Welcome to the Discipline of Family Medicine website.

Family Medicine is a distinct Discipline of Medicine because its scope is not based on any one organ system or skill set. Instead, our training makes us experts in the person. It transcends any one medical problem and provides us the ability to care for the person in their context and community. Dr. Ian McWhinney, often considered the “Father of Family Medicine”, outlined the Principles of Family Medicine, later adopted by the College of Family Physicians of Canada to guide the development of our training programs. They are:

1. The Family Physician is a skilled clinician
2. Family Medicine is a community-based discipline
3. The Family Physician is a resource to a defined practice population
4. The Patient-Physician relationship is central to the role of the Family Physician (vision, mission, principles)

The field of Medicine is expanding at a logarithmic rate and new information, disease entities and treatments are introduced to us daily. Family Physicians are flexible, able to pivot, learn and share new information and respond to a rapidly changing system while providing their patients with continuous and comprehensive care. We are able to provide care across the life span and health conditions, including prevention and treatment of illness and in a broad range of environments from home to hospital.

Our Undergraduate and Postgraduate programs span the whole of Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nunavut and Nepal. Please explore our website and learn more about our training opportunities and our award-winning programs. We prepare our graduates to practice in a broad range of clinical domains, including producing top notch rural physicians, as indicated by our receipt of the SRPC’s Keith Award 11 times since 2000 and the Rural Education Award 5 times since 2006. Our research programs in the Primary Healthcare Research Unit and the Centre for Rural Health Studies  have the highest percentage of primary care research revenue by percentage of any medical school in the country. Our teams conduct evidence-based research in primary care, rural health, and academic excellence.

Please contact us for more information regarding training or teaching in Family Medicine!

Norah Duggan, MD CCFP FCFP
Acting Chair, Discipline of Family Medicine

Click to view our Strategic Plan.