Mission Statement
The Department of Family Medicine at McGill University has been in existence since the late 1970's. Through the efforts of dedicated and committed faculty members, our department has gained provincial, national and international renown for its programs. We have graduated over a 1,000 family physicians who are working in urban and rural settings around the world. Health Care Reform in Canada has placed the discipline of Family Medicine at the centre of health care delivery. Family physicians have the responsibility to ensure that every individual receives continuous and comprehensive care.
The McGill Department of Family Medicine has the mandate to:
- Provide progressive undergraduate and postgraduate education.
- Develop CME programs to address changes in the health care system.
- Conduct health services research to assess the impact of reform on population health.
The Department of Family Medicine is an academic department composed of health care professionals dedicated to teaching, research, service and the advancement of the discipline of Family Medicine, locally, nationally and internationally.
We teach the principles and practices of Family Medicine to undergraduate medical students, residents, and other postgraduate students. We train residents to become family physicians according to the principles of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. We promote the professional development of teachers of Family Medicine, and the continuing medical education of practicing family physicians. We provide comprehensive and continuous care to patients in the context of their families and communities.
In collaboration with other disciplines we promote self-directed learning in both community and hospital settings and in urban and rural environments. We conduct research to advance the discipline of Family Medicine. We provide service to the community through the activities of our clinical faculty, residents and students in multiple settings.
The Department of Family Medicine acknowledges and appreciates the relationship between health and the broader social context. We believe that:
- The family physician has a central role in the delivery of health care in Canada.
- The Department of Family Medicine must respond to the health care needs of its communities.
- An understanding of the principles of Family Medicine, as defined by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, is relevant to all future physicians.
- Research in Family Medicine is essential to the achievement of excellence in patient care and education.
- Faculty Development and Continuing Medical Education are essential to achieving our goals in teaching, research, and service.