Dr. Langille is retiring as physician in Kane

November 26, 2011

Dr. Ken Langille was quite happy practicing medicine as a physician in a small town in his native Nova Scotia, Canada.
This feeling of euphoria came to an unexpected end when the local hospital closed its doors.
Langille had to explore other options to continue to practice medicine.
“I decided to look around and see what’s available,” Langille said.
His search brought him to Kane and the Kane Community Hospital in 1994. He looked at other opportunities in the U.S. before finally deciding on Kane as his new home. He opened his practice in Kane on Oct. 10, 1995.
Langille is retiring as a full-time physician next week.
“Kane is the epitome of a small American town,” Langille said.
Like many American communities, Kane is suffering from the economic downturn. However, Langille believes “we still have a lot to be thankful for” in Kane.
Langille’s decision to leave a small town in Nova Scotia to move 1,200 miles away to a small town in Pennsylvania was heavily influenced by Dr. Bruno Sicher, now a retired Kane physician.
“Bruno and I had several conversations,” Langille said. “I said ‘if I’m going to move, I’d like to work with that man.’”
Langille received a masters’ degree in chemistry from Acadia University in Nova Scotia and set his sights on becoming a college chemistry professor.
“I never planned to become a doctor,” Langille said.
Langille, 63, married his high school sweetheart, Jean, who became a nurse in Canada and a home health care nurse in Kane.
Her experiences in medicine led Langille to enroll as a medical student at Dalhousie University—the oldest medical school in Canada.
“My father always wanted one of his children to become a doctor,” Langille said. “On the other hand, my wife said she would never marry a doctor. We were married for a year and a half before I began medical school. She supported my decision and encouraged me.”
Langille practiced medicine for 19 years in Berwick, Nova Scotia and was the chief of staff at the local hospital when it closed its doors.
Canada lost a hospital and a highly respected doctor, who left his native land to come to Kane.
Langille and his wife have three children—Stephanie Strang of Nova Scotia, Matthew Langille of Kane and Adam Langille of Nova Scotia.
Stephanie is married to the medical officer of health for Nova Scotia. Adam is an executive chef. Matthew is an x-ray technician at Kane Community Hospital.

See full article by purchasing the Nov. 25 edition of The Kane Republican.