Reflecting on 10 years

Dear Colleagues,

With the conclusion of our tenth year of operations at the Schulich Medicine & Dentistry - Windsor Campus on the horizon, one becomes reflective about all that has transpired since the doors were opened in September 2008.

In a month’s time, we expect to graduate the Class of 2018, bringing the total who have had their Doctor of Medicine training provided through the Schulich Medicine – Windsor Campus (excluding electives) to nearly 240. Some of these graduates may opt to take their postgraduate medical residency training in Windsor as they can now do so if they intend to practice in family medicine or psychiatry. Each of these programs draws physicians from across Canada, and indeed across the world, who want to come to the Windsor Campus to take their residency training.

Dr. Dale Ziter’s extensive experience in managing the family medicine residency program in Windsor suggests that about three quarters of these physicians will remain in the community to practise. As a result, challenges associated with finding a family doctor which plagued Windsor-Essex prior to 2008 have essentially been eliminated. In 2018, it is not uncommon to see media advertisements by physicians or signs on clinic doorways seeking new patients.

The significance of this transformation cannot be overstated and all responsible should take a well-deserved bow.

For example, Dwight Duncan who initially dreamt that Windsor could someday host a medical education campus; Tony Toldo Sr. who knew which political buttons to press; Dr. Carol Herbert who saw an opportunity for Schulich Medicine & Dentistry at Western University to address a critical societal need; also change agents like Carol Derbyshire and Ted Farron who helped to mobilize and engage the Windsor-Essex community. There are so many additional unsung heroes associated with the improved state of health care in Windsor-Essex in 2018.

Then there are the trailblazing medical students who took a chance on making the then unproven Schulich Medicine - Windsor Campus their medical education home. They were some of the strongest cheerleaders and their efforts greatly assisted in recruiting student cohorts which followed.

Of course, the staff team and the faculty members have been the 'secret sauce' to this successful recipe. Consider this: we have nine faculty members whose academic appointments date to the 1990’s: Drs. Godfrey Bacheyie, David Shum, Greg Hasen, Michael Winger, Len Cortese, Lenna Morgan, Mark Awuku, Edward Chang and Chris Leighton. Each one of these medical education leaders have helped us get to where we are today.

These outcomes and many more will be the subject of a socio-economic impact study that will be distributed in the near future. This work will hopefully help us better appreciate what it means to have a medical education presence within Windsor-Essex. Considering how far we have come since 2008, I am filled with anticipation of what lies ahead over the next ten years.

Gerry Cooper EdD
Associate Dean