Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

More resident doctors will soon be training and caring for patients in Southwestern Ontario, with two new family medicine residency sites launching in Sarnia-Lambton and Oxford County. Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is expanding its family medicine residency program through partnerships with Bluewater Health, Rapids Family Health Team, Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team, Woodstock Hospital, Rural Roads Health Services and the Oxford Ontario Health Team. Beginning in 2027, the new sites in Sarnia-Lambton and Oxford County will each welcome two residents, creating four new family medicine residency positions across the region. As communities continue to face family physician shortages, the new sites will strengthen rural and regional training and support the future of primary care in Southwestern Ontario. “As a medical school, we recognize our responsibility to help ensure the communities we serve have the physicians and health-care workforce they need, both today and for generations to come,” said Dr. John Yoo, dean of Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. “At the same time, these communities provide exceptional environments for medical education. Residents benefit from broad clinical experiences, close relationships with preceptors and meaningful connections with the communities and patients they serve. That is the strength of distributed medical education.” The new training sites build on Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s strength in distributed medical education, providing community-based experiences for learners at all stages of their training. That network spans more than 60 communities across Southwestern Ontario, from Windsor to Tobermory, supported by more than 110 health-care partner sites and nearly 1,000 clinical faculty members. At the new sites, residents will learn across hospital, clinic and community care settings, gaining a broad range of clinical experience. Their training will include emergency medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, internal medicine and palliative care, alongside comprehensive family medicine. Residents will work closely with local physicians and health-care teams, with an emphasis on close mentorship, hands-on learning and increasing responsibility as they prepare for independent practice.

“By embedding residents directly into these communities, we are not only providing them with a uniquely diverse, hands-on clinical education, but we are also addressing the urgent need for family physicians where they are needed most.” – Dr. Daniel Grushka, professor and postgraduate program director for department of family medicine

“Through strong collaborations with our health-care partners, we are training a new generation of exceptionally skilled generalists who are committed to caring for families across our region,” Grushka added.  

Family medicine resident doctors in Sarnia-Lambton

In Sarnia, residents will train at Bluewater Health and Rapids Family Health Team, building on a well-established education partnership that includes Schulich Medicinel’s immersive clerkship program. “Expanding family medicine training in Sarnia-Lambton is an important investment in the future of primary care locally and will help strengthen access to care for patients and families,” said Dr. Michel Haddad, regional academic director for Lambton and chief of staff and vice-president, medical affairs at Bluewater Health. “Our community offers an exceptional learning environment, with experienced physicians, broad clinical exposure and strong connections across primary care, hospital and specialty services, community organizations and other health-care providers.” Local government officials also welcomed the expansion. “This is outstanding news for the Sarnia-Lambton community,” said Bob Bailey, MPP for Sarnia-Lambton. “The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University and its ongoing partnership with Bluewater Health has been a vital resource for meeting the health-care needs of our region. The new family medicine residency program at Bluewater Health is going to have a huge impact on health care access in our community for generations to come.”  

Oxford County partners offer family medicine residency sites

In Oxford County, the residency program brings together Woodstock Hospital, Rural Roads Health Services (Alexandra Hospital and Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital) and partners across the Oxford Ontario Health Team and Oxford Primary Care Network to provide a broad, integrated training experience. “This program reflects an extraordinary level of collaboration across Oxford County,” said Dr. Ian Hons, regional academic director for Oxford and chief of staff at Woodstock Hospital. “Our local family physicians and specialists have embraced the opportunity to teach and mentor residents, creating a supportive, hands-on learning environment where they will experience the full spectrum of community-based care and develop the skills and confidence to provide comprehensive care.” Many communities across the region, particularly those with rural populations, welcome the potential ‘pipeline’ of future doctors who may continue to practice there. “Bringing these residency opportunities to Oxford County is an important step in strengthening health care in Oxford County and across Southwestern Ontario,” said Ernie Hardeman, MPP for Oxford. “By giving future physicians the opportunity to train and work in our community, we are helping build a stronger pipeline of doctors who can serve our communities for years to come. I’m pleased to see the continued collaboration with our local health-care partners and look forward to seeing these new residents become part of the local community in 2027.” Learn more about how Western is optimizing health for all.