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December 10, 2010

Dr. Willa Henry appointed Director, Postgraduate Program, Department of Family Practice

Dr. Willa Henry, Director, Postgraduate Program, DFP

Download this media release (pdf)

VANCOUVER, BC – The University of British Columbia Department of Family Practice is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Willa Henry, Associate Professor, to the position of Program Director, Postgraduate Program, Department of Family Practice from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2014.

Dr. Henry completed her MD at McMaster University after having worked at the Pine Free Clinic in Vancouver as a nurse. She completed her residency at UBC in 1985 before moving to Hamilton, Ontario where she worked as Undergraduate Clerkship director at McMaster while working in a community practice for 16 years. Dr. Henry spent four years working and travelling in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, before being appointed Program Director of Family Medicine at Queen’s University in 2005.

During her term at Queen’s University, Dr. Henry participated on many local administrative committees, chairing both the Curriculum Review Group and the Postgraduate Education Committee for all teaching sites at Queens University. She is the current Chair of the Ontario Program Director’s Committee and continues to work as an active clinician and clinical preceptor.

Dr. Henry’s interests in education and competency-based training and assessment have been the main foci in her career in postgraduate training. Her priority has been to deliver excellence in Family Medicine postgraduate training, and oversee the expansion of family medicine training positions to meet the health needs of an aging population. She notes that she is excited to work with the site leaders of the distributed programs at UBC – “emphasizing the importance of connection and support between teaching sites and the university.”

The Department looks forward to continuing its tradition of excellence in postgraduate medical education under Dr. Henry’s guidance. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Henry to the Department of Family Practice.

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Contact:
Sharon Mah
Department of Family Practice
University of British Columbia
604-827-4186

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September 25, 2009

Department members recognized by CFPC for outstanding contributions to family medicine

Dr. Stefan Grzybowski, recipient of the 2009 CFPC Family Medicine Researcher of the Year Award

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VANCOUVER, BC – Faculty, residents and students from the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Department of Family Practice (DFP) were honoured by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) in August 2009 for their achievements in family medicine practice and/or research.

Professor Dr. Stefan Grzybowski received the CFPC Family Medicine Researcher of the Year Award. Dr. Grzybowski is a scientific co-director of the BC Rural and Remote Health Research Network and a co-director of the Centre for Rural Health Research. He is currently studying rural primary care and rural maternity care in British Columbia and is involved in advancing the rural maternity care health services research agenda in order to better understand the needs of pregnant rural women and their families, care providers and policy makers. He is committed to building research capacity for primary care clinician investigators.

Clinical Assistant Professor, Dr. John P. Pawlovich, was named one of Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year (also known as the Reg L. Perkin Award) by the CFPC. Dr. Pawlovich currently practices within the northern community of Fraser Lake, BC and is collaborating with multiple First Nation communities, the Northern Health Authority, and other stakeholders to establish a medical centre at the remote community of Grassy Plains. He is also pioneering a group treatment process – where patients with similar afflictions meet together with a physician to share information and potential solutions – within the northern community context.

The following Department of Family Practice clinical faculty, residents and undergraduates were also recognized by the CFPC for their contributions to family medicine:

Award of Excellence

BCCFP Research Award

CFPC Scholarship in Women’s Health

Janus Research Grant (for senior researchers)

CFPC Life Members

CFPC Fellows

Mimi Divinski Award for History and Narrative in Family Medicine

Leadership Award for Family Medicine Residents

Family Medicine Resident Awards for Scholarship

Leadership Award for Medical Students

CFPC Medical Student Scholarship

The CFPC will recognize award recipients at the 2009 Family Medicine Forum, taking place October 29 – 31, 2009 in Calgary, AB.

The Interim Leadership Team of the Department of Family Practice joins the College of Family Physicians in congratulating its members, residents and students for their exceptional achievements.

March 12, 2009

World leading primary care researcher, Barbara Starfield, to help launch Centre for Relationship-Based Care

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VANCOUVER, BC - The Department of Family Practice will celebrate its newly formed Centre for Relationship-Based Care by featuring a presentation with distinguished international Primary Care researcher, Dr. Barbara Starfield. The lecture will take place at 8:00 am on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at the new theatre at St.Paul’s Hospital (Providence 1, Room 1477).

Dr. Starfield will discuss “Primary Care and Its Contributions to Health Systems and Health,” specifically focusing on the importance of patient-centered care in health care delivery . “[Her] work demonstrates that health systems with a strong focus on primary care positively impact patients, physicians and health care systems,” notes Centre co-founder Dr. Robert Woollard. “Dr. Starfield’s message is a timely one for anyone who is concerned about the future of health care in B.C.”

The Centre for Relationship-Based Care represents a coalition of academics who will engage service providers, policy makers, educators and the public in the creation of tools, policies and frameworks that recognize the central importance of relationship in all aspects of health care delivery. “Whether you’re discussing the doctor-patient partnership, creating patient-centered policy, or managing health systems – relationship is key to ensuring excellence in health care delivery,” says Centre co-founder Dr. Tracy Monk. “We want to research best practices and approaches to making that happen here in B.C.” 

Health care service providers, administrators, policymakers, patient advocates and the general public are invited to attend this free event. Seating is limited – please RSVP to debra.hanberg@familymed.ubc.ca.
To learn more about the Department of Family Practice’s Centre for Relationship-Based Care, visit: www.familymed.ubc.ca/department/_centres.htm or contact Sharon Mah, Communications Manager at 604.827-4186.

Coffee and muffins will be served    Supported by the Vancouver Foundation

This event is sponsored by:
UBC Department of Family Practice Research Office
UBC Centre for Excellence in Research in Primary Care
UBC CLISS (Community Liaison for Integrating Study & Service) Program

Barbara Starfield, a physician and health services researcher, is professor of health policy at Johns Hopkins University, focusing on equity in health, quality of care, health status assessment and primary care evaluation. Her books, Primary Care: Concept, Evaluation, and Policy and Primary Care: Balancing Health Needs, Services, and Technology, are considered seminal. She was a cofounder and first president of the International Society for Equity in Health.

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Contact:
Sharon Mah
Department of Family Practice
University of British Columbia
604-827-4186

December 17, 2008

Department of Family Practice supports 2012 challenge issued by College of Family Physicians of Canada

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VANCOUVER, BC, December 17, 2008 − The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) recently released their annual report card at the Family Medicine Forum in Toronto, Ontario − Supporting the Future Family Medicine Workforce in Canada: Is enough being done today to prepare for tomorrow?

The CFPC report card assesses the current state of family medicine in Canada and identifies some of the challenges currently facing government and healthcare leaders, practitioners and medical students. In the document, the College notes that:

• while 85% of Canadians have a family doctor, approximately 4.6 million Canadians do not, relying instead on walk-in clinics and/or emergency rooms for treatment;
• despite increased enrolment in medical schools and residency programs, the doctor to population ratio in 2006 was the same as in 1990;
• family doctors earn 33% less than specialists, negatively impacting recruitment and retention of practitioners.

The Department of Family Practice at UBC recognizes the pivotal role that family medicine plays in ensuring the health and well-being of all Canadians, and further acknowledges that the knowledge, skills and training of practitioners must continue to grow and evolve to meet the changing needs of the population. As one of the leading medical schools in Canada, the Department encourages all local, provincial and federal governmental and healthcare leaders to read the CFPC’s Report Card and to take up the challenge issued by the College: ensure that every Canadian has a personal family doctor by 2012.

Download the 2008 CFPC Report Card

The Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia is dedicated to the education of physicians and midwives who will be effective providers of patient-centred care in the context of family and community. The Department provides leadership in the stimulation and facilitation of academic and community-based research and education that addresses the needs of communities.
To learn more about the Department, visit www.familymed.ubc.ca.

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Contact:
Sharon Mah
Department of Family Practice
University of British Columbia
604-827-4186