Ian McWhinney Family Medicine Education Award

The Ian McWhinney Family Medicine Education Award is named in memory of Dr. Ian McWhinney, the first professor and chair of a Canadian university department of family medicine (from 1968 to 1987 at the University of Western Ontario, now Western University). The award honours excellence in family medicine education and is presented to a teacher deemed by their peers to have made a unique and innovative contribution that has had a substantial national impact on the development of family medicine education in Canada. This contribution may encompass any level or aspect of family medicine education, such as:

  • Continuing professional development
  • Teaching
  • Curriculum development
  • Scholarship
  • Administration

The award may be presented during Family Medicine Forum (FMF). The recipient will receive complimentary four-day registration to FMF. In addition, the recipient may receive up to $2,000 to offset the costs of accommodation, meals, and travel to attend FMF.

Eligibility criteria:

Each nominee must be a College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) member who has been in good standing for at least one year and can be either community or academic based.

The nominee must have made a substantial contribution to family medicine education.

The nominee cannot have received this award in the past three years.

Please refer to the Guidelines for basic eligibility and additional considerations.

Nomination process:

CFPC members, Chapters, and the public are invited to submit nominations for those meeting the criteria.

Nominations are due to the CFPC National Office by 4:00 p.m. (ET) on April 13, 2026.

Nominations must be submitted online.

Please refer to the Nomination Guidelines for requirements.

Submit your nomination now.

Selection process:

The joint CFPC and Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM) Honours and Awards Committee uses peer endorsements from a national review process to compile their recommendations to be approved by the CFPC and FAFM Boards of Directors.  

Nominees will be formally notified of results in August.

Recognition of support:

This award is made possible through the Ian McWhinney Endowment Fund managed by the FAFM.