“No one fully understands the weight of sickness and suffering until they themselves have been ill or injured. The healing of the sick, and the education of those who will dedicate their lives to that work, are perhaps the noblest callings a human being can pursue. We believe deeply in supporting those on the front lines of treating the wellness and overall well-being of people throughout our communities.” The Stephens Family School of Medicine will be the first entirely new med school in Western Canada
in nearly six decades and aims to train the next generation of physicians to care for B.C. families across urban, rural, remote and Indigenous communities, said SFU. “The new state-of-the-art medical school will make Surrey a hub of innovative, high-quality health care,” said Premier David Eby in the announcement, who thanked the family “for their remarkable generosity.” The Stephens family has also contributed to bursaries, food security programs and a food systems lab at SFU. The partnership “enables investments at a significant scale to support
primary care research, student spaces and technology, which will benefit the wellness of our communities for generations to come,” said Erin Morantz, SFU’s vice-president for advancement and alumni engagement. The first class of 48 students will begin studies at the medical school this August, with the cohort increasing gradually to 120 students by 2035. “This school was built on a bold vision: to deliver medical education grounded in community, innovation and Indigenous approaches to care,” said Dr. David Price, dean of the school of medicine.
SFU, Stephens family, Stephens Family School of Medicine, $40 million gift, new medical school, Surrey, Premier David Eby, Erin Morantz, Dr. David Price, B.C. families, Indigenous approaches to care, primary care research
40 million wow.
Surrey really needs a med school though. Hopefully it fixes the wait times, because my cousin’s been waiting forever. Also why “nearly six decades” like we just forgot how to do healthcare.
So is this the same thing as when they said doctors will be trained to help Indigenous communities? I’m not mad, just confused how a building and some tech turns into doctors showing up in rural places. Like do they actually pay them to stay or is it just a gift press release?
I’ll believe it when I see it. $40 million sounds big but med school grads don’t magically cure everything. They say “primary care research” and “student spaces” and I’m like… okay but what about the actual family doctors shortage right now? And “hub of innovative health care” sounds kinda marketing-y. If they can get Indigenous approaches to care going without paperwork nightmares, then maybe it’ll matter.