The CFPC welcomes its 2022-2023 President, Dr Christie Newton

Dr Christie Newton was elected as the 69th President of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) on November 2, 2022, at the Annual Meeting of Members. She was officially installed in the role on November 11, 2022, during Family Medicine Forum.

Dr Newton was born and raised in Toronto, Ont, the third child and only daughter in her family. Her mother was a teacher and her father was a plastic surgeon.

She pursued an undergraduate degree in biology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont, and developed interests in marine biology and entomology. However, after a trip to the locust laboratory she decided the study of insects was not for her. She then enrolled at Western University in London, Ont, to become a teacher. As part of the program orientation, she met the class she was going to teach and quickly realized she was not ready to command a classroom of high school students.

She then accepted a spot in medicine at Queen’s University. She loved every rotation but eventually opted for family medicine after chatting with an internal medicine fellow who told her she was smart enough to be a family doctor. Family doctors, the fellow said, need to know enough about everything to provide safe care.

“She told me specialists need to know a lot about a very defined field, which is much easier than being a family doctor. This message was completely opposite to the hidden curriculum that I had been exposed to throughout medical school.”

Dr Newton stayed at Queen’s University for residency and a fellowship in women’s health. One of her most memorable rotations was in Moose Factory in northern Ontario.

“It was challenging and busy, but I always felt completely supported by the health care team. In hindsight, this experience ignited my passion for team-based care.”

After 14 years at Queen’s University, Dr Newton moved to Vancouver, BC, to be closer to her husband’s family. She and her husband, Darin, and daughters Mia and Grace, live on the shore of Burrard Inlet, a 45-minute drive from downtown Vancouver. The family has a bird named Leo and a dog named Guido. They love living on the water and sharing their space with coyotes, eagles, seals, and the occasional black bear.

In 2005 she became an academic faculty member at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Family Practice, where she now serves as Associate Head, Education and Engagement, and continues to practise and teach at the University of British Columbia Health Clinic, a family practice residency training site. She remains dedicated to building capacity for community-based family practice within team-based models of care.

Over the years, Dr Newton has served in many roles both with the British Columbia College of Family Physicians and with the CFPC. She has participated on various committees including the National Committee on Continuing Professional Development, the CanMEDS–Family Medicine Working Group on the Collaborator Role, and the Patient’s Medical Home Steering Committee, among others. She served on the CFPC board from 2014 to 2015 and from 2018 to 2020 as a Director-at-Large and was Secretary-Treasurer from 2020 to 2021.

Dr Newton is looking forward to her year as President: “In the next year, I am really hoping to get a commitment from the federal government to support primary care, including family physicians. I plan to build on collaborations with health professional organizations to ensure a unified approach. I believe a key part of system stabilization is team-based care as described in the Patient’s Medical Home vision¹ and embedding these primary care teams within networked Patient’s Medical Neighbourhoods² across the country.”

As 15% of people living in Canada and 18% of British Columbians are without a family doctor,³ “We must invest in the recruitment and retention of community-based family doctors who provide comprehensive, longitudinal care. At the same time, any plan to improve access to family doctors must recognize the CFPC’s high training standards and take an ethical stand when it comes to recruitment.”

Finally, Dr Newton said she hopes to connect with CFPC members across Canada.

“I am honoured to be CFPC President and, in this role, I aim to listen, learn, and support fellow family physicians as best I can.”

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