This respiratory illness season, wearing a mask is required in patient and resident areas at Sunnybrook. Read our visitor guidelines »

Hospital  >  News & media  >  News

Cheers for Sunnybrook's DFCM!

November 3, 2023

Several members of Sunnybrook's Department of Family and Community Medicine have been honoured by the University of Toronto for their outstanding contributions and accomplishments.

The University of Toronto presented this year's DFCM Awards of Excellence at a virtual celebration event on Oct. 3.

Dr. Karen Fleming, Chief, Department of Family and Community Medicine, was named Academic Family Physician of the Year in recognition of her "strong and sustained commitment to enhancing clinical practice, advocating for vulnerable populations, teaching at all levels including patients, and advancing scholarship throughout her career."

Education_Conference_161118_661.jpgAs part of her portfolio as department chief, Dr. Fleming is also the education scholarship lead and the director of mentorship and continuing professional development for the division of family medicine obstetrics at Sunnybrook. She is also an assistant professor with the department of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto.

Sunnybrook's Dr. Stephanie Zhou, an Addictions physician and the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Social Accountability Lead at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, was also honoured. She was awarded the Louise Naismith Award. Dr. Zhou co-founded the Diversity Mentorship Program, the first equity-based mentorship program in a Canadian medical school.

Other members of Sunnybrook's DFCM team who were recognized with awards include Walter Leahy, Executive Director of the Academic Family Health Team, and Dr. Muna Al-Khaifi, a family physician with a particular focus on women’s health and breast disease, specifically breast cancer survivorship care.

The awards underscore Sunnybrook's record of excellence not only in specialized and complex care, but also in the delivery of primary care including comprehensive family and community medicine, a key component of the organization's dual mandate.

Please join us in congratulating U of T's 2023 DFCM Award of Excellence Winners!

You can find a full list of this year's recipients here.