Announcement - Dr. Sonja M. Reichert re-appointed as endowed Dr. Brian W. Gilbert Canada Research Chair in Primary Care Research
Dr. Sonja M. Reichert
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Sonja M. Reichert has been re-appointed as the endowed Dr. Brian W. Gilbert Canada Research Chair in Primary Care Research at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2029.
Dr. Reichert is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, where she is also the Director of the Enhanced Skills Chronic Disease Management in Diabetes (PGY3) program, and a member of the Center for Studies in Family Medicine. In addition to her faculty appointments, Dr. Reichert practices at the St. Joseph’s Primary Care Diabetes Support Program and St. Joseph’s Family Medical Program, and is an affiliated researcher at the Lawson Health Research Institute.
Using a primary care lens that takes into account the impact of social determinants of health on individuals living with chronic conditions, Dr. Reichert's research aims to improve the lives of those with metabolic diseases (diabetes/obesity) and related multimorbidity. Dr. Reichert’s holistic approach to disease management and research includes a focus on both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options, such as exercise. Dr. Reichert’s research utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methodologies as she conducts patient-oriented research, real-world and traditional clinical trials, and knowledge translation. Since 2013, she has been a regular contributor to several chapters in the Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines.
Dr. Reichert is also a passionate educator and research mentor to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students, and was awarded a Department of Family Medicine, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry teaching award in 2017.
Before coming to Western, Dr. Reichert attended the University of Waterloo, where she obtained an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology. She completed a Master of Science degree in exercise physiology at the University of Toronto and received her MD from McMaster University. In 2010, she completed her residency in Family Medicine and was the inaugural resident to complete a chronic disease management fellowship in diabetes (PGY3) at Western University in 2011. Recently, she became one of the first family physicians in London, Ontario, to obtain an American Board Certification in Obesity Medicine (ABOM, Dip.).
As the endowed Dr. Brian W. Gilbert Canada Research Chair in Primary Care Research, Dr. Reichert plans to lead, collaborate and positively impact the Canadian primary health-care system, particularly for those individuals living with metabolic disease while translating these findings to further empower those providing Canadian primary health care.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Reichert on her re-appointment as the endowed Dr. Brian W. Gilbert Canada Research Chair in Primary Care Research.
John Yoo, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University
