To start this month’s message, I am delighted to let you know about two key positions we have filled in the Department: Machelle Wilchesky will take on the role of scientific co-director of the Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) as of July 1, replacing Jeannie Haggerty who has held that role for many years. Prof. Wilchesky will be working together with Laura MacLaren, who is the clinical co-director. We simultaneously welcome Prof. Wilchesky and thank Prof. Haggerty for her tremendous service.
Kathleen Rice will take on the role of research director as of September 1, replacing Isabelle Vedel who has been acting as interim research director since May 1. We look forward to working together with Prof. Rice and thank Dr. Vedel for her willingness to step forward to bridge the 4-month gap between research directors.
This past month was again filled with extraordinary events, celebrating our discipline and celebrating individuals who stand out in the Department of Family Medicine.
At the end of last month, several of our graduate students received their PhD and MSc degrees – congratulations to you all! On the last day of May, we were treated to excellent presentations of resident scholarly activity at the Tannenbaum Resident Research Day. That afternoon, I was delighted to attend the graduation ceremony for our second-year residents, witnessing the excitement of freshly trained young physicians who are embarking on their career as family physicians.
On June 6, we held a community event in the Indigenous space to announce the publication of the report on Cultural Safety in the Context of Indigenous Health Research, to which members of our Department contributed. It was very well-attended and received significant coverage.
Later that afternoon, Mylène Arsenault was named to the Honour List for Educational Excellence in a ceremony at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Congratulations, Mylène, this honour is very well-deserved!
On June 14, two of the big research teams in the Department, the Family Medicine Education Research Group (FMER) and Participatory Research at McGill (PRAM) joined forces to organize a Crossroad panel discussion on Engaged Adolescent Medicine, at Thomson House. The four panelists presented fascinating work, and apparently there will be further such events in the next academic year!
Later that day, the Collège Québécois des Médecins de Famille held its annual award ceremony at which I was delighted to see three members of our Department win major prizes: Maureen Doyle was named Family Physician of the Year, honouring her long career of contributions to many aspects of family medicine; Mark Karanofsky won a Prix d’Excellence for his contribution to community and hospital-FMG-U life; and Hélène Rousseau won the Andrée Gagnon award for championing perinatal care. A huge congratulations to all three of you! To top this off, Geneviève Bois, who completed residency at St. Mary’s around a decade ago, was sworn in as the new president of the CQMF!
The newsletter will be on holiday in July, so I will see you next in August!
Very warmly as always,
Marion