November/December 2022 Newsletter

    • Chair's Message
      As we publish our last newsletter of the year and approach the holiday season, I want to reflect on the year that has been – and what a year 2022 was.

    • Undergraduate Report
      We are pleased to announce that Dr. Silvia Orsini has accepted the role of Clerkship and Electives Director. Please join our Undergraduate Department in welcoming Dr. Orsini to this role. Undergraduate students are in the full swing of things, as the winter season arrives. 4th year students will have the opportunity to complete additional, post-CaRMS electives in January 2023.

    • Postgraduate Report
      We are pleased to announce that Dr. Daniela Keren will be joining the PG Team as the newly appointed Postgraduate Academic Program and QI/Research Coordinator. Welcome aboard Dr. Keren. With December holidays approaching, we wanted to take a moment to remind our preceptors and residents to complete their One45 to-do items.

    • Graduate Report
      The MClSc and PhD Programs are in full swing and the students are actively engaging in their course work. In addition, several students are nearing completion of their thesis. Stay tuned for announcements of the dates for their public lectures in the winter months of 2023.

    • Research Report
      Tutor-PHC Program is now recruiting primary health care research trainees, clinicians, and decision maker trainees for the 2023-2024 Program. Application Deadline is December 19, 2022. For more information, please visit our Tutor-PHC website. The North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG), 50th Anniversary Conference took place November 18-22, 2022, at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown in Phoenix, Arizona. Members of the Department of Family Medicine presented their research via oral, poster, and workshop sessions.

    • In the media: Exemplary physician, compassionate cheerleader
      Dr. Laura Lyons is filling a great need, regionally and nationally, as an expert in the care of pregnant women who are struggling with addiction. Profile via St. Joseph's Health Care London.

    • Staff Profile: Craig Mara
      The Department of Family Medicine would like to introduce Craig Mara, our Faculty Research Coordinator. "Working in the Faculty Research Coordinator role is a little different each day and filled with new learning experiences. Not only am I learning about the everyday lives of family physicians and patients through working on research with them, but I have also been learning more about the curriculum and lives of residents since I have been helping them with Research and Quality improvement projects the past year."

    • Western News: Expert insight: What's in store for respiratory virus season?
      Republished from the Conversation, Dr. Sameer Elsayed, Professor of Medicine, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, and Epidemiology & Biostatistics at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, discusses the factors that could make this cold and flu season one of the worst in years.

    • Upcoming Primary Care Masterclass in Sport and Exercise Medicine and Musculoskeletal Health
      Dr. Jane Thornton will host a monthly webinar series with international speakers to equip primary care physicians with new knowledge on current and emerging hot topics in Musculoskeletal Health and Sport and Exercise Medicine. Speakers include a multidisciplinary group of internationally renowned experts. Stay tuned for more updates and registration details.

    • Nominate High Performing Early Career Family Physicians
      “Towards Adaptability In General Practice: Defining the Capabilities and Competencies of High-performing Family Physicians” is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Grant and led by Dr. Monica Aggarwal at the University of Toronto. It aims to identify the capabilities and competencies of high-performing family physicians to inform how learning, teaching, and assessment can be augmented to improve residency programs in Canada.

    • Vaccine policy update, masking remains in place
      Western has committed to regularly reviewing our vaccination policy. Based on the latest consultation with our medical experts and local public health, we are revoking our vaccination policy and will no longer require students, employees, and visitors to be vaccinated to come to campus. Masks will still be required in instructional spaces in the winter term after the December break.

    • Western University community honours passing of local sports medicine pioneer
      Dr. Peter Fowler, MD’64, a visionary sports medicine pioneer, and co-founder of the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic, passed away on November 16, 2022. The Western University community will miss the presence of this internationally-renowned orthopedic surgeon and “gentle giant.”