Midyear Message from the Dean

I recently had the pleasure of celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the University of Manitoba’s department of family medicine. I was among more than 340 primary health care providers, educators and guests who gathered at the Manitoba Museum on May 26 to mark this great achievement.

Since the department of family medicine was founded in 1973, it has expanded and grown family medicine streams and distributed medical education sites across the province. It also has a vital presence in each of Manitoba’s regional health authorities and partnerships in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

Over the last 10 years, under the leadership of department head Dr. José Francois, family medicine has experienced unprecedented growth in the number of residency positions and distributed teaching sites. The department has also achieved successful CFPC accreditation, has focused on improving the department’s Indigenous curriculum and culturally-safe practice, and enhanced its mentorship and wellness programs.

The demand for health-care professionals became amplified during the pandemic and working in partnership with the provincial government, we have begun to address this.

This year, the University of Manitoba increased the number of family medicine residency spaces by 10, from 52 to 62, and all our positions were filled through the CaRMS match this year, unlike in many other provinces. In fact, we were one of only two provinces to fill all our family med spaces this year.

This is a testament to the high quality of postgraduate medical education at UM, the excitement of approximately 70 per cent of graduating UM students choosing a residency right here in Manitoba (including 40 per cent choosing family medicine), and the reputation of our residency programs right across the country.

We are entering a transformational growth period in the Max Rady College of Medicine and we are preparing for further expansions at the undergrad and postgrad levels and in the international medical graduate program to address Manitoba’s heath care needs.  

This fall, we are preparing to admit an additional 15 students to our MD program, bringing us to 125 undergraduate medical education (UGME) students in the class of 2027.

This is the first expansion of UGME seats in 15 years and comes at a precipitous time as the province faces a growing population and an increasing gap in the number of physicians practicing in our province to meet the health care needs of Manitobans.

I congratulate members of the department of family medicine as well as all proud alumni on your 50th anniversary! Our commitment to training first-rate family physicians will, no doubt, continue for another 50 years. 

And speaking of anniversaries, we are marking another exciting milestone this year in the Max Rady College of Medicine. It is the 140^th anniversary of the University of Manitoba medical school and we hope all alumni, present and past faculty members and friends will join us in celebration at our gala November 18, 2023 at RBC Convention Centre.