Chair's Message
As we move toward the close of another calendar year, December offers a (short) moment to pause, reflect, and acknowledge the efforts of our Department of Family Medicine community. There are many significant accomplishments I could highlight in my message but, instead, I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to each of you - faculty, staff, and trainees - for the commitment, professionalism, and care you bring to your work and learning every day.
Your work is taking place against a backdrop of ongoing and often unsettling events throughout the world, and also nationally and locally. Many of us are carrying personal concerns along side professional pressures. I realize the sense of uncertainty and worry that can weigh heavily, even as we continue to show up for our patients, learners, colleagues, and communities. I want to acknowledge that reality and to recognize the resilience, empathy, and mutual support that I see throughout our department. I am proud of the diversity within our department and of the inclusive environment we all strive to create. Our faculty, staff, and students come from many different backgrounds, cultures, races, religions, generations, and life experiences. The acceptance, respect, and support we show one another, regardless of differences, is one of our greatest strengths.
Across undergraduate, postgraduate, and graduate education, you continue to shape the next generation of physicians, researchers, and health professionals. Your teaching, mentorship, curriculum development, assessment, and administrative leadership ensure that our learners are supported, challenged, and inspired. At the same time, many of you are delivering compassionate, high-quality clinical care in busy and often complex practice environments, while others are advancing important research, quality improvement, and scholarly work that strengthens primary care and improves the health of our communities. That so many of you contribute across multiple missions—education, clinical care, and research—is a testament to your commitment and to this department.
When I think of the tremendous work occurring in the Department, I would be remiss if I didn’t encourage you to think of an outstanding colleague and considering putting their name forward to a 2026 Schulich Medicine & Dentistry Awards of Excellence. Award categories include excellence in education, excellence in research, and awards of excellence for staff across our London campus, Windsor campus, and distributed education sites. See https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/about/news-events-community/awards/awards-of-excellence/index.html for more information and please reach out to me (smckay28@uwo.ca) with you suggestions - the Department will help get the nomination package together and submitted. Deadline are approaching fast, so please reach out ASAP!
With December and January bringing a variety of religious and cultural observances, as well as holidays and celebrations, I hope each of you can find moments of downtime for rest, relaxation, reflection in ways that are meaningful to you and the people you love.
Wishing you the best for 2026!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As always, if you have comments, questions, feedback, or topics you would like to hear about in future newsletters, please reach out to me – Scott McKay smckay28@uwo.ca.
