Good health is essential to our individual and collective sense of well-being. It is also foundational to thriving and successful societies. Simply put, healthy communities rely on healthy individuals. Yet, despite being one of the healthiest countries in the world, Canada faces a serious health-equity crisis that is set to balloon in the next decade.
York’s bold vision for a School of Medicine aims to address health equity by accelerating the path to graduation for primary-care physicians in Canada and by promoting interdisciplinary, team-based care. It will deliver a patient-centred curriculum and learning model with inclusive and equitable access across an expansive and diverse service area. In April, the Government of Ontario proudly endorsed York’s proposal for a School of Medicine with a $9-million investment in funding as part of the province’s 2024 budget, noting that the School of Medicine will connect more families with high-quality, accessible care.
The timing could not be more critical – currently, an estimated one in five Canadians do not have a family physician, which can mean a lack of the continuity of care essential to promoting long-term health and well-being. Building on York’s global leadership in health, the School of Medicine will include a community-based approach that places the social determinants of health at the forefront of the curriculum.
As the first school in Canada focused on training primary-care physicians, the students enrolled at York’s School of Medicine will benefit from opportunities to train in multiple settings while learning from world-class faculty. Programs will be anchored in an approach that views the community as our classroom while leveraging the most recent emerging technologies. The anchor facility will be in the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct, co-located with Mackenzie Health’s Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, the first new hospital to be built in Ontario in more than 30 years.
This is an important milestone for York, but also for Canada. I am grateful for the ongoing support and enthusiasm of our donors and the many partners throughout our service area in northern Toronto, York Region, Simcoe County, the District of Muskoka and adjacent rural areas who are working with us.
There is still much to be done to realize the improved health and health care we envision in the future. Establishing a School of Medicine is a collective effort, and I look forward to working with our internal and external communities, including our alumni, as we advance our plans for a transformational new School of Medicine that will help us drive positive change both locally and globally.
