“The school shows them all the great things about family medicine early and often.”
Dr. Jobin Varughese, associate vice president of academics at William Osler Health System, is well-versed in primary care and has a unique understanding of the state of the practice in Brampton. Currently serving as interim assistant dean of primary care education within the brand new School of Medicine at Toronto Metropolitan University and president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, one of his–and the program’s–goals is introducing new doctors to family medicine and keeping them in the community.
“A high percentage of people will stay in their area,” Varughese tells INsauga.com, citing his experience working with medical trainees within the McMaster and William Osler Health System (which operates Brampton Civic Hospital and Peel Memorial) organizations.
“Family residents had about a 60 per cent chance of staying in the area. We want to embed them in the community.”
After more than two years in development, the Greater Toronto Area’s first new medical school in over 100 years opened in Brampton this month.
First announced in January of 2023, TMU’s new School of Medicine is a welcome addition to a community where demand for family physicians is high.
In 2023, data shared by the Ontario College of Family Physicians indicated that more than 223,000 people in the Region of Peel (comprising Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon) do not have a family doctor, and this number is projected to reach 430,000 by 2026.
The college said if more isn’t done, approximately one in four Ontarians (that’s 4.4 million people) will be without a family doctor by next year.
Beyond bringing more physicians to the region to learn (and, ideally, practice), a report by TMU also said the new school is expected to create over 7,000 direct and indirect jobs in Peel Region, and generate between $1.2 to $2.6 billion in economic activity over the next decade.
The school will also have two primary care teaching clinics.
In an earlier statement, TMU President and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi said the new Brampton school is the first in Canada to offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs simultaneously, and it features a record number of 16 unique residency programs.
Varughese says he’s been involved with the new school since last January and that, almost two years later, it’s exciting to feel the buildings “come alive” with the presence of students–many of whom he runs into around the city.
“I’ll head over to Bramalea City Centre to grab something and I’ll run into students there.”
Varughese says that 94 students are in their first year of medical training and that while they have four years to pick their path, the school is hoping to entice future MDs to get involved in family medicine–a field that allows doctors to practice not just in outpatient clinics, but also in emergency departments, labour and delivery wards and palliative care settings.
“They have a lot of family medicine physicians as their facilitators and [will get] primary care experience, so they get to be in family medicine clinics in the community,” he says.
“In April 2027, half of the students do longitudinal clerkships, and half of that time is in a family physician’s office. The hope is that when they go to residency, they can do it in the clinics they’ve worked in. You’ll have people really invested in these learners, as they’ll have seen them through their whole training,” Varughese says.
“One of the things that TMU is doing is ensuring that doctors they’re training get out to areas of high need, including rural and remote areas. We aim for our own area because we need to shore up some of the needs we have.”
The area, although urban and dense, is both underserved and experiencing growth. As of now, Brampton–a city of close to 800,000 people–only has one full-service hospital. Earlier this year, however, the province announced that William Osler’s Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness will undergo significant expansion to become Peel Memorial Hospital.
Once the project is complete, the new hospital will offer new and enhanced services, including a 24-hour emergency department. It will also provide additional specialized care for patients who require extended hospital stays.
“Having a new hospital coming up means more opportunities for people to serve the communities and the hospital,” Varughese says.
Although the program is new, students already say they’re enjoying the experience and looking forward to working in the community once their training is complete.
“When I decided that I wanted to apply to [medical school], it was hard because there aren’t a lot in this region,” Zaynashae Boreland, a first-year medical student at TMU, tells INsauga.com.
Boreland, born and raised in Mississauga, knew she wanted to work in medicine after being treated for kidney disease as a child. After studying at the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto, she became a registered nurse at SickKids Hospital in Toronto (where she underwent surgeries as a child). While she describes the experience as “full circle,” she knew she wanted to be in a position where she could have more influence over the care of her patients.
She also wanted to study somewhere close to home.
“I have three little sisters and I missed those four years when I was gone. The youngest is 11, so I didn’t want to miss out on those years of her growing up,” Boreland says.
“When I saw that TMU was creating their medical school, I could’ve almost cried, to be honest. I can actually stay home, stay in a familiar environment, stay with my family in the times when I’ll need them.”
Boreland says she was ecstatic when she learned she was accepted into the program and that while she’s still in the process of choosing a specialty, she knows she wants to stay as local as possible–and perhaps one day work at the new Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children in Mississauga.
“I’m open to all specialties, but I am interested in family medicine and in pediatrics, because that’s where I started my interest in health care in the first place. Staying in the community is important to me. I was born here, raised here. I plan to set my own roots here. I don’t plan on leaving.”
Boreland also says one aspect of community care that interests her is providing patients of colour access to a physician who looks like them.
“I want to be a face for other Black children like myself who never really saw themselves in health care. I want them to feel as if they can do things, even if they’re told that they can’t.”
For TMU resident doctor Humaira Mehboob, being able to connect with patients of varied and diverse cultural backgrounds is paramount.
Mehboob, a practicing ophthalmologist who has trained and worked in Pakistan and Dubai, said she had a memorable experience when she met an elderly patient who was scheduled to undergo a cardiac procedure at Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville.
“She was a Punjabi-speaking lady, and she knew the procedure, she knew what was happening, but she was quite quiet, and I could sense that that’s a kind of anxiety,” Mehboob tells INsauga, adding that the woman reminded her of her own grandmother.
“She looked at me and she asked me my name in Punjabi, and I felt that small connection open a door. She asked me why she was there, and I knew that wasn’t for information; it was more about reassurance. I spoke to her in her language, explained things to her clearly, and you could see her visibly relax.”
Mehboob says that over the course of her career, she’s worked and volunteered for organizations that help underserved and underprivileged communities and realized how crucial community care is.
“That’s when I realized the shortage of physicians in Canada, and honestly, that’s when I truly decided that I wanted to do family medicine with a community-based focus.”
Mehboob says that TMU’s program is a good fit for her.
“It has a strong community focus, which aligns with my values. Also, the program has a very bold vision. It’s got a new curriculum. So far, I’ve had experience in addiction withdrawal and sexual health, and most of the physicians that I’ve met so far did not have that exposure in their program,” she says, adding that she also plans to set roots in the community.
“My extended family and one of my best friends live here. Thanks to this program, I wouldn’t have realized how beautiful Brampton is and how lovely the people are. We love it and at this point we’ve decided to stay and we are looking for a home.”
Boreland, who is in her first year, says the school environment itself has also been enriching.
“First of all, I love my classmates. I think I’m quite overwhelmed with the amount of support that I’m receiving from classmates,” she says.
“I haven’t really felt this type of support before, but I think it’s because we’re all in the same boat. We all took this leap of faith, you know, going to a new medical school, and we’re just all going through it together.”
For Varughese, one of the most exciting aspects of the school, beyond the immediate help it will provide by embedding new physicians in the community within the next few years, is the impact it will have on medicine in general, citing McMaster Health Sciences as an example of what can happen when you imbue a community with resources.
“There’s a blueprint for this. With McMaster, it didn’t have the world-renown it has now. When you work with a community that’s a partner, it increases the chances that we’re going to train world-class leaders who make changes in the health care space and be able to increase the world-renown of Brampton,” he says.
“Academic research, clinical research, etc. We know there are other universities interested in starting medical schools, and this will give them a blueprint.”
He also says so many students already have strong connections to the community.
Medical students have studied at local libraries or received CPR training locally; many have close ties to Brampton, Mississauga, and Halton. A lot of people have a strong connection to the area and people who are not from the area are saying they see themselves here. They think they belong.”
Cover photo from TMU’s official Facebook page