A message from Dermot Kelleher, Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Vice-President, Health, UBC.
I’m writing to provide an update on an announcement made today by the Government of BC committing to the expansion of the UBC MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP) by 40 seats and the UBC Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) residency programs by up to 88 seats in a phased approach beginning in 2023.
This investment means more students and resident doctors will benefit by having greater access and opportunities to medical education and training throughout the Faculty’s province-wide distributed sites in the North, the Interior, on Vancouver Island, in the Fraser and Vancouver — which are delivered in partnership with the University of Victoria, the University of Northern BC and all health authorities in BC.
Further, at this important time in provincial health care, this investment will mean graduating more doctors for BC, benefiting patients, families and communities. Ultimately, this speaks to the essence of our contract with society — placing the patient and the public at the centre of everything we do.
None of this is possible without the thousands of outstanding and dedicated physician preceptors who play a key role every day in training the next generation of doctors, while simultaneously delivering exceptional clinical care for their patients.
I recognize that for all of us, this announcement comes at a challenging time when physician preceptors and program delivery teams are already stretched. This is why the Faculty advocated strongly to government and we are grateful to them as increased supports have been committed as part of this expansion.
In the coming weeks, there will be a process to seek input and advice on how to maximize increased supports for physician preceptors and program delivery teams to ensure sustained quality of medical education overall. This will include engagement with the MDUP and its distributed sites, PGME residency programs and UBC departments. Further, there are a number of UBC activities that will happen in parallel, which include engagement with our faculty leadership and community, partners and key stakeholders, and Faculty and university governance approval processes.
Further information and FAQs regarding this expansion have been made available on MedNet.
I look forward to working with you as more details come in and thank you for your continued support of the Faculty of Medicine.
This message was sent to the Dean’s Executive Team, Department Heads, School Directors, Regional Associate, Associate and Assistant Deans, Centre/Institute Directors, Administrative Service Unit Directors and Senior Administrators.
