Dr. Gina Agarwal has joined the Quarter Century Club @mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social! Yesterday, Dr. Agarwal attended the celebratory lunch and received a McMaster tartan blanket to acknowledge her contribution of 25 Years of Service. Congratulations Gina! @mcmasterfammed.bsky.social

New research using Ontario data found that the shingles vaccine may help prevent or delay the onset of dementia. A study involving DFM researcher Stephenson Strobel and researchers at Stanford University was recently published in @thelancetneuro.bsky.social Learn more in this news article

Drs Gina Agarwal & Ric Angeles, & the Ateneo de Zamboanga University CHAP-P team are hosting a KT meeting in the Philippines with national, regional, and local policy makers to present the impact of CHAP-P in a geopolitical region & discuss knowledge uptake into the Philippine health system.

DFM researchers explored primary care for depression before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a newly published study. Findings show the resiliency of primary care during the pandemic. Read the article: bmjopen.bmj.com/content/16/1... @mihoward101.bsky.social

This study assessed the feasibility of using EMR data to evaluate virtual diabetes care in Ontario Family Health Teams during the early COVID‑19 pandemic. It was found that virtual care did not significantly affect key diabetes indicators compared with pre‑pandemic in‑person care. Learn more

This article outlines the development of a video series on field-of-play emergency extrication intended to standardize the procedures for the management of an injured athlete. Learn more pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41475976/

📢 New in @FrontPubHealth Using administrative health data in Ontario, social housing residents had lower uptake of preventive health services, such as cancer screening and flu vaccination, compared to the general public during COVID-19. 🔗https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1729767

This commentary outlines how health care leadership can reduce their climate impact and improve patient care through transforming their food services to a more sustainable menu. Learn more bmjleader.bmj.com/content/earl...

📢 New Study! Free legal assistance was given to patients in a primary care office, providing referrals, resources and direction on legal issues. Future iterations may include additional scope/support and inclusion of patient advocate roles. 🔗 doi.org/10.1186/s129...

📢 New in BMC Public Health! Through interviews, we found older adults prefer one-on-one, in-person interactions with family physicians. Educational brochures can be promoted during patient visits for chronic disease prevention efforts. 🔗 doi.org/10.1186/s128...

This systematic review found that the referral process to specialists by family physicians is complex and hindered by fragmented healthcare systems, leading to inefficiencies, unnecessary administrative burdens, and contributing to physician burnout and job dissatisfaction. Learn more

The CP@clinic program has won the 2025 Ontario Health System Quality and Innovation Award in the Population Health Impact category. CP@clinic helps older adults in social housing communities manage chronic conditions, reduce 911 calls, and maintain independence @vipresearchlab.bsky.social Learn more

This systematic review looked at family physician experiences managing the electronic inbox. A key finding was that hospitalized patients, prescription management, and specialist referrals carry a large administrative burden for family physicians. Learn more academic.oup.com/fampra/artic...

This study explored identity-related income gaps among Canadian physicians. A 4-stage theory was developed to explain this: physician understanding of patient expectations, the nature of the expectations, physician responses to those expectations, and financial implications of those responses.

Thank you to our paramedic service and social housing partners for their commitment to the CP@clinic Program! @mcmasterfammed.bsky.social

Ellen Amster spoke at the New England Graphic Medicine Summit in Boston! Her talk explored how colonialism shaped Western medicine and how comics uncover these hidden narratives. Learn more www.mcphs.edu/news/new-eng... Photo Credit: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Jasdeep Brar, PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Gina Agarwal, presented at the Asian Health Literacy Conference in Taiwan on sex/gender differences impacting functional health literacy in chronic conditions & health behaviours of low-income older adults in the Philippines and Canada

New PEACH Health Ontario videos have been released! Learn more about PEACH, their backstory, and their guidelines www.youtube.com/channel/UCuG...

It's Child Rights Day! Did you know that in just five Canadian provinces, 1 in 100 children face parental incarceration - 27% more than in Europe. Canada must invest in data collection to protect and support these children #NationalChildDay @mcmasterfammed.bsky.social @irwinelman.bsky.social

Congratulations to Myles Sergeant, family physician and DFM assistant clinical professor, on receiving the 2025 Environmental Health Award! Through his exemplary dedication and leadership, Sergeant inspires and drives change in making health care more sustainable. @cfpc-cmfc.bsky.social

Last week, our Taking Flight conference brought together faculty, staff and trainees to share innovative research in primary care. The event highlighted advancements in medical education, health equity, clinical care and health systems. fammed.mcmaster.ca/primary-care...

Members of the VIP Research Lab attended the @mcmasterfammed.bsky.social Taking Flight Conference where Dr. Gina Agarwal presented on the Scalability of the CP@clinic Program from Ontario to B.C. and Australia

This community-based research study explored the effects of service restriction on individuals seeking emergency shelter in Hamilton, ON. Service restrictions were found to exacerbate participants’ health issues through increased exposure to violence, infectious diseases, and psychological distress.

Family physicians at the McMaster Family Health Team identified barriers to deprescribing legacy drugs and proposed potential solutions in a pilot project led by Dr. Amanda Ramdyal. Check out the infographic to learn more

This book chapter explores how polypharmacy affects the quality of life in older adults. It emphasizes the importance of person-centered care and deprescribing in managing polypharmacy, highlighting that reducing unnecessary medications can significantly improve well-being in older adults.

Those wishing to promote team-based family medicine should advocate for a balance of government investment and practice-level autonomy over development, supporting provider buy-in, community-appropriate innovation & responsiveness in care delivery doi.org/10.3399/BJGP... @mcmasterfammed.bsky.social

This scoping review explored the reproductive and maternal health experiences of Indigenous women in prison in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. There is a significant lack of evidence on the reproductive and maternal health experiences of Indigenous women in prison. Learn more

This article outlines how PEACH Health Ontario and the ‘PEACH Approach’ were developed to guide healthcare towards a net-zero future. Learn more bmjleader.bmj.com/content/earl...

Read our recent systematic review in the Journal of Cancer Education with Khon Kaen University that highlights 5 key components for effective cancer prevention: 📚 Health education 🤝 Participant engagement 🔔 Reminders 💝 Patient support 😎 Health influencers 🔗 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

📢 New in @annalsofepi.bsky.social 📊 Our population-based panel study reveals key disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Ontario, Canada 🏘️ By end of 2021, 75% of adults in social housing were fully vaccinated vs. 87% in general population 🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

📣The CP@clinic Program, and Dr. Gina Agarwal have been highlighted as one of the CIHR Faces of Health Research 2025!🍁 Check out the story here:https://bit.ly/3HCecy6 @mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social @mcmasterfammed.bsky.social

This study identified the priorities of interest-holders for health surveillance of people incarcerated in Canada. It was found that the health care themes that were priorities for health surveillance were access, wait times, health care equivalence, preventive care, and medication administration.

‼️New on our CP@clinic Website! Check out the ‘For Family Physicians’ tab to find details about our Community Paramedicine CME course designed for physicians and the link to register 🩺 Click here to find more: cpatclinic.ca/education/ @mcmasterfammed.bsky.social

Congratulations @meredithvanstone.bsky.social‬, newly appointed as the David Braley and Nancy Gordon Chair in Family Medicine at DFM! A leader in ethical complexity in primary care, she’s shaping the future of family medicine through research, mentorship & policy fammed.mcmaster.ca/meredith-van...

Congratulations to DFM professor Meredith Vanstone on being named a 2025 University Scholar! Learn more about Meredith and her fellow 2025 University Scholars brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/uni...

DFM researchers explored how diabetes monitoring and management changed in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic in a newly published study. This research paper won NAPCRGs Distinguished Paper Award in 2024. Read the full article here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40510009/ @mihoward101.bsky.social

This systematic review explored prevalence of health conditions among women in custody worldwide. A key finding is that there is a high burden of mental and physical health conditions among women in custody. Learn more www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Read about CP@clinic’s impact in the 2024 Annual Report! A few highlights: 2,034 patients helped 18,544 Health Risk Assessments completed 33 Canadian Paramedic Services 122 Paramedic Training Microcredentials issued Read the whole report here 👉https://cpatclinic.ca/media/2024-Annual-Report-1-1.pdf

🌱 Greening the Wards is here! This new guidebook by @ccghc.bsky.social empowers general internal medicine teams to lead climate action with evidence-based, low-carbon care strategies & real-world examples. 📘 Get your copy: EN:https://conta.cc/44fyvc3 FR: conta.cc/3Gd8vFZ

This study evaluated the impact of Pallium Canada’s Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative Care (LEAP) Hospital course on physician attitudes, comfort and care delivery. Participants reported improved symptom and disease management, along with enhanced communication skills following the course.

This study found that successful transformation to team-based family medicine requires coordinated efforts such as funding, collaboration, and securing resources which ultimately lead to improved patient access, more efficient workflows, and fewer emergency department visits.

Between 2015 and 2022, incarceration rates dropped in Ontario. But Indigenous and Black communities remain disproportionately affected by incarceration—with implications for population health. New report describes the data fammed.mcmaster.ca/app/uploads/2025/06/Incarceration-report-June-12-2025.pdf

This DFM-led study examined the impact of volunteering in the Health TAPESTRY program on its volunteers. A key finding was that volunteers experienced a moderate increase in vigorous exercise. Read more www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

During the pandemic, thousands of Ontarians isolated at home — but they weren’t alone. COVID@Home gave them support and peace of mind. This is what happens when we empower primary care providers. Full story: fammed.mcmaster.ca/how-ontarios... #PrimaryCare #COVID19Response #KnowledgeMobilization

🌍📊The VIP Research Lab is excited to be at the #GACD2025 Annual Scientific Meeting! Gina Agarwal, Ric Angeles and Jasdeep Brar presented four projects: Scale-up Research Reporting Checklist (SPARK), CHAP-P in Philippines, eCHEC in Thailand, and health literacy in LMICs.🎉 @gacdmedia.bsky.social

A new study led by DFM researchers found that heart failure patients who received palliative care at the end of life had lower hospitalization rates and fewer in-hospital deaths than those who did not. @icesontario.bsky.social fammed.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-led...

McMaster’s Department of Family Medicine has a 50-year legacy of training primary care physicians who view their specialty as an instrument of social change. See why these 4 residents chose to follow that passion at McMaster: healthsci.mcmaster.ca/a-truly-rewa... @mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social

McMaster’s Family Medicine program offers a variety of special experiences. Check this video out to learn more about our program!

We’re officially on Bluesky! Welcome to our space where we will be sharing updates, news and insights from McMaster’s Department of Family Medicine. Follow us and let’s connect! @mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social