The month of February has flown by in a flurry of snowstorms, both literal and metaphorical! We have all been aware of the shifting geopolitical landscape around the world, on top of which we heard about university budget cuts at McGill (in a Town Hall on Feb 7, link here), and health care system budget cuts under Santé Québec. If, like me, you have felt sad, powerless, and hopeless at times, please remember that, as Gandhi said, “In the midst of darkness, light persists”.
Today, February 28, is Resident and Fellow Appreciation Day! The Department of Family Medicine sends enormous thanks to all our residents and fellows who serve our patients with such dedication and rigour, while training to become the best health care professionals they can. Thank you!
Over the course of the month, I have been conducting annual performance evaluations with our tenure-track and tenured faculty members. It is always a pleasure to reconnect individually with our department’s amazing researchers.
The McGill Primary Care Practice-based Research Network (PBRN) held an excellent afternoon of workshops on February 21, at which I personally learned a great deal.
Photo: a selection of the participants during the PBRN workshops.
Again this month, I would like to remind you about events for our 50th anniversary celebrations:
- Our Family Medicine Heroes this month are:
- Dr. Adriana Decker: Resilience in times of crisis. Read more.
- Dr. Susan Lindquist: Leading with Purpose. Read more.
- M. Patrice Boileau: A Collaborative Force. Read more.
Please nominate your Family Medicine heroes here.
- The Department is running a "5 Words" campaign. All Department members, as well as our students, our patients, and the public are invited to participate. Take part here.
- The final event in our year-long celebration will be Academic Day to be held at the Bonaventure Hotel on 30 May 2025 – mark your calendars!
Coming up in March, there are two significant events:
- CaRMS Match on March 4 at noon. Join via Zoom here.
- McGill24 on March 12 where the Department will be fundraising for Academic Day, a collaborate event taking place on May 30 to celebrate Family Medicine research and scholarly activity. Please donate here.
Very warmly as always,
Marion
