DFCM Annual Report 2017-2018

wellness that have made positive changes to our residency
program. This project won the U of T DFCM Resident Project
Award. We also introduced a program that links graduating
residents with current physicians in our community, beginning
with a dinner to introduce the two groups. The aim is to
assist our residents in moving into the practices of retiring
community family doctors.
Dr. Stuart Murdoch
Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
Over the past year, the Royal Victoria
Hospital Family Medicine Teaching
Unit in Barrie announced our new
co-postgraduate site directors, Drs.
Christine Stewart and Brent Elsey. They are replacing me,
as I am now the Postgraduate Education Director for the
Department of Family and Community Medicine. We are
currently partners in the “Healthy Barrie” initiative, which
includes other partners such as the Dalla Lana School of Public
Health, the Department of Family and Community Medicine,
the City of Barrie, and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health
Unit. The project enhances integration and collaboration
between services and professionals to improve population
health and health system sustainability in Barrie. We are
also pleased to welcome our first Indigenous resident to our
teaching unit this year. Our teaching unit was honoured to
be one of the teaching hospitals visited by representatives
of the World Organization of Family Doctors during their
accreditation of the Department of Family and Community
Medicine process.
Dr. Paul Cantarutti
Southlake Regional Health Centre
members per year to have time to conduct research and
academic scholarship. Our FMTU is also in expansion mode
with plans to add a new family medicine obstetrics group of
four physicians focused on practicing and teaching maternity
care. Our new home-visit program includes five of our faculty
members coordinating home visits for our most vulnerable
patients and includes our residents, enabling them to learn
about this essential skill. Finally, we have added a new and
more modern AV monitoring system that will facilitate more
direct observations of our learners.
Dr. Patrick Safieh
St. Joseph’s Health Centre
St. Joseph’s Hospital has developed
a new palliative care unit within
the hospital where a former family
medicine resident is working with
the Department of Medicine to create a new model of
delivery of palliative care. In primary care obstetrics, a
group of community and academic physicians are currently
providing care in a comprehensive teaching environment.
Our Rapid Access System has been strengthened to provide
the emergency department with greater access for substance
abuse intervention. As part of our primary care Local Health
Integration Network (LHIN) strategy, regular continuing
medical education and committee work has been created to
improve primary care delivery in the West Toronto area. Our
home visit program was also formalized and enhanced with
the involvement of residents. The St. Joseph’s Health Centre
has also integrated with St. Michael’s Hospital and are looking
at ways of improving efficiencies.
Our Family Medicine Training Unit
(FMTU) recently developed a threeyear
strategic plan containing four
Strategic Pillars: Academic Leaders in
Medical Education, Excellence in Patient Care, Innovation of
Health Systems and Wellness. Through the gracious funding
of our hospital, we are also now able to provide one week of
protected academic time to support up to five of our faculty
Department of Family & Community Medicine | Annual Report 2017–2018 11