The CFPC Announces Canada's 2013 Family Doctors of the Year

STEINBACH, MANITOBA--(Marketwired - Oct. 28, 2013) - The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is proud to celebrate this year's Family Physicians of the Year with the announcement of the 2013 recipients of the Reg L. Perkin Award. Since 1972, the College has acknowledged family doctors for their outstanding patient care, significant contributions to the health and well-being of their local communities, and their commitment to family medicine, teaching and research. The award recipients are nominated by their colleagues, community leaders and the CFPC's 10 provincial chapters.

Canada's 2013 Family Physicians of the Year are:

- Dr. Tom Rimmer, Duncan, British Columbia

- Dr. Hal Irvine, Sundre, Alberta

- Dr. Werner Oberholzer, Radville, Saskatchewan

- Dr. Mark Duerksen, Steinbach, Manitoba

- Dr. Sarah-Lynn Newbery, Marathon, Ontario

- Dr. Michel Cauchon, Quebec City, Quebec

- Dr. Jeanne McNeill, Moncton, New Brunswick

- Dr. Kathy Gallagher, Bedford, Nova Scotia

- Dr. Robert Kelley, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

- Dr. Roger Butler, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

"It is a pleasure to recognize our award recipients who embody the best in family medicine by being outstanding examples of the four principles of family medicine," says CFPC President, Dr. Marie-Dominique Beaulieu. "They are skilled clinicians; they honour the patient/doctor relationship; they deliver care as part of a community of health care providers; and they are committed to life-long learning. I commend them on their achievements and commitment to excellence in family medicine."

"The award recipients work in a wide variety of environments in a wide range of communities," adds Dr. Francine Lemire, Executive Director and CEO. "The scope of their expertise includes obstetrics, anesthesiology, chemotherapy, palliative care, hospital care, emergency medicine, teaching, research and providing care to under-serviced communities. What these award recipients have in common is their commitment to providing the best possible health care for their patients and advancing family medicine in Canada. We are truly blessed to have such high quality family doctors in our country and the College takes great pride in honouring their achievements."

Since 1996, the award has been named in honour of Dr. Reg L. Perkin, CFPC Executive Director from 1985 to 1996. The awards are presented as part of Family Doctor Week in Canada, which runs from November 4-9, 2013.

The award presentations will be made during a ceremony on Tuesday, November 5th at the CFPC's annual Family Medicine Forum, which this year is held in Vancouver. The CFPC wishes to thank Scotiabank as the program sponsor and the Research and Education Foundation for its support.

College of Family Physicians of Canada

The College of Family Physicians of Canada is the voice of family medicine in Canada. Representing over 30,000 members across the country, it is the professional organization responsible for establishing standards for the training, certification and lifelong education of family physicians and for advocating on behalf of family physicians and the specialty of family medicine. The CFPC accredits postgraduate family medicine training in Canada's 17 medical schools.

Profiles of the 2013 Family Physicians of the Year are provided in the accompanying Backgrounder.

For more information about the Family Physicians of the Year program, please visit: http://fpoy.cfpc.ca

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