a certain pediatrician then please mark your referral request with that pediatrician’s name. Our pediatricians update their availability to accept new consultations on the following website: https://communitypediatrics.ca/directory

Common referrals that our pediatricians see are:

ADHD (diagnosis and/or management)
Asthma
Constipation
Eczema
Developmental delay
Issues associated with autism
Sleep issues
Feeding issues/reflux
Anxiety

This list is non-exhaustive.

Appointments with our pediatricians can range from 15-90 minutes depending on the issue being addressed. New consultations tend to be longer and follow-ups tend to be shorter. We have crayons and paper, but we do suggest that you bring some of your child’s favourite toys/books to help them relax and stay occupied during the appointment.

When a patient is seen as a new consultation we sometimes request that certain forms are completed by parents and teachers prior to the consult being booked. The information on these forms is essential for the pediatricians to provide the best use of your consultation time and for them to be able to make accurate diagnoses. Our patient services clerk will let you know if your type of appointment requires completion of these forms. We kindly ask that you have these completed at your earliest convenience so that we can book you in to see the pediatrician.

Paediatricians at BWFHT are certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. They have expertise in many areas. They work closely with the family care provider through their consultation letters providing them with recommendations and updates of the child’s progress. They communicate and collaborate with other health care professionals (medical specialists, audiologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, schools, and CHEO) to provide the best and most comprehensive care.

Dr. Elizabeth Esselmont, paediatrician

Dr. Elizabeth Esselmont graduated from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine in 2011. She subsequently completed her Pediatrics Residency at CHEO through the University of Ottawa in 2015. She works as a consulting pediatrician seeing children for a variety of pediatric issues. She joined the Byward Family Health Team in 2017. Dr. Esselmont also works at The Ottawa Hospital General Campus providing newborn care and teaching medical students. She has an academic appointment as a lecturer through the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Radmila Jovanovic, paediatrician

Dr. Radmila Jovanovic graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Belgrade in Serbia, where she subsequently completed her specialty training in Paediatrics in 1992. After immigrating to Canada, she worked as a researcher in the areas of paediatric Mental Health and Endocrinology. Through this work, she enrolled in a Clinical Fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at CHEO. In 2005, she successfully completed the Practice Ready Assessment for International Specialists in Paediatrics at CHEO. Since then, she has been working at CHEO in the Endocrinology Department as a diabetologist. From 2006, she has worked at the Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) as a consulting paediatrician, and general paediatrician in the Newborn Care Nursery, providing care for term infants.

Dr. Jovanovic has an academic affiliation with the University of Ottawa as a PTA Lecturer and Clinician-Teacher.

Form Name	Download
ADHD SNAP-IV Questionnaire	PDF
CSBC Infant-Toddler Checklist	PDF
Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers	PDF
CAST Questionnaire	PDF
Mental Health Adolescent Anxiety Scale	PDF
Mental Health Child Anxiety Scale	PDF
Mental Health Parent Anxiety Scale	PDF
Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan	PDF