Celebrating Fifty Years

Please list your past and current roles at the DFCM. 

Resident 1997-1999 Fellow 1999 lecturer 2001-2010 2013-2017 assistant professor 2017-present. Teaching practice supervisor 2004-2010 2014-present FMLE supervisor 2013-present. Associate Program Director, Curriculum and Remediation January 2014-present

What do you think the DFCM's greatest achievements have been over the past 50 years?

1. Being one of the first Universities to take teaching to community based sites (NYGH, TEGH).
2. Developing the competency based curriculum before there was even CanMEDS FM
3. RESPRO-being able to track the patients our residents see

In your opinion, what event, project, or initiative that you were involved in had the most impact?

Our ethics curriculum pilot project: This project brought together teachers, content experts, community leaders, learners, and academics to address a problem that was identified IN the community BY the community. With the support of the Chair and the OES we were able to work together to learn about the issues and come up with a way to address the issues in a scholarly manner. This project demonstrated how community needs can be addressed by the local Family Medicine Department when there is support from the top. The $79,500 would not have been possible without the mentorship and support of the OES and Risa Freeman. She brought together learners, administrators, teachers, and education scientists and showed us all how to work together to address a need that OUR community identified. THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE!!!

Please list your past and current roles at the DFCM. 

Residency Site Director (2009 - 2013), Department Chief (2013 - 2018)

What do you think the DFCM's greatest achievements have been over the past 50 years?

I've been an active member of the DFCM since 2009. At that time, the DFCM was charged with the huge task of expanding its postgraduate program. Several new teaching sites had to be established. It involved partnering with several new hospitals, recruiting multiple new preceptors and establishing teaching curricula that met/exceeded CFPC standards. This required huge commitment and collaboration from the many participants in this process. The result is a changed and much stronger, more diverse DFCM. I think that was a massive achievement!

In your opinion, what event, project, or initiative that you were involved in had the most impact?

As the inaugural Site Director, I had the privilege of helping create a completely new residency program at the Southlake Regional Health Centre. The impact on our community and hospital has been profound in some many ways!

Prior to establishing the residency program in 2009, Newmarket faced a serious undersupply of family doctors resulting in many non-attached patients. There is a high concentration of group homes in our area and many of these vulnerable individuals did not have access to high quality primary care. The residency program almost immediately impacted these patients taking them into the resident practices and providing them with long-overdue care. Since then, many of our graduates have settled in the community to practice.

Southlake now has a rich teaching tradition that has permeated all areas of the hospital and its outpatient clinics.

The residency program has been a springboard to primary care research and academic scholarship that has been disseminated locally, nationally and internationally.

Is there a meaningful anecdote that you would like to share with us about your experience as a member of DFCM?

I remember attending a Medical Staff Meeting in 2009 where I was introduced as the new site director for family medicine residency program that was to be established at Southlake. The announcement was met with howls of disapproval complaining about the new program and its imposition on the medical staff.

10 years later, every department in our hospital welcomes our residents and becomes upset when one isn't around!

It’s amazing how things can change in 10 years!

Please list your past and current roles at the DFCM. 

2011-19 QPC Rep & QI Director, Markham Family Medcine Teaching Unit (MFMTU) / 2017 DFCM Patient Safety Task Group Co-chair / 2018 to present Academic Chief, MFMTU, Markham Stouffville Hospital

What do you think the DFCM's greatest achievements have been over the past 50 years?

I have only been intimately involved with the DFCM since 2010. My sense is that the work of the DFCM, its leaders and members have significantly contributed to the value of Family Medicine as a speciality that deserves the highest level of respect for its tremendous contributions to the clinical and scholarly activities of the Faculty of Medicine at University of Toronto. Not to limit this, the DFCM and its representatives have been recognized nationally and internationally in ways that we could not have imagined 50 years ago. This speaks not just to our growth over that time but to the level of professional maturity that we have attained on the world stage.

In your opinion, what event, project, or initiative that you were involved in had the most impact?

Our efforts in Quality Improvement are my greatest example of impact on Family Medicine / Primary Care. I know of no university that makes as great demands on its faculty and residents as we do in QI and in turn, produces as much.

I cannot neglect the impact on Patient Safety that was promoted and supported by the DFCM. While often considered to be an added responsibility by those less enamored with its tremendous opportunities to improve quality of care, the DFCM's support for Patient Safety in Family Medicine / Primary Care has plummeted Family Medicine on to the national stage with CPSI, driven its inclusion in almost all 7 professional competencies for family physicians and strongly influenced our national College's strategic imperatives to integrate QI into the everyday practice of Family Medicine.

Is there a meaningful anecdote that you would like to share with us about your experience as a member of DFCM?

I was one of 4 founding members of the Markham Family Medicine Teaching Unit (MFMTU) in 2010. Those were heady days when we were energized by the opportunity to create the first academic teaching unit at Markham Stouffville Hospital and in our creativity, to focus on what we thought was important, such as producing excellent well-rounded comprehensive family physicians, firmly grounded in Global Health, Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. I'm the only one of the 4 that remains to celebrate our successes which were also highlighted by the escalation of our first Chief, Dr. Jane Philpott, to Minister of Health in Justin Trudeau's Cabinet.

Please list your past and current roles at the DFCM. 

1996 to 2009 - Research Scholar

What do you think the DFCM's greatest achievements have been over the past 50 years?

The establishment of the funded Research Scholar program was, without doubt, visionary, and has had enormous impact on the discipline of family medicine locally, nationally and internationally. It has also had major impact on the medical research landscape in Canada, although that impact may only now be beginning to be felt. The establishment of an Education Scholarship program in the DFCM has been very important and I am hopeful that members of the DFCM whose work is supported through that program will go on to achieve similar impact in medical education scholarship and leadership.

In your opinion, what event, project, or initiative that you were involved in had the most impact?

I am not sure about the larger impact, but I am personally deeply grateful to have been supported in my research and to be able to collaborate with Dr. Neil Drummond and members of the CIHR-funded Dementia New Emerging Team. I am especially grateful that Neil and the rest of the team allowed a family physician with questions arising from clinical practice to help define the research agenda of the team and that we were able to ask and answer some of these questions. I am also deeply grateful to Dr. Jim Ruderman, my former Chief, and Dr. Lynn Wilson, our former Chair, who acted valuable sounding boards and encouraged me to take on the role as Editor of our national journal, Canadian Family Physician. It has been a challenging and rewarding experience and has given me both a broader and deeper view of our discipline and the important role that family physicians play, nt just in health care, but in the lives of their communities.

Is there a meaningful anecdote that you would like to share with us about your experience as a member of the DFCM?

In the early days of the funded research scholar program many of us were quite uncertain whether we could be successful. One of the first projects that I worked on was with Lynn Wilson, Mel Kahan, Deana Midmer, Walter Rosser and Jan Hux. I will always remember that Lynn and Deana's back up plan if the research didn't work out was to open a wreath shop in the west end of Toronto close to where they lived. Not really an anecdote, but I shall always remember Walter Rosser's encouragement. He has that incredible gift that not many leaders have - the ability to fully connect with you in even the briefest of conversations.

Please list your past and current roles at the DFCM.  

1988-1995 - Administrative Assistant, Residency and Teachng Practices Program. Worked with Dr. Larry Librach and Hollister King; 1995-1998, Executive Assistant to Academic Fellowship and MHSc Programs, Teaching Practices and Emergency Medicine. Worked with the establishment of the AF and MHSc programs with international fellows and students; expanding TP to MOP sites and connecting Preceptors with Residents at the CFPC Annual meeting.Great times.

What do you think the DFCM's greatest achievements have been over the past 50 years?

The greatest achievement I saw was the growth of DFCM from the "baby" of the clinical departments in the early 1980's in the Faculty of Medicine to the global leader in national and international family medicine teaching, research and education.

In your opinion, what event, project, or initiative that you were involved in had the most impact?

Prior to joining DFCM in 1988, I worked in the Dept of Surgery with Dr. Donald R. Wilson. I was involved in faculty promotions and grant applications. I then moved to the Dean's Office in Finance and Personnel where I worked with appointments, salary recoveries and decanal promotions. One of the things I remembered clearly around the discussion of promotion of DFCM faculty to Associate and Full Professor levels after Dr. Palmer made his appeal for promotion to one of these ranks, I can't remember exactly, was that the DFCM was the "baby" of the clinical departments.

I joined the DFCM as Administrative Assistant to Postgraduate Residency Education in 1988. My first office was at the the Western FM Centre with Larry Librach as the PD. We then moved to the Charlie Connacher Wing (CCW) on the 4th floor at TGH as TP merged into PG . I inherited Dr. Hollister King as Chief of TP and all the TP preceptors in Streams A, B and C. Fully pregnant and with no elevator to the fourth floor CCW, plus trips to Holly's office at WC, kept me and my pregnancy in good shape. In addition to the TP and PG merge and trying to inspire PGY2s to go to out-of-town rural practices for TP training with the aim to help fill the doctor-shortage problem in rural Ontario, residency expansion came upon us. These were trying times indeed but we still managed to have a fantastic 25th anniversary celebration spearheaded by the Business Officer, Elizabeth Zeidman and her team. I still have the fridge magnet which was my contribution as a souvenir to mark the 25th anniversary milestone. Will send under separate cover.

Is there a meaningful anecdote that you would like to share with us about your experience as a member of DFCM?

My most impressive years working at the U of T was the ten years I spent in DFCM. Not only was I lucky to be involved in the rapid growth of Family Medicine from "babyhood" to "adulthood" through TP and PG education, but I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Helen in developing the AF and MHSc programs and sharing classroom space with fellows and students with curiosity. Soon after I left DFCM for Ob/Gyn, I enrolled in part-time undergraduate studies. 17 years later I earned a BA, MEd and PhD degree from the U of T. It feels good and I owe my gratitude to Helen, Wilf, Walter, the Directors of TP and PG and the amazing Chiefs, TP physicians, residents and staff colleagues who together exemplify the meaning of "community" in DFCM. I will return in a heartbeat!

Please list your past and current roles at the DFCM.  

Associate Professor - active staff at the TWH Family Health Team- on staff at UHN since 1983. 

What do you think the DFCM's greatest achievements have been over the past 50 years?

Training thousands of family doctors to deliver excellent patient care to Canadians.

The significant expansion of our teaching sites and faculty appointments and faculty development to support this work- and preparing faculty for the competency-based curriculum.

The scholarly focus of academic FP- through the work of our Education Scholarship and Research and QI programs.

The increased role of our FM faculty in enhancing Undergraduate Medical Education at UoT and bringing the importance of generalism to the fore.

The important global outreach and social advocacy work our faculty has done.

In your opinion, what event, project, or initiative that you were involved in had the most impact?

I was the lead in founding and directing the Standardized Patient Program - for supporting medical education in our dept and across the Faculty of Medicine- in 1984 (together with the Chair of the DFCM at that time- Dr Wilfred Palmer). This work was recognized by my receiving the W. T. Aikins Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1985.

I was the Program Director for Faculty Development in the DFCM from 2011-2016- and was responsible for the development of new initiatives to support faculty mentorship (the DFCM Mentorship Network); Academic Leadership development (Leadership Basics) and Faculty Wellness and Resilience. My team developed innovative video series- eg. Mentorship and Leadership, as well as Successful Junior Promotion- that are stiil in use now.
In 2014 I received the CMA May Cohen Award for Women Mentors- in recognition of my work in this domain.

Is there a meaningful anecdote that you would like to share with us about your experience as a member of DFCM?

I recall the amazing work the DFCM did to prepare for the successful accreditation of our Post Grad program in 2012-2013- the first time we were required to show our work in the roll-out of the new competency-based curriculum

Please list your past and current roles at the DFCM.

Hospital Program Co-director at NYGH - UEC committee member 2006-2017, Evaluation Committee Director Undergraduate - 2015-present

What do you think the DFCM's greatest achievements have been over the past 50 years?

This is hard for me to say, however I think that the number of leadership roles within the department has expanded tremendously and this has given a lot of people at all stages of their careers more opportunity to get involved in work at the central level. Brining recognition to people's work is also something I have noticed that has been in increasing in leaps and bounds. Work that one puts into big or small research is now being published in posters and workshops and the support for members of the DFCM to accomplish this is tremendous. In general I have found the DFCM (in all my years there from 2006 onwards) to be an extremely supportive environment for myself as a woman in medicine, in academic medicine, as a mother trying to balance career goals and Homelife. The DFCM is filled with people who "get it". There has never been a sense of failure in my experience at the DFCM, rather a sense of - how can we help you achieve and accomplish and at what pace? I don't experience this kind of working environment anywhere else. Although this is also an anecdotal comment (as per question below) I feel it is a huge achievement on the part of one of the biggest departments in the medical school.

In your opinion, what event, project, or initiative that you were involved in had the most impact?

I have always loved the UEC workshop. I didn't create this workshop but it is well known to have been a practical/useful and successful experience for undergraduate teachers. UEC - is such a productive committee and I feel that as a group and over the last decade since I have been there, UEC has produced so much important change in curriculum, evaluation, PD impacting students and teachers alike.

Please list your past and current roles at the DFCM. 

Chief, St. Michael's Hospital Department of Family and Community Medicine Feb 2015 to present. Undergraduate Program Director, St. Michael's Hospital DFCM July 2005 to April 2014, PGY3 program lead for self directed Adolescent mental health and addiction Fellowship 2015-16

What do you think the DFCM's greatest achievements have been over the past 50 years?

• Building an outstanding DFCM with a commitment to excellence in teaching, research and quality clinical care.
• Connecting with family physicians across the globe. Assisting and supporting other countries in building family medicine training programs and graduating family doctors to work in their communities.
• Developing graduate training programs. I was one of the first cohorts of academic fellows and this program was the building block of the graduate study program offered by the DFCM. I did my Masters through OISE and would have much preferred to have been part of the DFCM Masters.
• Expanding from a few academic sites to 14 affiliated sites across the GTA and beyond.
• Graduating a huge number of future family physicians who have gone on to care for many many patients! And contribute in many other ways in making our communities healthier.
• Continuously improving and offering all medical students an excellent core FM clerkship experience and many elective opportunities.
• The list could go on and on....

In your opinion, what event, project, or initiative that you were involved in had the most impact?

Being the Chief at St. Michael's for the past 3 years I have witnessed the incredible impact my colleagues at St. Michael's DFCM are having in all areas of academic family medicine.

Being a teacher of medical students and family medicine residents has been a great joy and I hope has impacted each in some way including choosing family medicine as a career and become our colleagues in the DFCM.

Helping to create the homeless health elective; core shelter experience for all SMH core family clerks and the family medicine advocacy project that is now part of the core family medicine clerkship experience.

Is there a meaningful anecdote that you would like to share with us about your experience as a member of DFCM?

In 1991 to 1992 I was a full time academic fellow in the DFCM. It was the second cohort of fellows to participate in this program. Our group was made up of local and international physicians and we were taught by DFCM thought leaders such as Walter Rosser, Sudi Devanesan, Helen Batty, and many others. It was an incredible experience and one that transformed my way of thinking about family medicine and in particular what it meant to be an academic family physician. One of the unexpected transformative events that occurred from being part of this DFCM program was meeting one of the other members of the program, Sid Feldman who in 1993 became my husband. Helen Batty often will remark that the Fellowship helped produce many academic family physicians, one marriage and 3 children. You never know how the DFCM will change your life!