Learn more about the SFU medical school working groups

The SFU medical school seeks to enhance primary care and increase access to doctors in urban, rural and remote communities across the province.

When the government announced additional funding for the project in November 2022, SFU began developing working groups made up of SFU leaders, external medical education experts and partners to bring in their varying sets of skills, experiences and points of view.

These working groups play a key role in the advancement of the medical school as they are shaping curriculum, space, workforce and research. In total, there are six working groups, including:

The Curriculum Working Group establishes curriculum for the academic and clinical learning journey. The group has developed a place-based curriculum model for Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) and Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) with a focus on generalist specialties.

Chair: Kevin Oldknow, senior advisor, Academic Planning, Office of the Provost and VPA.

The Workforce Planning Working Group defines the workforce required to enable the proposed learning experiences and meet medical education accreditation standards. The group has begun outlining staff and faculty positions.

Chair: Kris Magnusson, dean pro tem, Faculty of Education.

The Space and Infrastructure Working Group develops a space and resource investment plan. The group has outlined high-level space needs to enable medical education and align with accreditation requirements.

Chair: Kevin Oldknow, senior advisor, Academic Planning, Office of the Provost and VPA.

The Research Working Group establishes the medical school’s research areas of focus, and explores ways to foster interdisciplinary research with existing research strengths at SFU.

Chair: Tania Bubela, dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Michael Richards, associate vice-president, Research.

The Inclusion and Student Experience Working Group and the Admissions Working Group are both in progress.

All of the working groups contribute to a business case, which will be submitted to the provincial government in May.

“It is wonderful to see people from across the university come together to form these working groups. Their breadth of skills will strengthen each part of the business case, and help SFU make an even stronger submission,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, interim dean, SFU Medical School.