Leadership Announcement: Chief, Department of Family & Community Medicine

We are pleased to announce the reappointment of Dr. Karen Fleming as Chief of the Department of Family & Community Medicine (DFCM) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for a second five-year term. Following a comprehensive review conducted in accordance with our Sunnybrook Medical-Dental-Midwifery Staff bylaws, the review committee unanimously endorsed Dr. Fleming's reappointment, citing her outstanding achievements and vision for the future.

Under Dr. Fleming’s leadership, the DFCM played a pivotal role in the COVID-19 pandemic response at Sunnybrook and across North Toronto, assuming new roles as leaders, organizers, educators and vaccinators. As patient care capacity was challenged, the DFCM helped transform unused space at Sunnybrook into a K3E medical unit, recruiting family medicine hospitalists to manage beds alongside General Internal Medicine. This initiative not only addressed immediate care needs, but also paved the way for the future development of an academic family practice hospitalist unit for training residents.

Dr. Fleming has been an integral leader and strong advocate for primary care in North Toronto. Since 2019, the DFCM has closely collaborated with the Seamless Care Optimizing the Patient Experience (SCOPE) program, leading initiatives to enhance support and access to primary care services. Under her guidance, the Sunnybrook Academic Family Health Team (SAFHT) also expanded its comprehensive family medicine services with the creation of the East Team, providing care to an additional 2,300 patients.

An assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, Dr. Fleming is a passionate advocate for systemic change that will help attract and retain family doctors. With an expanded curriculum and increased opportunities for medical learners to engage with community providers through clinical community-based experiences, Dr. Fleming and her team are not only building family practice within Sunnybrook but also in our community.

“The future of primary care will depend on our ability to innovate, advocate for our patients, and continue to support one another as we navigate these complexities,” says Dr. Fleming in her review.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Karen Fleming on her reappointment and thanking her for her continued commitment to leading the Department of Family & Community Medicine at Sunnybrook.