The Hamilton Academy of Medicine is launching another season of RODEO — Retired Old Doctors Eating Out, a longstanding HAM program that brings retired physicians together for regular lunches throughout the year.
RODEO is simple by design. Physicians from across specialties and generations get together over lunch to reconnect with former colleagues, catch up on what is happening in one another's lives and maintain the friendships built over years of practising medicine in Hamilton.
That connection is why HAM continues to support the program today. Retirement may change a physician's relationship with medical practice, but it doesn't have to mean losing the professional community and relationships that came with it. RODEO gives retired physicians an informal way to remain connected to their colleagues and to the broader HAM community.
The program has never taken itself too seriously. When The Hamilton Spectator profiled RODEO in its early years, the group was already drawing physicians from family medicine and a wide range of specialties. Asked why they continued to get together, RODEO Chair Dr. Danny Kraftcheck joked:
“We tell each other lies about how good we once were … and to give our spouses a break.”
The format remains much the same today: good food, familiar faces and plenty of conversation. There are no presentations or formal agendas — just an opportunity to get together with colleagues.
Join Us for the 2026–27 Season
RODEO is open to retired HAM physicians, whether you have been attending for years or have recently retired and are joining the group for the first time.
Friday, October 16, 2026 — 12:00 p.m.
Friday, November 27, 2026 — 12:00 p.m.