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Patient Engagement in Family Medicine
Patient Partners
They are patients, families, and caregivers who are passionate about health care and want to share their experiences to improve health services for everyone.
When we say “patient”, we are referring to individuals cared for at any one of our teaching clinics.
Patient Engagement
Patients know a surprising amount about healthcare: they know how it feels, whether systems work, and the impact of treatment on their lives. Patient engagement is about bringing the perspective of patients to the planning, delivery and evaluation of health care. The key part is WITH, not FOR patients.
The PFAC Member Council
Amadou Barry Sheree Clark
I was born in 1973 in Mamou, a city located in West Africa’s Republic of Guinea Following the influx of refugees from Liberian and Sierra Leon; I migrated to Canada in 2010 I am a devoted volunteer for the causes of black immigrant communities, notably within the Association Amical Francophone des Guinéens et Guinéennes de l'Ontario (AFROGUI) and also the Fulani Cultural Association of Ontario (FUCA- Ontario)
Julie King
My name is Julie King I have been a patient at the Southlake Family Health Team for 17 years I am a mom of four and I work with students who are deaf and hard of hearing I joined the Committee to give back to the medical community that has provided so much to my family I bring a unique perspective to the team as I am American I spend most of my free time cheering on my kids in ice rinks and volleyball courts.
Place Holder-Sinai
Kareen Farquharson
I borough in the Eglinton and Bellamy area I joined so I can maybe help to change things in the clinics around here: One Stop Medical and Boniface Park Medical I am a mother of three and a grandmother of two I love to watch my shows, whether it's movies or tv shows. I'm a lover of any type of music because it centres me and calms my soul I cannot live without my children they are my world
I a r child and family therapist which included certification as a play therapist Teaching adults and children the importance of play was one of the best parts of the job. Being disabled for many, many years has taught me the ways in which patient care works and how it might be improved upon, which in turn can only help the health care provider, the patient and the system in the future My guilty secret is watching British dramas, crime dramas and cozy mystery shows I also read select cozy mysteries before bed too, but don’t tell anyone
Gerald Crowell
My erald Crowell and I live in the East End of Toronto in Leslieville I’ve been here almost 30 years and have recently retired from a consulting career I joined the Committee to contribute back to the amazing medical community.I’ve been a patient at St Lawrence Health Centre for more than 15 years I joined the clinic to be able to have the same family physician as my husband who lives with a chronic condition The clinic has always provided exceptional care Fun fact: I’m an avid gardener, starting my Master Gardener Program and like to exotics like citrus and pineapple
Kishany Subramaniam
I am a consultant by trade, avid traveller, and humanitarian based out of Toronto With a Master’s degree in International Humanitarian Action, I am passionate about contributing to initiatives that impact people’s day to day lives Having worked on humanitarian healthcare initiatives throughout her career, I am excited to bring a unique and varied perspective to the Patient and Family Advisory Committee
Liz Kazimowicz
I recently moved to St Catharines but I’m still a patient at Credit Valley Family Health Team (CVFHT) in Mississauga due to the excellent care they’ve provided to me for over 12 years I’m excited to be joining this advisory committee and sharing a patient's perspective I look forward to meaningful engagement with others from across the province Now that I’m fully retired, I enjoy giving back to my community through volunteer work
The PFAC Member Council
Eleni Gilligan
I live in East York with my family and we have been patients of the 80 Bond Clinic in downtown Toronto for over 15 years I have a long history with St Michael’s Hospital (I was born there!) and am also a member of the SMH community advisory panel (CAP) I am a Social Worker working primarily with people experiencing homelessness and in the housing sector for the past 20 years I am a wife and mother of 2 young children I enjoy travelling with my family and long hikes and my superpower is parallel parking
Michelle
My name is Michelle and I wear many hats: I am a woman, a mother to three young children, a wife and an educator I have always been an advocate of social justice and enjoy taking on opportunities to improve the overall welfare of people in our community I currently live in York Region We are a very active family! My husband and I have three energetic kids and a big furball husky who is equally as active We recently enjoyed a beautiful summer with our family and relatives beach days, day trips, cottaging and endless birthday parties and gatherings We loved every minute of it but are now happily settling back into our slower-paced fall routines
Placeholder-Sunnybrook
Tricia Thomas
Cate Mann
I live in Barrie with my 14-year-old son I attend the Family Medicine Teaching Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, and I've been a patient there for going on 7 years I wanted to join the committee as I believe there is always room for improvement, and the way doctors are taught is no different Sometimes a fresh set of eyes and different life experiences can bring about positive changes It's a priceless but valuable opportunity A fun fact about me I have grand aspirations of making it on Jeopardy but I'm too chicken to audition! Maybe one day! :)
Trudy Penny
My name is Trudy Penny and I was born on the beautiful island of Grenada My family and I moved to Canada when I was 2 years old, so Canada has been my home for over 30 years! I am a wife, mother of two and a second-year midwifery student at Toronto Metropolitan University In my free time, I enjoy trying new restaurants and travelling to different countries to learn about new cultures. A fun fact about me is that I enjoy playing boardgames with my husband and I am proud to say we have a collection of over 75 board games!
I currently live in the King West area of the city. I am an elementary school teacher My most important job to date and one in which I am most proud of is being a mother to my energetic five year old son I have been a patient of the Toronto Western Family Medicine Clinic for approximately 15 years As a Black woman of Afro-Caribbean ancestry, I am aware of the importance of representation in healthcare and the danger of policies and decisions made in the absence of consideration of the lived experience of marginalized communities Fun Fact: My favourite TV show is called Call the Midwife, currently my go to music is Salsa and Afro-Beats
DFCM Glossary Terms
The Ontario healthcare system and the Department of Family & Community Medicine (DFCM) at U of T consists of acronyms and other terms that may be hard to understand. As a patient or caregiver partner, it can be common to feel a bit lost in the many terms you will come across. It’s okay to ask healthcare staff to explain terms that my be unfamiliar to you.
Common terms
Academic Teaching Hospital
Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO)
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO)
Clerical staff
What they mean
An academic hospital combines the services of a hospital with the education and training of medical students and residents as well as medical research
Ontario Health Teams are groups of healthcare professionals that aim to work together to provide coordinated care spread across Ontario based on geographic areas. An association for Ontario Health team clinics in Ontario.
An organization that regulates the practice of medicine in Ontario. All physicians in Ontario must be members of the College in order to practice medicine.
Employees of the clinic; some might answer phones, check patients in and out, handle themedical records, and assist with other office work.
DFCM Glossary Terms
Common terms
Community Health Centre (CHC)
What they mean
Non-profit, community-based organizations that provide primary health and health promotion programs for individuals, families and communities. .
Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
Faculty
Family Health Team (FHT)
Fiscal Year (FY)
A digital (electronic) version of a person’s medical record.
Staff that are connected with the University of Toronto and could be a family physician or a non physician teaching and delivering education at the University of Toronto.
A team of family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, dietitians, and other professionals who work together to provide primary health care to individuals.
A timeframe used for accounting and performance management In most health care organizations, the fiscal year runs from April 1st of one year to March 31st of the following year
DFCM Glossary Terms
Common terms
Interprofessional Care (IPC)
Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP)
Ontario Health Teams (OHTs)
Ontario Medical Association (OMA)
Patient and Family Centred Care
What they mean
When health care providers from different professions (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and others) work collaboratively to deliver care, based on a patient’s needs and goals.
An association that represents family physicians in Ontario.
Ontario Health Teams are groups of providers and organizations that aim to deliver coordinated care to a defined geographic population
Represents Ontario’s physicians, residents and medical students in areas of economic interests, healthy policy and professional advocacy, and legal services
A guiding approach where patients, families and health care providers collaborate as partners in the planning, delivery and evaluation of care.
DFCM Glossary Terms
Common terms
Post Graduate Education
What they mean
After completing an M.D. degree program and becoming a licensed doctor; physician move on to postgraduate medical education or residency training. This is the final stage of medical education where doctors can specialize in their area of focus
Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPPA)
PHIPA provides a set of rules for the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information
Quality Improvement (QI)
Activities that lead to measurable improvement (making better) in health care services and health outcomes for patients
Quality Improvement Plan (QIP)
A Quality Improvement Plan is an organization’s plan outlining how they will improve the quality of care they provide to their patients, residents or clients in the coming year.
DFCM Glossary Terms
Common terms
Resident
What they mean
Staff Physician
Resident
doctors are medical doctors training in Family Medicine They can do the same things as your family doctor such as examine you, order tests, and prescribe medications
Teaching practice
Teaching Site
Family doctors who work as staff at our teaching sites. They may supervise residents in addition to their doctor duties
Family doctors get 2 months of experience attending a teaching practice in a remote area. There are faculty in 40+ community practices ranging in location from rural southern Ontario to as far as Moose Factory.
A clinic or hospital that provides medical education and training to future and current health care professionals. Teaching sites are almost always affiliated with one or more universities.
About DFCM
The Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM)
The University of Toronto’s DFCM is one of the largest family medicine departments in the world.
ff and learners are dedicated to training future family doctors. at we do
Watch video
DFCM in Numbers
DFCM Teaching Sites
Toronto Western Hospital Family Health Team
Southlake Regional Health Centre Family Health Team
The Scarborough Hospital Scarborough Health Network
Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre Barrie Family Medicine Teaching Unit
Michael Garron Health Centre The South East Toronto Family Health Team
North York General Hospital Family Medicine Teaching Unit
Markham Stouffville Hospital Health For All Family Health Team
Mount Sinai Hospital Family Health Team
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Family Health Team
St Joseph’s Health Centre Urban Family Health Team
Summerville Family Health Teams
St Michael’s Hospital Family Health Team
Credit Valley Family Health Team
Women’s College Hospital Family Practice Health Centre
The Humber River Health
What happens at The DFCM
Road map to becoming a resident
Complete 4 years of university
1
2
Learn about family medicine through clinic placements and courses every year of the 4 year program
Graduated specialize apply for a
3
Acceptance to medical school and 34 years of study
Pass an examthat demonstrates you know enough about medicine before treating patients
After two years of residency, the goal is for residents to learn more topics and to be able to practice without needing supervision.
7
8
Residents must pass a Canadian licensing exam before seeing patients with supervision.
DFCM PATIENT EXPERIENCE SURVEY
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CARE EXPERIENCE
How often did you receive care within a reasonable time?
How would you rate your overall experience when booking your last appointment over the phone?
How would you describe the length of time it took between making the urgent care appointment and receiving care?
Can I take part?
The survey is distributed and analyzed twice a year since June 2020.
How is the data being used?
If you have observed any changes or have suggestions, please share them with clinic staff. any ideas, please share with our clinic staff. To learn
DFCM Programs
Click the links to learn more about each program!
Education
Family medicine is introduced as a topic when students are completing their 4 years of undergraduate training to become doctors. Doctors who want to become family doctors join our department and complete 2 years of training which is guided by the Post Graduate Family Medicine Education program.
Quality and Innovation
The Quality and Innovation program exists to make primary care in Canada better. Teaching doctors to improve health outcomes and the patient experience. Patient partners will be working closely with this program.
Research
Our faculty can dedicate some of their time for research to explore new topics and answer questions about family medicine.
Community & Partnerships
Teaching staff in this program build and strengthen partnerships with community organizations and groups, public health units, and other social services organizations- to promote better health outcomes.
Faculty Development
Faculty development is a term used to describe activities and programs designed to assist teaching staff to develop skills related to the role of teacher, researcher and leader.
Learn about our patient experience survey and what we have learned so far
DFCM Family
Meet some of the key leaders you will be working with as a DFCM patient partner.
Dr. Danielle Martin
Dr. Danielle Martin is Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM), University of Toronto. Dr. Martin is an active family physician and respected leader in Canadian medicine and well-recognized media spokesperson, regularly named on lists such as Medical Post’s Power List. Her 2014 presentation to a United States Senate Subcommittee about the Canadian health care system has been viewed by over 30 million people across the globe Dr Martin spent eight years as a senior hospital executive, most recently as Executive Vice President and Lead Medical Executive at Women’s College Hospital (WCH).
Fun fact: Danielle drives a yellow vespa to work.
Ms. Caroline Turenko
Caroline Turenko is the Business Administration Director at the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) since 2003 and an employee at the University of Toronto for over 30 years. In her role, she manages the department and works closely with our staff.
Fun fact: Caroline loves hiking and exploring the wilderness.
Dr. Noor Ramji
Dr. Noor Ramji is currently an academic Family Physician and Faculty member at the St Michael's Hospital Academic Family Health Team (SMHAFHT) in the Department of Family & Community Medicine at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Ramji has been SMHAFHT Quality Improvement (QI) Director since 2018, with notable experience in quality improvement in preventative health, chronic disease management, access, patient experience and understanding and optimizing equity in Primary Care She was recently appointed as Practice Improvement Director for the Dept. of Family and Community Medicine for University of Toronto in Sept/2023 and serves as a Quality Improvement Coach with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.
Fun facts:
Favourite TV show - Star Trek the Next Generation Can't live without - summer gelato!
Favourite song - Lovely Day by Bill Wither
DFCM Family
Meet some of the key leaders you will be working with as a DFCM patient partner.
Dr. Melanie Henry
Dr. Henry is the Vice-Chair of Community and Partnerships in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto. She is a staff physician at Oak Valley Health, Markham-Stouffville site, and a family physician at the community-based clinic of Health for All. In her community clinic, she previously held the positions of board chair, and director of the Global Health program through the teaching unit She currently works as a physician at Blue Door Shelter and provides physician support through the Community Paramedic Outreach Response Team (CPORT) program.
Fun fact: Melanie reads Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice at least once per year.
Dr. Karina Liubchenko
My name is Karina Liubchenko, I am a family medicine resident at the Sunnybrook Academic Family Health Team. I studied medicine at Western University, and am very excited to be back in Toronto to complete my training and be closer to my family. I enjoy getting to know my patients and building longitudinal relationships to provide good medical care, but also to learn about people and their life stories
Fun fact:. In her free time , Karina likes to cross stitch, explore small, quaint towns and spend lots of time with my cat Toby, who is her most prized possession!
Mr. Denis Tsang
Denis Tsang is the interim Quality & Innovation Program Manager at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto. He is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator at Woodbridge Medical Centre Family Health Team Denis was elected as the Board Chair of the College of Dietitians of Ontario in 2024. His professional interest focuses on the impact of data-driven digital health interventions on clinical outcomes, health equity and cost-effectiveness in health care He is dedicated to supporting equitable patient care and team-based primary care with his clinical experience and technological knowledge in several digital health solutions and electronic medical record systems
Fun fact: Denis just got a new puppy to his family and he loves hotpot anytime throughout the year!
DFCM Family
Meet some of the key leaders you will be working with as a DFCM patient partner.
Ms. Erin Plenert
Erin Plenert is the Quality & Innovation Program Manager at the Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto. Erin brings a diverse set of skills after working in both clinical and community-based research for many years Erin has extensive experience working with different stakeholder groups, including patients and community-members. She also brings a wealth of experience in growing and managing diverse yet cohesive teams. Overall, Erin is passionate about contributing to meaningful changes to our healthcare system to ensure that all people can access care that is safe, equitable, and of high quality.
Fun fact: Erin can't live without her dog or pasta Erin also has a secret love of Below Deck!
Ms. Dana Arafeh
Dana joined as the department’s first patient engagement specialist. In her role, Dana supports patient engagement activities at the department and will be working closely with patient partners.
Fun fact: Dana likes to paint and participates in number of sports including wheelchair tennis, adaptive climbing, rowing and sailing She also rides a red etrike everywhere which she named Ruby.
Ms. Marisa Schwartz
Marisa Schwartz is the Quality and Innovation Program Administrative Officer at the Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto. She is a mom of 2.
Fun fact: Marisa and her husband are both identical twins!
Questions and Answers
at teaching clinics do?
Are resident supervised?
Many of our clinics have patient family advisory committees that work with patient partners on different aspects of work at their clinic. For example, patient partners share perspectives on our patient experience survey, quality and safety issues and redesign of clinic spaces.
Residents are always supervised by the family doctor with whom they are working This helps give the resident feedback on the visit and improves teaching. Supervision of patient care may take many forms, including:
·Video: The staff physician may watch a resident during your visit using a video camera
In Room: A supervising physician may join the resident in the examination room during your visit
·Supervisor Consultation: Resident doctors may routinely step out of the room to discuss your case with their supervising staff doctor.
Can a resident doctor do the same things as my family doctor?
Residents can do the same things as your family doctor such as examine you, order tests, and prescribe medications. A resident doctor is supervised by a staff Family Doctor during your visit with them You can ask to see the staff doctor at any time during your visit.
Questions and Answers
Why do resident doctors leave the room?
Resident may routinely step out of the room to discuss your case with their supervising staff doctor. Sometimes staff physicians are busy seeing a patient or helping another resident so it may take time This process helps to make sure that that you receive the best care for your medical issue.
Who certifies a family medicine curriculums or ways of teaching?
The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is the professional organization that represents more than 42,000 members across the country The College establishes the standards for and accredits postgraduate family medicine training in Canada's 17 medical schools. It reviews and certifies continuing professional development programs and materials that enable family physicians to meet certification and licensing requirements.
Why is my resident doctor sometimes not available?
Residents practice at the clinic and at a hospital. As part of learning, sometimes a resident is studying surgery and may be working at a hospital and just coming into the clinic once a week You can ask to see a staff physician if your resident doctor is not available
Resources
Health Quality Ontario
Patient Partnering Tools and Resources
Here are some of our favorites:
•Glossary of Health Care Terms
•What is Quality Improvement
•Getting involved in Quality Improvement
•Quality improvement course
•Capturing the voice of healthcare customer
The College of Family Physicians of Canada
Family Engagement in Action
The college works with universities to review and certify programs.
Healthcare Excellence Canada
Here are some of our favorites:
•Healthcare in Canada
•A guide to having a conversation about what matters
•How to communicate effectively on an advisory panel
•10 lessons learned from patient and family advisors
U of T DFCM
Learn more about:
•The Quality & Innovation program
•Our patient experience survey
•Patient partner important documents
•Residency program
Other
•Tips for how to be an effective patient advisor
•Zoom instructions
•Check-in Checklist
