The Department of Family Medicine's Academic Day returned for its second edition on June 3, 2026, building on the success of the inaugural event which was held in 2025 as part of the Department鈥檚 50th anniversary celebrations. Co-organized by the Department of Family Medicine, the Family Medicine Postgraduate Residency Program, the Family Medicine Graduate Student Society (FMGSS), and the 91丝瓜视频 Primary Care Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN), the event brought together 285 residents, graduate students, researchers, educators, and clinicians to celebrate and advance scholarly activity in primary care while fostering collaboration across the Department.
Held at the Centre Mont-Royal in downtown Montreal, Academic Day provided a dynamic forum for sharing research, quality improvement initiatives, and educational scholarship addressing real-world challenges in family medicine. The event highlighted the strength and diversity of family medicine as an academic discipline, one grounded in rigorous scholarship, innovation, and a commitment to improving patient care.
In her opening remarks, Marion Dove, MD, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine, reflected on the values that continue to guide the discipline amid a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape:
"What has remained constant throughout this evolution is our commitment to people. Family medicine continues to be rooted in relationships, continuity, comprehensiveness and compassion. Even as technology advances and healthcare systems become increasingly complex, our discipline reminds us that excellent care begins by listening, understanding context and accompanying patients through every stage of life."
Dr. Dove鈥檚 remarks set the tone for the day, highlighting the Department's commitment to advancing research and innovation while remaining firmly grounded in the patient-centred values at the heart of family medicine.
This year's event showcased 60 scholarly projects, including 35 oral presentations and 25 poster presentations. The breadth of topics reflected the wide-ranging scope of family medicine research and scholarship, spanning patient engagement, mental health, aging, medical education, health services, technology, clinical guidelines, and quality improvement.
Academic Day was designed around three key learning objectives:
- Engage with scholarly work presented by residents, graduate students, researchers, and clinicians to deepen understanding of current research and innovations in family medicine.
- Build connections among clinicians, researchers, residents, and graduate students to strengthen collaboration and community within the Department.
- Enhance academic and research capacity by identifying opportunities, supports, and structures that promote high-quality scholarly and practice-based research.
The event was accredited by the Office for Continuing Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, 91丝瓜视频. This activity met the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and was certified for up to 6.75 Mainpro+庐 Certified Activity credits.
The plenary lecture, From Science to Sense-Making: Talking About Persistent Physical Symptoms in Family Practice, was delivered by Chris Burton, MD, PhD, Professor of Primary Medical Care at the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. His presentation explored emerging evidence on persistent physical symptoms and offered practical approaches for communicating with and supporting patients through person-centred, evidence-informed care. The plenary underscored the importance of translating scientific knowledge into meaningful clinical conversations that enhance patient care in family practice.
Workshop sessions explored a broad range of topics relevant to contemporary primary care, including:
- Health care services and patient trajectories
- Infections and antibiotic use
- Patient engagement
- Clinical guidelines
- Health and well-being of older adults
- Health records and health services
- Pain and loss
- Research methods and medical education
- Mental health and community services
- Technology and networks
- Youth health
Academic Day also celebrated outstanding scholarly contributions through its presentation awards. The Graduate Studies Prize for Best Poster was awarded to PhD student Jia Lin for her project, Paging Dr. Chatbot: A Participatory Promptathon Exploring Prompt Design in Healthcare.
The PBRN Prize for Best Presentation was awarded to Mihai Mesko, a resident from St. Mary's Hospital, for his project, Sunny Side Up: A Recipe for Sun Safety.
The day concluded with a festive cocktail reception and closing remarks from Dr. Lesley Fellows, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, who reflected on the importance of research, innovation, and collaboration in advancing primary care.
The Department extends its sincere thanks to the Scientific Committee for developing an engaging and diverse program: Marion Dove, Fanny Hersson-Edery, Sydney Keyamo, Andrew Marcheschi, Kathleen Rice, Ting Wang, and Machelle Wilchesky.
Special thanks also to the Logistics Committee for coordinating the many operational details that contributed to the event's success: Cheryl Bethelmy, Ania Johnstone, Julie Lane, Andrew Marcheschi, Marie Moucarry, and Nina Schmauch.
To view the full Academic Day agenda, please visit: /familymed/channels/event/family-medicine-academic-day-2026-370311
To learn more about research in the Department of Family Medicine, please visit /familymed/research
The full photo gallery is available here:聽/familymed/academic-day-2026-event-photos
