February, 2012

Get involved in the DFM Dragonboat team

The department is seeking faculty, residents and staff to once again participate on our Dragon Boat team. Dragon boating is a form of canoeing which holds 20 paddlers (10 down either side of the boat) as well as a "caller" and a steer person. 

We are looking for 22 participants that are committed and available to:

  • Participate in the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival on June 23rd-24th http://www.ottawafestivals.ca/festival/music/ottawa-dragon-boat-race-festival/
  • Participate in one evening practice a week beginning in early May and running right up to the week of the event in June (dates and details TBD).  We are asking for committed paddlers who despite busy schedules will make an effort to attend practices.

Practices will take place at the Rideau Canoe Club. www.rideaucanoeclub.ca. The boat will be filled on a first come, first serve basis.

For more information please contact Laura MacNeill at LMacNeill@Bruyere.org.

CaRMS Results: DFM matches 5th year in a row

We are pleased to announce that the Department of Family Medicine has once again fully matched its residents in the first iteration of CaRMS for the fifth year in a row. The CaRMS interviews were held January 26-27 and February 2-3, 2012 at the Hampton Inn with prospective residents from across Canada and internationally. The new set of PGY1 residents, who will begin their residency on July 1st, consist of 50 Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care funded positions (34 of which are urban, 12 francophone, two in the Pembroke stream and two in the Winchester stream), as well as 13 International Medical Graduate positions and two Department of National Defence positions.

This success is no doubt thanks to the physicians, residents and administrative staff who were instrumental throughout the CaRMS process in ensuring that our program ranked at the top of the candidates' lists. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Upcoming Medical Education Conferences

AIME Medical Education Day
Date: March 23, 2012
Location: Ottawa, ON
The registration fee is:$150 before March 5, 2012, $200 on or after March 5, 2012
uOttawa student and residents (PGY 1‐5) may register free of charge.
Call for Proposals: Closed
For more information click here.

Canadian Conference on Medical Education
Date: April 14-18, 2012
Location: Banff, Alberta
Early registration: April 6, 2012
For more information click here.

Upcoming Medical Education Grants

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
Grant: Medical Education Research Grant
Deadline: March 2, 2012
Amount: Up to $25,000 per year to a maximum of $50,000 per project
Project Duration: 3 years maximum
Eligibility: Applicants must be involved in teaching and/or medical education research in Canada. It is not necessary to be a Fellow of the Royal College or a physician; however, a Fellow of the Royal College must contribute to the research project.
Funding Criteria: To support quality research in Canada relevant to the field of postgrad medical
education/continuing professional development
For additional information contact Melanie Blackburn, Grant Administrator
Awards and Grants Section, Office of Professional Affairs
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Telephone: 613-730-8177 / 1-800-668-3740, ext. 355
E-mail: awards@royalcollege.ca

University of Ottawa – Postgraduate Medical Education
Grant: Educational Initiatives in Residency Education
Deadline: March 10, 2012
Amounts: Total funds available $85,000
Eligibility: A member of the Faculty of Medicine must be either the investigator or supervisor of project
Funding Criteria: Proposals should fit into one of the following broad categories: faculty development; course/curriculum development; evaluation of educational interventions; medical education research.
For additional information visit the website.

CFPC upcoming awards

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is offering a number of continuing professional development (CPD) scholarships and research grants with a deadline of March 1st, 2012. For a complete list of CPD scholarships please click here. For a complete list of research grants click here. For more information on upcoming awards through the CFPC, please refer to their Honours and Awards page at http://www.cfpc.ca/AboutUs/Awards.

Dr. Alan Drummond featured in Ottawa Citizen and The Globe and Mail

Community Preceptor Dr. Alan Drummond has had a number of opinion pieces featured in various media outlets acoss Canada. Two of note recently were "A Uniform Standard" featured in the Globe and Mail and " Care Vs. Crowding" featured in the Ottawa Citizen.

Call for nominations for Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) Awards

The OCFP is now accepting nominations for the 2012 OCFP Awards, including the Regional Family Physician of the Year Awards, the Family Practice of the Year Award and the Awards of Excellence. Click here to learn more about each award.

If you would like assistance to prepare a nomination package for any of these awards please contact Communications Coordinator Meghan Kelly at MKelly@Bruyere.org or (613) 562-6335 (ext. 1690).

If you would like to submit a nomination directly to OCFP, completed forms can be sent to:

Mail: 
Attn: Patrick Legault
AED Corporate Affairs
Ontario College of Family Physicians
340 Richmond Street West
Toronto ON M5V 1X2

Faxed: 416-867-9990
Emailed: patrickl@cfpc.ca

NOTE: To avoid duplication in the nomination process, please inform the Department of Family Medicine of your nomination should you decide to submit directly to the OCFP.

Five DFM faculty members receive Teaching Skills Attainment Awards

Congratulations to the following faculty members who qualified to receive a Teaching Skills Attainment Award through the Office of Faculty Development at the Faculty of Medicine.
Level 1                                                                                Level 2
Dr. Alison Eyre                                                                   Dr. Gary Viner
Dr. Carol Geller
Dr. Millaray Sanchez-Campos
Dr. Eric Wooltorton

The Department of Family Medicine award winners made up almost half of the TSAA award recipients, which totalled 14. This award reflects the commitment of our faculty to continuously enhance their teaching skills and become better preceptors. The recipients will be recognized at the Faculty Development Full Day event taking place March 7, 2012 beginning at 8 a.m. at the Faculty of Medicine. Click here for the event program. Congratulations to our recipients!

Fond farewell to Jackie Schultz, CTLC Operations Manager

The department would like to wish a fond farewell to Jackie Schultz, CTLC Operations Manager, as she joins her husband in the Czech Republic to start a new chapter in their lives. Jackie has been working with Dr. Bill Hogg for over 10 years and with the CTLC since it began in 2003. Jackie has been an asset to the CTLC team and the department. We wish her all the best as she embarks on this adventure. Congratulations Jackie!

Congratulations to Dr. Ponka

Dr. David Ponka was recently accepted into Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry to complete a Masters program in International Primary Health Care. This program is modelled on an award-winning online MSc previously run by the same team through the University of London External System. Its vision is to build a vibrant interprofessional and interdisciplinary learning community of primary care practitioners who will work together under the guidance of expert tutors to explore how the principles and practice of effective primary health care may be achieved in different countries, health care systems, and local settings. Dr. Ponka will begin a sabbatical on July 1, 2012 to complete this program. Congratulations Dr. Ponka and best of luck!

Dr. Mai and Dr. French-Merkley accept Enhanced Skills for Family Practice (ESFP) Director positions

The DFM would like to welcome two new PGY3 Enhanced Skills for Family Practice (ESFP) Directors in the areas of Sport and Exercise Medicine and Care of the Elderly. Dr. David Mai will take over for Dr. Louise Walker as the Director of the ESFP Sport and Exercise Medicine Program. Dr. Véronique French-Merkley will take over for Dr. Anne Harley as the Director of the ESFP Care of the Elderly Program.

Their new roles involve liaising with the other ESFP Directors (e.g Women's Health,
FP-Oncology, etc) to discuss resident evaluations, training opportunities and to resolve conflicts pertaining to these rotations. They report to Dr. Kendall Noel, Director of PGY-3 Enhanced Skills for Family Practice (ESFP). Congratulations Dr. Mai and Dr. French-Merkley.

DFM hosts CaRMS 2012 event

The DFM began its first round of CaRMS on January 26-27, 2012 at the Hampton Inn with a successful two-day event that featured resident interviews, information booths showcasing opportunities at our units and Family Medicine Clinics and informative sessions with our Postgraduate Director, Dr. Alison Eyre. The prospective applicants were keen to interact with our preceptors, unit coordinators and current residents who represented the department. CaRMS continues on February 2-3, 2012.  We will receive the results of our match in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned!  And congratulations to our postgrad team for another successful event!

Montfort opens new Academic Family Health Team

Congratulations to the Montfort Unit on the official opening of their new Academic Family Health Centre which opened its doors on January 23, 2012. Look for more information on this unit in the summer 2012 edition of the newsletter.

West Carleton Family Health Team wins Infoway Innovation Award

Congratulations to the West Carleton Health Team, one of our community teaching sites, on their Early Adopter’s Award in the ImagineNation Outcomes Challenge hosted by Canada Health Infoway. The challenge asks healthcare providers across the country to chart the progress of their innovative technologies. West Carleton submitted their health portal, which is a secure website that allows patients to access their medical records online. For more information on their award click here.

Congratulations to Martha McKeen

The DFM would like to congratulate Martha McKeen, Special Projects Coordinator on her acceptance into the PhD program at University of Ottawa in the Faculty of Education. Martha will continue to work for the DFM on a part-time basis (Tuesday-Thursday). Her portfolios will include curriculum development, faculty development and support for community teaching practices (Co-Directors and Faculty).