April / May 2021 Newsletter
Upcoming Postgraduate Events
Please save these important dates: Resident Project Day will take place virtually on June 9, Family Medicine Graduation will be celebrated on June 23, and we will welcome our new residents at our Family Medicine Orientation on July 7.
- Chair's Message – Vaccination
Are we there yet? Is that the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel or is that a train coming the other way? Ontario is experiencing a stay at home order and strong advice to avoid non-essential travel and limit gatherings. This has helped to stabilize and slow down the COVID-19 case growth but ICU capacity in Ontario hospitals remains stretched and could easily be overwhelmed if there was another surge in cases. - Graduate Program Report
Recruitment for the Graduate Programs for the 2021-22 academic year has concluded. Applications to the PhD Program have been reviewed and one offer has been extended. Applications for the MClSc Program closed May 1 and will be reviewed at the May 12 Graduate Studies Committee meeting. Our warmest congratulations to Dr. Kamila Premji and Dr. Setorme Tsikata currently enrolled in the PhD Program who are the recipients for the Dr. Wm. Victor Johnston Award in Family Medicine for the 2020-21 academic year. - Postgraduate Program Report
CaRMS Match day was April 20 and we matched many excellent candidates. We do have some unfilled positions and will be participating in the second iteration of CaRMS. The second iteration match day is May 20. For residents completing the program in June 2021, keep in mind the requirements for completion of residency. To ensure there are no delays in receiving your family medicine certificate or CPSO license, please keep your one45 assessments, academic credits, field notes, and procedures up to date. - Undergraduate Program Report
With the first round of CaRMS behind us and the end of the year in sight for the first, second and fourth years, we are looking ahead to the 2021-22 Academic year. Congratulations to the fourth years who have matched and will be starting residency in July. Over 70 Western medical students matched to Family Medicine across the country. When we look ahead to the 2021-22 academic year, we hope that the vaccination effort will be slowly putting the pandemic in the rear-view mirror. We hope to return to some more of our “normal” activities. Currently, the Longitudinal Clinical Elective (LCE) is planned to restart in January 2022. - Announcement: 2021 CaRMS Match Results
On April 20, medical students from across Canada learned their residency match results, as the first iteration of the 2021 Canadian Resident Matching Service process became available. - Announcement: Celebrating the 2021 Awards of Excellence recipients
As educators, researchers, innovators and leaders, the 2021 Awards of Excellence recipients are making a difference at the School. It is with great pride that we recognize and honour their achievements. - Announcement: 2021 Awards of Excellence – Windsor Campus recipients
The Awards of Excellence – Windsor Campus celebrate the commitment and dedication of faculty, residents, staff and students. As mentors and role models, the recipients are distinguished by their leadership skills and embodiment of the School’s values. Congratulations to the 2021 recipients. - Award: Family Medicine Resident Research Grant Competition recipient announced
The Family Medicine Resident Research Grant Competition has awarded Dr. Jennifer Gray for her project entitled, “Do rural adolescents that use social media with a high degree of literacy experience less psychological distress? Exploring the social media behaviours and mental health outcomes of a sample of adolescents in Petrolia, Ontario.” - Gifts: Busy spring for our Alumni Relations & Development team
It has been a very busy spring for the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Alumni Relations & Development team. We are pleased to share news and celebrate the following gifts that were generously donated in the months of March and April. - In the Media: Hockey FIT (Fans in Training)
Recently Hockey FIT was featured in the local news: Hockey FIT program reaches fans from coast to coast via Western News, and Using a passion for hockey as a way to promote fitness via CTV News. - Dr. Jane Thornton featured on Sports Medicine Research In the Lab and in the Field
Dr. Jane Thornton’s recent paper “2021 consensus statement for preventing and managing low back pain in elite and subelite adult rowers” was recently featured on Sports Medicine Research In the Lab and in the Field blog post. - Meet Alumni Dr. Tesshu Kusaba, MClSc 2019
Dr. Tesshu Kusaba is a family doctor working in Hokkaido, Japan. He is the CEO of the Hokkaido Centre for Family Medicine (HCFM) and the President of Japan Primary Care Association (JPCA). "My career as a family doctor was derived from learning in HCFM under Dr. Kassai who obtained his roots in Canada in his learnings through Dr. Ian McWhinney." - Artificial Intelligence in Primary Health Care (AI in PHC)
The Artificial Intelligence in Primary Health Care (AI in PHC) research project team hosted a virtual Stakeholder Collaborative Consultation on March 26. A total of 35 people attended including a mix of PHC providers, patients, decision makers, digital health stakeholders and researchers. Participants discussed their priorities for PHC issues that could be addressed by AI. - The Pierre Ploye International Mixed Methods Thesis & Dissertation Awards in Family Medicine Education
The McGill Family Medicine Education Research Group (FMER) has announced sponsorship of the "The Pierre Ploye International Mixed Methods Thesis & Dissertation Awards in Family Medicine Education". These awards are aimed at distinguishing the work of promising new researchers committed to the advanced of science in family medicine education research around the world. - Department Spotlight: Ms. Adrienne Wakabayashi
2020 was all about virtual, and now 2021 is following suit. As such, we will be virtually profiling our administrative staff as they continue to work from home and keep our Department on track and meeting its strategic goals. Ms. Adrienne Wakabayashi is celebrating five years in the Department of Family Medicine as of April 24. - Research Report
There are many ongoing research projects at the Centre for Studies in Family Medicine. Hockey FIT (Fans in Training) led by Dr. Robert Petrella, Principal Investigator, is one of the current projects. It is a novel, evidence-based, gender-sensitized, weight loss and healthy lifestyle program that began as a pilot program in 2014 in London and Sarnia, and is now in 32 communities across Canada. - Events
Join us via Zoom for Beyond the Pandemic, Critical Updates in Primary Care on May 12 at 7:00 p.m. Save the date for Palliative Care Grand Rounds – When Chronic Becomes Terminal: Meeting the Palliative Needs of Patients with Multi-Morbidity and Chronic Illness on May 12, and Geriatric Interdisciplinary Grand Rounds – Inter-Community Wrap Around Program on May 13. - Top stories from our March newsletter
Missed reading our March newsletter. Take a moment to read the top stories: Celebrating Canadian Women Physicians Day, Department Spotlight: Mr. John Berger, Research Report.