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The
Bulletin
Department of Family Medicine Newsletter | September 2022
Quick links: EVENTS CAREERS CONTACT
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Chair’s Message
Looking ahead to the Fall
The department has had a busy summer welcoming new residents and settling back into another academic year. We have resumed work in person at 600 Peter Morand with a hybrid back-to-work plan and are reconnecting with old and new colleagues.
| ^ Dr.Liddy speaks at the DFM staff BBQ | |
We were delighted to have our first in-person Undergraduate Bootcamp in two years, welcoming more than 100 incoming medical students to our teaching space. It was met with great success by all who attended, providing a great introduction to family medicine to both the Anglophone and Francophone streams. The Bootcamp would not have been a success without the generous help of our physicians and residents who provided students with hands on experience in doing procedures such as knee injections, pap tests and suturing. The event was successfully led by Ms. Donna Williams, Undergraduate Medical Education Coordinator, who did an amazing job.
Planning for the Fall is underway, and we hope you will be able to participate in some of the upcoming activities: The SOOs will be on September 22nd, followed by the PGY3 interviews, starting October 14th.
November will be a busy time for faculty as they plan on attending the Family Medicine Forum in Toronto (FMF). Please watch this space for more information regarding our presence at the FMF. We anticipate highlighting our work through presentations, booths, and poster sessions.
| | | ^ Students at our Undergrad Bootcamp | |
We are also planning our annual departmental assembly on Thursday, December 1st, along with Dragons' Den and will be sending out a link to register shortly. It will be an opportunity to come together and reflect on our discipline and help engage our members and broader communities. We hope to see you there.
Lastly, we are looking at revitalizing our communications strategy following feedback from the previous year. Our team will be heading out to our teaching sites to better understand how we can develop high quality and relevant information to assist in meeting our strategic goals.
If you have any suggestions or ideas on how we can improve, please reach out to our communications team at commsdfm@uottawa.ca.
I wish everyone a safe, and happy back to school.
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Please welcome our new staff members
Feel free to reach out to them for information pertaining to their portfolios:
Fun fact: Loves Russian literature and was born on Tolstoy St in her hometown of Baku.
Fun fact: Went skydiving once.
Fun fact: Worked for 13 years in the Commercial Real Estate & Property Management Industry.
Fun fact: Has a cat named Miumiu who “migrated” to China two years ago and made his parents cat people!
Fun fact: His full name is long (Osama Mouhammad Mouain Alghamyan) but his hair was longer last winter!
Fun fact: He has lived in Europe, Asia, and North America.
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Winchester District Memorial Hospital
As part of our communications refresh and efforts to showcase the great work at our teaching sites, we will be highlighting our units throughout the year. This month, we are proud to celebrate Winchester and bring an update from the Unit Program Director, Dr. Vikas Bhagirath.
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Akwesasne Residency Program
For the last several years, Winchester and Dr. Ojistoh Horn, who is an Adjunct Professor with the Department of Family Medicine and holds a primary appointment with McGill University, have collaborated in the development of the Akwesasne residency program, an initiative created by a former resident, Dr. Christine Nadeau, five years ago. This program has become a vital component of the curriculum and is mandatory for first year (PGY1) residents, providing them with essential, longitudinal training. Currently, there are 3 PGY1 residents taking this program who go to Akwesasne once a month for the entire year.
Dr. Horn’s involvement as a clinical educator and teacher has been instrumental in helping to develop this ground-breaking educational collaboration. There is a high level of engagement at both the University of Ottawa and McGill, and a desire to expand the program and create more opportunities for residents. An affiliation would allow Ontario and Quebec residents to access additional electives and clinics offered on both sides of the Akwesasne reservation.
The development of this program was timely and prescient, given the reconciliation process was underway. It is a testament to the openness and resourcefulness of a community that seeks to both learn and broaden the experience of its residents and doctors, and serve a community in need.
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Innovation and Research
Another Winchester initiative involves the work of Dr. Adam Jones-Delcorde, a lecturer with our department, who is the recipient of a PRIME grant to conduct ultrasound research. Dr. Jones-Delcorde wanted to teach residents how to use the handheld, Butterfly ultrasound. Please follow this link to view a recent video showcasing this important work in bringing the use of this affordable technology to the forefront of medical care, making assessments and diagnosis accessible to doctors, clinics, wards, and the ER. The adoption of this innovative technology has taken off, driven by one doctor’s initiative, and supported by a unit which embraces progress and the mandate to better service the community.
Recognizing our people
Under the leadership of Dr. Bhagirath, Winchester has used the resources available to its advantage and created an environment of engagement and collaboration. Historically, the site did not hold rounds, and had no academic teaching staff or students; however, in recent years, the culture of Winchester has evolved and changed. For the past two years, there has been a resident-led initiative with the creation of the Teacher of the Year award. This has led to the engagement of staff and to the creation of formal teaching rounds for residents interested in doing cases, with staff encouraged to participate. As the initiative has been so successful, Dr. Bhagirath has said there are now too many teachers and that they have had to turn them away. In a time where we hear about the high level of burnout within the medical community, it is refreshing and inspiring to hear such a positive voice. We look forward to many more successes at Winchester.
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Dr. Elizabeth Muggah selected as the Senior Clinical Advisor of Primary Care with Ontario Health
Dr. Elizabeth Muggah, Associate Professor at the Department of Family Medicine, and former Assistant Dean of Wellness for the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, will be leaving her role as President of the Ontario College of Family Physicians to take on a newly created role at Ontario Health as Senior Clinical Advisor, Primary Care.
In her Ontario Health role, Dr. Muggah will lead the development of the first primary care strategy for the organization. According to Dr. Muggah, “I am excited to take on this newly created role and the opportunity it brings to be part of positive change to enhance the primary care experience. I look forward to leveraging my clinical, research and primary care leadership to support health system transformation.”
We look forward to her collaborative and strategic efforts and are incredibly proud of the work she has done and continues to do to help strengthen Ontario’s primary care system.
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uOttawa’s Dr. Anna Wilkinson, an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine is the co-lead author on a new study of the impact of screening programs on breast cancer diagnosis
The Department of Family Medicine is proud to highlight Dr. Anna Wilkinson, an Associate Professor in our department, whose recent publication on The Impact of Organised Screening Programs on Breast Cancer Stage at Diagnosis for Canadian Women Aged 40–49 and 50–59, was published on August 9, 2022, in the peer-reviewed medical journal, Current Oncology. As co-lead and principal investigator, Dr. Wilkinson’s research is raising national awareness of the importance of improving primary-based care through routine breast cancer screening of women between the ages of 40-49 to reduce the incidence of metastatic breast cancer. The results of this study can be used to reassess the optimum lower age for breast cancer screening in Canada.
Dr. Wilkinson discusses her research findings with Alan Neal on the CBC radio, All in a Day with Alan Neal - Aug. 10, 2022: New study finds routine screening before 50 could lead to lower rates of advanced breast cancer. Dr. Wilkinson suggests that what is really needed is to implement routine annual screening for women in their 40s, educate family physicians to go beyond just discussions about breast cancer to make recommendations for screening, and advocate publicly to get current guidelines changed.
Dr. Wilkinson’s dual clinical interests in Primary Care and Oncology have distinguished her as a nationally recognized leader in Oncology allowing her to deliver targeted oncological knowledge for family physicians. She is the founding and current Program Director of the Enhanced FP-Oncology program for Family Medicine residents pursuing specialized training in FP-Oncology. Her research has been extensive and impactful. In a uOttawa article which highlights her career trajectory, Dr. Wilkinson stated, “For me, working as a GP Oncologist has been really fulfilling…It’s really a field where you have a lot of impact, and have a lot of really personal connections with your patients. I never come home and think I didn’t make a difference.”
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Completion of the Final Report on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence
The Final Report on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence from Professor Boulou Ebanda De B'Beri, Special Advisor on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, was released this August 2022. Also contributing to this very important work are our very own Dr. Oussama Outbih, Assistant Professor, and Asiya Rolston, Faculty Development and Faculty Affairs Manager, who participated in the work over the last 18 months. Please access the full report on the University of Ottawa’s Special Adviser, Anti-Racism and Inclusion webpage.
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Province of Ontario expanding residency spots over the next five years
The Ontario government has announced they will be increasing residency programs across the province. Our program will see an expansion of 20 new incoming PGY1 positions over the course of the next 3 years. This means that by July 2026, we will be training an additional 40 learners in our program and these positions will increase each year. Consultation with all academic environments will be conducted and careful thought will be put into how these positions will be distributed. We will continue to update and inform our members as we move forward in this process.
News coverage on the increase of seats for Ontario medical schools can be found in a March 15, 2022 article, “Ontario expanding medical schools to boost doctor numbers,” in The Star.
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Faculty and Media
Dr. Alykhan Abdulla, an Assistant Professor with our department, discusses the complexities and challenges of being a family physician in his recently published article, “A day in a life of a family physician,” in Healthy Debate.
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ALSF applications will be accepted until October 1, 2022
The Academic and Leadership Support Fund ALSF is intended to recognize and support physicians who are involved in the training of our Family Medicine residents and medical students by providing them with an opportunity to further their continued education and/or enhance their leadership skills in as much as it relates to their academic role within the Department. Visit the website for more information.
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Med EDI
The Faculty of Medicine’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) releases a Med EDI newsletter every 3 to 4 months. The next issue will be released at the end of October/beginning of November. Please visit the Office of EDI webpage to access current and archived newsletters, or email edifom@uOttawa.ca for more information.
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Please share within your physician network
Ontario Health is seeking expressions of interest from experienced, practicing primary care providers to provide clinical leadership and collaborate with regional partners to evolve the primary care system in Ontario. The full Expression of Interest for this position can be viewed on the OH Clinician Engagement Website.
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Upcoming conference
Registration is open for the CFPC’s 11th Practical Evidence for Informed Practice (PEIP) conference on October 21-22, 2022.
Visit www.peipconference.ca for more information.
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Wellness Assistance
With access to a community of registered therapists, Layla Care is a mental health service offering a unique program that helps clients in their disability and return to work journey. Visit their website for more information.
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Practicing Well – OCFP and UOttawa DFM Collaboration Opportunities
Registration is open for the next Practising Well Community of Practice session on Wednesday, September 28th. Join the discussion on how family doctors can use motivational interviewing to support patients during short clinical visits. Visit the OCFP website for Registration and event details.
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