Historical Milestones
As we celebrate 50 years of Family Medicine at McGill, we reflect on the pivotal milestones that have shaped our department's journey. This section highlights significant events, achievements, and advancements that have marked our growth and evolution in education, research, and patient care. Join us in honoring our history and the visionaries who paved the way for the future of Family Medicine.
1821 
The Montreal General Hospital and the founding of McGill’s first faculty
In a mutually beneficial arrangement, McGill College and the Montreal Medical Institution (MMI), a proprietary medical school established by four Montreal General Hospital (MGH) physicians, merged. The MMI became the College’s first faculty, and the MGH its teaching hospital.
1843 
The birth of obstetrics: the University Lying-in Hospital
The University Lying-in Hospital - established by McGill’s Faculty of Medicine (now the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences), hence its name, as a teaching hospital - offered poor, often unmarried or immigrant women, a safe place to give birth.
1893 
The Royal Victoria Hospital – the castle on the hill
The imposing Royal Victoria Hospital, built on the southern slope of Mount Royal on land donated in 1887 by rail barons Lords Strathcona and Mount Stephen, opened its doors in 1893.
1904
Montreal’s first children’s hospital opens.
The Children’s Memorial Hospital's (now the Montreal Children’s Hospital) leafy setting near Mount Royal was regarded as the perfect spot for its young patients, many of whom were suffering from respiratory diseases like tuberculosis, to recuperate.
1912
The Herzl dispensary opens
Launched in June 1912, the Herzl Dispensary—a forerunner of the Jewish General Hospital—provided vital healthcare services to Montreal’s growing Jewish community. More than five decades before socialized medicine was introduced in Canada, this small but well-equipped Dispensary—staffed by a team of unpaid, volunteer doctors—provided medical treatment and drugs to anyone in need, regardless of their ability to pay.
1924
St Mary’s Hospital opens
From its beginning as a 45-bed institution formally established in the Shaughnessy House in downtown Montreal, (now the Canadian Centre for Architecture), St. Mary's has grown into a dynamic 271-bed hospital located on Lacombe Avenue in the Côte-des-Neiges district.
1934 
Three hospitals in one year: St. Mary’s, the Jewish General and the Neuro
Despite falling in the middle of the Depression, 1934 was a particularly auspicious year for health care in Montreal, with the opening of three English-language hospitals.
1974 
Royal Victoria Hospital palliative care service is established including Palliative Care McGill.
In 1973, Dr. Balfour Mount, a urologic-cancer surgeon, began to explore the needs of dying patients at Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital. After a visit to St. Christopher’s Hospice (founded by Dame Cicely Saunders) in London, England, Dr. Mount began a similar service for the dying at Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital.
1974 
McGill Family Medicine Centre at St. Mary’s Hospital.
The Family Medicine Centre (U-FMG) affiliated with McGill University is one of the largest training centers in Canada. Practicing in the multi-ethnic community of Côte-des-Neiges, it has achieved prominence for its excellence in care and teaching.
1975 
The creation of the Department of Family Medicine
Cardiologist Dr. Wilfred H. Palmer was the Physician-in-Chief of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and then became the founding Chair of the McGill Department of Family Medicine until 1981.
1981 
Dr. William Davis becomes the second Chair of the McGill Department of Family Medicine.
Dr. William Davis begins his mandate as second Chair of the McGill Department of Family Medicine until 1992. During his time as Chair, he helped inaugurate the Gatineau Family Medicine Unit (FMU).
1986 
Family Medicine Unit (FMU) at CLSC Côte-des-Neiges
The CLSC de Côte-des-Neiges was established in 1975 and became a McGill Family Medicine Unit (FMU) in 1986. The first and only Maison de Naissance staffed exclusively with midwives was established under its jurisdiction. PRADA and CDAR, the only clinics in all of Quebec providing prise en charge care exclusively for refugees and asylum seekers in the Greater Montreal area, was also established within the CLSC.
1988 
A McGill Family Medicine Unit (FMU) at Gatineau
The McGill Family Medicine Unit (FMU) in Gatineau was created in 1988. It began by sending two medical residents to complete their last six months of family medicine training there. A real core of McGill University's Outaouais campus, the Gatineau U-FMG continues to evolve and develop.
1992 
Dr. Louise Nasmith becomes the third Chair of the McGill Department of Family Medicine.
Dr. Louise Nasmith obtained her medical degree from McGill University in 1978 and her Certificant of the College of Family Physicians in 1982. In 1992 she was named Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at McGill until 2002.
1997 
Merging to excel: the creation of the MUHC
Pressure on McGill's hospital network to consolidate administration and medical services resulted in a voluntary merger in 1997 to form the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
2002 
Dr. Martin Dawes becomes the fourth Chair of the McGill Department of Family Medicine.
Dr. Martin Dawes assumed the position of Chair of the Department of Family Medicine until 2010. Deeply committed to enhancing the Department’s research capacity, Dr. Dawes’ vision and leadership led to the creation of a research thesis-based Master’s program in Experimental Medicine (Family Medicine Option), the first of its kind in Canada.
2003 
RUISSS McGill: Improving healthcare access for 1.9 million Quebecers
RUISSS McGill covers a large and varied territory of Quebec, stretching from Montreal to Nunavik in the far north.
2008 
A Master’s Program in Family Medicine
A research thesis-based Master’s program offered by the Department of Family Medicine was created in 2008. Today, the program embraces an interdisciplinary approach with an emphasis on community engagement.
2009 
A McGill Family Medicine Unit (FMU) at Val d’Or
The Family Medicine Unit in Val d’Or opened its doors in 2009, after many years of work by several physicians who saw an exciting opportunity. It was receiving trainees from McGill University for many years and so affiliation came naturally.
2009 
A McGill Family Medicine Unit (FMU) in Chateaugay
Opened in 2009, the McGill Jardins-Roussillon Family Medicine Unit (FMU) is located near the Anna-Laberge Hospital in Châteauguay. It is part of the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de la Montérégie-Ouest (CISSS-MO).
2011 
Dr. Howard Bergman becomes the fifth Chair of the McGill Department of Family Medicine.
Dr. Howard Bergman took on the role of Chair of the Department of Family Medicine until 2019. Dr. Bergman was recognized for his research which has influenced policy change in primary care, aging and dementia.
2012 
A McGill Family Medicine Unit (FMU) at CLSC Metro.
In the heart of downtown Montreal, as part of the Guy-Concordia metro station, the McGill Family Medicine Unit (FMU) at CLSC Metro opened its doors in 2012. It services the territory of the west end of downtown Montreal and the City of Westmount.
2013 
The Department moves from Pine Avenue to Côte-des-Neiges.
With the expansion of the Department came the move to relocate offices to Côte-des-Neiges, one of the most densely populated and ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in Canada.
2013 
A McGill Family Medicine Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex
The Queen Elizabeth Health Complex (QEHC) has been functioning as an important medical unit since 1894, when it first opened as the Montreal Homeopathic Hospital. In 1951 the hospital was renamed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and it continued to pioneer outstanding medical care.
2014 
A McGill Family Medicine Unit (FMU) at CLSC Parc Extension.
In the heart of vibrant and multicultural neighbourhood Parc-Extension, this Family Medicine Unit opened its doors in 2014. CLSC Parc-Extension services the territory of the East End of Ville Mont-Royal, North End of Mile-End and the heart of Parc-Extension.
2015
A PhD Program in Family Medicine and Primary Care
The PhD program offered by the Department of Family Medicine was created in 2015. Today, it is a research-intensive program that emphasizes interdisciplinary and collaborative learning opportunities.
2015 
In February 2015, Quebec’s National Assembly adopted An Act to modify the organization and governance of the health and social services network. This law consolidated a majority of the health and social services at the core of a Réseau Territorial de Services (RTS) to either a Centre Intégré de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CISSS) or Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CIUSSS).
2019 
The sixth and current Chair of Family Medicine Dr. Marion Dove begins her mandate.
2020 
McGill opens Campus Outaouais.
In August 2020, McGill's new Campus Outaouais welcomed its first cohort. For the first time in McGill’s long history, the teaching program at one of its campuses is taking place exclusively in French.
2023 
The Department of Family Medicine opens an Indigenous Space.
2023 
A Family Medicine Unit University opens at MedNam clinic.
2024 
A Family Medicine Unit opens at Vaudreuil.
