Chair's Message

It seems every year I tell myself a story that I am more organized heading into September and the fall season, and it won’t feel nearly as busy or pass as quickly as the previous year.  And then every year, September is as crazy as ever! I cannot believe we are already into the home stretch of October.

From speaking with colleagues and friends, this is the experience many of you have also had. Whether it is work ramping up, getting children launched for another school year, getting back into “normal” routines and extracurriculars – there’s just so much going on.

For me, on the personal side, my wife headed back to school in her role as an education administrator, we sent 3 teenagers back to high school, and we managed to get all 5 of us back into our extracurricular activities. Not an easy family calendar to manage!

On the Department of Family Medicine and medical school side, our Department welcomed over 80 PGY1 residents and Schulich welcomed 190 new medical students (the Class of 2028) this year. Resident and clerkship rotations, 4th year electives, and classes are now in full-swing. The longitudinal clinical experience (LCE) is in the midst launching. The LCE is a great opportunity to have a first-year medical student spend 8 half-days between October and June shadowing you in your clinic to gain exposure to family medicine. Thanks to all the preceptors who have signed up to take a student (or two!). We have recruited all the preceptors we need for 2024-25, but if you would be interested to participate next year, please reach out to our undergraduate program coordinator at fmundergrad@schulich.uwo.ca so you don’t miss out next year.

On the topic of opportunities to teach 1st and 2nd year medical students, there are always ways to get involved. Some examples include:

  • Small group facilitators for foundations and principles of medicine courses
  • Academic coaches
  • Research project supervisors
  • QI project advisors
  • Transition to clerkship small group facilitators

 

If you are interested and would like more information about any of these roles, please reach out to myself, Dr. Jessica Howard (Undergraduate Education Director jhowar58@uwo.ca), or our undergraduate program coordinator (email above).

September is also busy for our Graduate Studies program as we host our Masters and PhD candidates for a week of on-site classes. Congratulations to Dr. Judy Belle Brown, Graduate Studies Program Director, and all the staff and faculty involved on another successful week.

In conjunction with the Grad Studies on-site, the annual Dr. Ian McWhinney Lecture was hosted on September 18th. We were very fortunate to have had Dr. Lillian Gelberg, a family physician from Los Angeles CA, present her lecture titled “A Family Physician Serving Vulnerable Populations, through Care and Research.” A recording of the lecture, as well as a very interesting research hour is available to view at: https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/familymedicine/about_us/dr_ian_mcwhinney_lecture_series/2024.html

There are several leadership updates I would like to share. Congratulations, and thank you, to the following faculty for taking on important administrative roles within the Department over the past several months:

  • Eric Wong – Associate Chair, Department of Family Medicine
  • Tatiana Jevremovic – PGY3 Enhanced Skills Program Director
  • Philip Vandewalle – Postgraduate Resident Competency and Assessment Coordinator
  • Jay Taylor – Postgraduate Education Academic Coordinator
  • Hiba El-Fayoumi – Postgraduate Education IMG Coordinator

 

We have also welcomed four new full-time faculty to the Department so far this academic year. We are so pleased to have these new Department members:

  • Janina Mailloux (Middlesex Centre Family Medicine Clinic)
  • Hussein Ataie Fashtami (Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine Clinic)
  • Lydia Schultz (Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine Clinic)
  • Cassandra Stiller-Moldovan (Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine Clinic)

 

Looking ahead, one of the main activities coming up in the postgraduate portfolio will be preparing to review applicant files and interview candidates through the CaRMS process. Our Department is expecting more applicants than previous years, which will mean more work and more interviews to find the best candidates. Please keep an eye on your email for an opportunity to take part – we will need your help!

To close, I want to express my sincere thank you for your involvement and participation in the Department of Family Medicine. Trying to balance all of life’s demands is hard, and that you choose to include working with us deserves special recognition. The influence and impact you have on your students and residents is tremendous. Thank you.

As always, if you have comments, questions, feedback, or topics you would like to hear about in future newsletters, please reach out to me – Scott McKay smckay28@uwo.ca