Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year

Cal Gutkin

Each year since 1972, the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) has recognized outstanding family doctors who embody the principles of family medicine as Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year. Since 1996, Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year have each received an award named in honour of Dr Reg L. Perkin, CFPC Executive Director from 1985 to 1996. For the first 30 years of this program, one physician was selected each year. Since 2002, we have honoured 10 family physicians yearly, one chosen by each provincial Chapter.

Nominees are identified by their peer family physicians, other health professional colleagues, patients, and community leaders. Family Physicians of the Year are individuals who have provided exceptional patient care and who have contributed to the health and well-being of their communities, in addition to their commitment to the discipline of family medicine as teachers, researchers, and lifelong learners. The awards are presented during the College’s annual Family Medicine Forum (FMF) and are a featured part of each year’s Family Doctor Week in Canada. Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year is a program of the CFPC’s Research and Education Foundation, supported by member and corporate donations.

On November 1, 2011, at a special ceremony during FMF in Montreal, Que, the following were named Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year for 2011:

Marjorie Docherty, md, ccfp, fcfp, Kelowna, BC
Leonard Wade, md, ccfp, Vulcan, Alta
John Stewart McMillan, md, ccfp, fcfp, Regina, Sask
Joanne Maier, md, ccfp, Brandon, Man
Philip Hébert, md, phd, ccfp, fcfp, Toronto, Ont
Johanne Blais, md, ccmf, fcmf, Boischatel, Que
Michel Landry, md, ccmf, fcmf, Dieppe, NB
Shelagh Leahey, md, Yarmouth, NS
Peter Hooley, md, ccfp, Charlottetown, PEI
Robert T. Miller, md, ccfp, fcfp, St John’s, Nfld

The career profiles of the 2011 award recipients cover a range of areas of excellence. They care for patients in various settings, including their family practice offices, nursing homes, hospitals, patients’ homes, and community health centres. They work in big cities or small rural communities. They provide care for people of all ages, from newborn infants to the elderly. Each of them includes one or more areas of special interest within their practices, including mental health, obstetrics, care of children and adolescents, geriatrics, addictions, aboriginal health, palliative care, preventive medicine, medical ethics, and sports medicine to name a few. What they all share is their passion for family medicine and their dedication to their patients and communities.

During FMF the Family Physicians of the Year participate in a special session with medical students and residents, giving our physicians of the future an opportunity to hear about how the careers of these outstanding family doctors unfolded from their training days through to the practices they now enjoy. They share an open exchange about the challenges and rewards of a career in family medicine, including how one can incorporate teaching, research, and special interests in different clinical areas into comprehensive family practice. Over the years the students and residents have consistently told us how much they benefitted from these sessions—confirming the choice of a family medicine career for some and helping others decide on where and how they wanted to practice. The Family Physicians of the Year echo this enthusiasm, indicating how rewarding it is for them to share these moments with the next generation of family doctors.

Those who receive the Reg L. Perkin Award are unique individuals who have made special contributions to patient care, teaching, and research and who richly deserve the honour bestowed upon them. But they are not alone. We are blessed in Canada with thousands of skilled and dedicated family physicians. Canadians understand this and continue to report how highly they value their personal family physicians. One of the most gratifying parts of these awards is that those receiving them actually represent so many of their colleagues in family practice from coast to coast to coast.

We congratulate those who have been named Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year for 2011. But we also congratulate—and thank—every one of you who is also committed to your patients and the principles of family medicine. Those who receive these awards reflect what each of you contribute to the health and well-being of the people of Canada.