Happy New Year! As we shiver our way through an especially chilly January and a brutal respiratory illness season, I am dreaming of spring already and I suspect I’m not alone. Thank you for all you are doing to respond to the needs of your patients and learners through this season. I hope that 2025 will be a very important year for family medicine in Ontario, and all signals suggest that there is real reason to believe that’s the case.
I truly believe that every member of our department should be proud of this announcement, which represents the largest investment in family medicine and primary care we have seen in Ontario in decades. DFCM has been at the centre of primary care action and advocacy, pushing for more efficient systems to reduce administrative burden, enhanced teams to improve access to interprofessional care, expanded support for teaching and research, and healthy public policy to support the communities we serve. We have been a strong and vocal force, and this work will not slow down as we take on 2025.
There is of course much work to be done to learn the details behind this high-level announcement; to push for additional investments and changes that are needed to support clinicians and patients; and to build the education and research we need to take care of our communities in the future. I look forward to working collaboratively with Dr. Jane Philpott and the Primary Care Action Team she now leads to learn about the details of this funding and to ensure our goals are aligned.
At the heart of our efforts is the DFCM strategic plan, which continues to guide our priorities and actions. Among the many critical initiatives we’ll be advancing this year, the Office of Health System Partnership and its members are working to break down the OurCare Standard into actionable recommendations to improve primary care. This work will serve as the foundation for advocacy with the government in 2025, and along with our discussions about the newly announced investment, I look forward to collaborating with stakeholders including the Primary Care Action Team to push these changes forward.
These changes won’t just be about improving care for patients—they’re also about creating a better system for physicians and learners. Ensuring a sustainable work environment for practicing clinicians and future physicians is integral, which is part of the reason why I’m so pleased to welcome Dr. Shirley Lee as our new Vice-Chair, Education. Dr. Lee is a physician leader and an award-winning teacher with a robust background in family and emergency medicine. She is a wise and experienced leader, and she is passionate about our vision of delivering the world’s best education for family doctors. Her expertise will be invaluable in shaping and championing the next generation of compassionate, world-class family doctors, and I am thrilled to have her on board.
There is incredible work happening across DFCM, and we have many reasons to feel excited about what’s ahead for our discipline. Here’s to another impactful year!
