Announcement: Dr. Robert Petrella appointed Head (Chair), Department of Family Practice at University of British Columbia
Please join in congratulating Dr. Robert Petrella on his recent appointment as Professor and Head (Chair), Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia, effective October 15, 2019. Fortunately for us, Dr. Petrella will continue to lead his Lifestyle Research Team, and research program in the Centre for Studies in Family Medicine at Western as part of this new appointment, and will continue as a part-time clinical academic in our own department.
Dr. Petrella received his medical degree from the University of Calgary, and residency training including an R3 in Care of the Elderly, and doctorate in Exercise Physiology, from Western University. He is a Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and holds CAC’s in Care of the Elderly and Sport and Exercise Medicine.
Dr. Petrella joined the Department of Family Medicine in 1995, and has been practicing at St. Joseph’s Family Medical Centre since that time, in addition to leading an active research program within the Department, most recently at the Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine.
From 2005-2015, Dr. Petrella was the inaugural Beryl and Richard Ivey Research Chair, as well as Program Leader for the former Aging, Rehabilitation, and Geriatric Care Program of Lawson Health Research Institute (now referred to as the Parkwood Institute Research Program), and Assistant Director of the Lawson Health Research Institute.
In his new role at UBC, Dr. Petrella will provide leadership to the more than 4,000 faculty, staff and trainees in family medicine, midwifery and sport medicine across the province of British Columbia; he will also be responsible for the reimagining of Sport Medicine at UBC with the recent opening of the Chan Gunn Pavillion of the Allan McGavin Sport Medicine Clinic.
Dr. Stephen Wetmore MD, MCISc, CCFP, FCFPChair, Department of Family Medicine
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University
