Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Windsor Campus promised to attract and retain doctors, create health-care sector jobs, and boost the economy in Windsor and surrounding areas. In the 15 years since the the first students walked through the doorsof the campus, that promise is being fulfilled.
“There’s no question: through our Windsor Campus, we’re preparing doctors who understand the distinct health-care needs of people in the region – and who are staying in the community to meet those needs,” said John Yoo, dean of Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. “They’re setting up homes and practices in Windsor, they’re helping to power the clinics and hospitals and they’re significantly contributing to the local economy.”
Since 2008 when the campus opened, there has been a 35 per cent increase in family physicians in Windsor, Ont. and 31 per cent increase in specialists.
That’s a long way from the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the Windsor-Essex region was second only to Northern Ontario in terms of provincial regions with the lowest access to physicians.
“Many of our students are from Windsor, complete their medical school and residency here, and then set up practice here,” said Dr. Larry Jacobs, associate dean of the Windsor Campus. “We’re building something sustainable, and it is changing the face of what we do in health care here.”
In addition to the MD program, Windsor also offers residencies in family medicine and psychiatry, and graduates overwhelmingly choose to remain in the area to care for local patients after their training, said Jacobs.
In real numbers, the program has added almost 100 physicians to the region, said Yoo.
(Left)Dr. Larry Jacobs, associate dean of Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Windsor Campus with Dr. John Yoo, dean of Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Communications)
While the need for more doctors persists in Windsor-Essex, the distributed education and training of Schulich Medicine & Dentistry is delivering is a promising model in the face of the ongoing strain on the health-care system, Yoo said.
“There are important lessons here for how medical schools and communities can work together to train and build capacity in areas where doctors are in short supply,” he said.
Serving local communities
The idea for a medical school in Windsor was suggested in 2001 by Dwight Duncan, Windsor-St. Clair MPP at the time. It was an ideal fit with Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s commitment to serving local communities and the region of southwestern Ontario.
“In concert with Schulich Medicine’s commitment to social responsibility, there was no question about the validity of responding to this need,” recalled Dr. Carol Herbert, the School’s dean at the time.
A formal announcement came in February 2006 by then Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman.
Western University already had an informal relationship with the Windsor-Essex region through the Southwestern Ontario Medical Education Network (SWOMEN) under the leadership of its assistant dean, Dr. Raphael Cheung. There were also clinical placements and residents going to Windsor from London. But it took many years and hundreds of hours of passionate and tireless work to finally open the doors to Windsor’s own facility in 2008.
Growing roots in Windsor
Dr. Trish Valcke, MD’13, is among the many grads who chose to build a life in Windsor after completing the MD program there.
Now, she is a palliative care specialist at the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County. She sees patients at the Erie Shores campus hospice residence in Leamington, and throughout Windsor and Essex County in their homes.
Valcke grew up in Mississauga, Ont., completed her undergrad at Western and joined the Windsor Campus medical program in its second year. She said the city quickly became her home, “and one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
“The medical school was a very small community, and it was so tight-knit, and I lucked out with incredible classmates, many who have become lifelong friends,” said Valcke, who completed her residency at McMaster University, and returned to Windsor, after marrying a Windsorite from the MD Class of 2015. “I didn’t realize at the time that it would be such an important part of my experience. That’s really what stood out in Windsor.”
Valcke’s experience has now come full circle. She facilitates a number of courses for the MD program and is a program director for the family medicine postgraduate year 3 enhanced skills program in palliative care at the Windsor Campus.
As she sets up her family medicine practice in Windsor, Dr. Dema Kadri, MD’17, looks back on her experience at the Windsor Campus and isn’t surprised why physicians stay to practice in the community.
“There’s a charm to the city,” said the native Windsor, who completed her residency in family medicine after graduating. “When you’re born here, we always say you’ll find your way back to Windsor, no matter where you go. I’ve always wanted to study medicine, and luckily there was a campus in my hometown where I could train.”
“Windsor is a tight-knit community. Those patients were my ‘teachers’ when I was a medical student and they allowed me to learn and develop my skills. Now I get to use those skills they helped me develop to treat them,” she said.
A concierge experience
Jacobs connects the program’s ongoing success to how much students value their unique education and training opportunities in Windsor.
“Training amidst a socio-economically diverse patient population, Essex provides an exceptional clinical learning opportunity for students,” said Jacobs.
So too, is being able to get one-on-one attention and build strong relationships with peers, faculty and staff.
“Our students get what I call a concierge experience, with a lot of one-on-one attention both in the hospital wards and in the classroom,” said Jacobs. “It’s a really tight family-like atmosphere coming from the staff on campus, and the faculty. With 38 students per year, it’s easy for us to get to know them as people, not just as students.”
“We’ve really cemented ourselves as a strong pillar in this community. This is a great time to be involved in health education,” he said.
