Queen’s Department of Family Medicine Department Head Dr. Glenn Brown has been appointed President of the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP). As President, Dr. Brown will champion the vital role family physicians play in the delivery of primary care to Ontario’s patients and families.

“Family doctors have an opportunity to drive the vision of what primary care should look like – a system based on the needs of our patients and grounded in the caring and collective wisdom of family medicine,” says Dr. Brown. “I am very proud of the OCFP and our strong track record of advocacy and education. It is a privilege to support our members and to witness first-hand the good that occurs when committed and passionate family physicians dedicate themselves to working for a common cause.”

Dr. Brown was formally named the College’s 61st President at the OCFP’s President’s Installation and Awards Ceremony in Toronto on November 24. In his inaugural address, he emphasized the importance of the physician-patient relationship and fostering a culture of collaboration. Further, he called on family physicians to help shape the changing landscape of family medicine to ensure that every Ontarian receives high-quality, co-ordinated, comprehensive and continuing care.

In response to the announcement of the appointment, Richard Reznick, Queen’s Dean of Health Sciences and Director of the School of Medicine, said “Dr. Brown is highly respected by his colleagues and brings tremendous leadership experience and wide breadth of knowledge to this new role. I wish him my congratulations on being appointed to this important position.”

In his capacity with the OCFP, Dr. Brown will draw on his 33 years of experience in providing comprehensive family practice and academic leadership. His clinical practice has included comprehensive family medicine including management of inpatients, obstetrics, GP anesthesia and occupational medicine. He served as the Director of Emergency Medicine at the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital in Napanee, where he was also Chief of Staff. He also served as founding Chair of the Primary Health Care Council in the south-eastern region of Ontario. 

“The board is really pleased to welcome Dr. Brown to this leadership role with the College – the first two-year president term in our College’s history,” says OCFP Past President Dr. Sarah-Lynn Newbery. “Dr. Brown’s experience as a community-based general family physician, educator and researcher is a terrific combination to help guide the future of family medicine in Ontario.”

The OCFP is the provincial chapter of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. It is the voice of family medicine representing more than 10,500 family physicians who provide patient care across communities throughout the province. Its mandate is to support members by providing evidence-based education and professional development, by promoting and recognizing leadership excellence in family medicine, and by advocating for the role family physicians play in delivering the highest quality care to patients and families across Ontario.