Mission
- Advocate fiercely for Family Medicine.
- Collaborate to drive health system improvement.
- Achieve compensation that reflects the essential role of family physicians in the health of Albertans.
Vision
Alberta’s family doctors are well-supported and financially equipped to provide accessible, quality team-based health care.
Join Us
If you’re not already a member of the Section of Family Medicine, consider joining us. We need your perspective, your ideas and your insight. Let your voice be heard... become a voting member* of SFM today by emailing [email protected].
*Please note that voting SFM members pay section dues in addition to AMA membership dues. These dues go directly to supporting the work that SFM does on behalf of family physicians.
News, opportunities, events, etc.
The Section of Family Medicine (SFM) Nominating Committee is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) for SFM Representative Forum (RF) Delegate position vacancies with terms beginning February 2025.
Three (3) SFM RF Delegate positions are available, each with a three-year term (February 2025-28).
Please submit your Expressions of Interest (maximum one page) describing the skills/experience you possess by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
Only SFM Voting Members are eligible for SFM Representative Forum (RF) Delegate positions.
- Submit EOI to [email protected].
- Please ensure to be mindful of the maximum one-page submission - Documents submitted in excess of the maximum pages indicated will not be considered.
The SFM Nominating Committee will consider applicants’ expressions of interest at their December 18, 2024, meeting, and choose three nominees to stand for election in January 2025.
On April 17 the Alberta government committed to implementing the Physician Comprehensive Care Model (PCCM). This new, modernized model will provide family physicians and rural generalists who are currently paid through fee-for-service or other compensation models with a new compensation option. One that will allow primary care physicians to continue to deliver comprehensive, life-long patient care while keeping their community clinics viable.
The AMA and Alberta Health have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that commits both parties to work together to stabilize family practices and develop long-term solutions. To help action the MoU, the AMA has established a Strike Team comprised of the Section of Family Medicine, Section of Rural Medicine and the PCN Physicians Leads Executive, with representation from the ARP working group. The Strike Team meets regularly. Read about the Strike Team and find notes from the meetings (member login required).
- $100 million in stabilization family and rural generalist care (President's Letter, December 21, 2023)
- Date: Thursday, September 19, 2024
- Location: Hyatt Regency, Calgary
The election for the SFM President and Executive Member-at-Large closed on Friday, August 23, 2024 at 4:00 p.m.
The election results have been made official by scrutineers, as per the SFM By-laws.
Congratulations to the successful and acclaimed nominees!
- Dr. Sarah Bates is the successful candidate for the role of SFM President.
- Dr. Trevor Day is the successful candidate for the role of SFM Executive Member-at-large.
- Dr. Richard Hanelt is acclaimed for the role of SFM Nominating Committee Member-at-large.
Their positions will commence on September 19, 2024, immediately following the SFM Annual General Meeting.
We extend a warm thank you to the nominees for their interest in serving on the SFM Executive.
Secure Section Content
MEMBERS OF THE SECTION HAVE ACCESS TO:
- The section's AGM minutes,
- The section's bylaws,
- Recordings of sessions, town halls (if applicable)
Meet Your Executive
The SFM Executive leads the work of the Section and advocates on the issues that matter to members. It includes a president, president-elect/past president, secretary/treasurer, three to five members-at-large, and an appointed fees representative. Representatives from the Section of Rural Medicine and Primary Care Network Physician Leads Executive also hold ex-officio roles on the SFM Executive.
Dr. Sarah Bates received her medical degree from the University of Calgary and has been a family physician for over 20 years, practicing in both Calgary and Edmonton. Currently, she is a clinical assistant professor for the Department of Family Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, at the Central Teaching Clinic in Calgary. There she provides full-scope family practice and serves as a mentor to the next generation of family doctors. Dr. Bates has worked closely with the AMA for many years. She has been an RF Delegate, served on the Negotiations Committee and Health Issues Council, and was a member of the AMA Board of Directors for five years. In her next life, she hopes to be a vampire slayer.
Dr. Emmanuel Gye is a family physician and lifestyle medicine specialist with a practice in Airdrie at the Alberta Bariatric & Lifestyle Clinic, where he has been serving the community for over 10 years. Dr. Gye has lived and worked on three continents and has a passion for community development and improvement. He is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Calgary and previously served as chair of the Highland Primary Care Network in Alberta. He recently assumed the role of chair of The Primary Care Alliance (PCA). In his leisure time, Dr. Gye, who has two adult children, spends time cycling, golfing, travelling and volunteering for various community development initiatives in Canada and West Africa.
Dr. LaBuick bio coming soon.
Dr. Heidi Fell graduated from the University of Calgary with her MD in 1995. She completed her family medicine residency in 1997 and has been in longitudinal family practice in Calgary ever since. Dr. Fell is a clinical associate professor at the University of Calgary and has a special interest in both leadership and the application of information technology in physicians' offices. She is currently the Medical Director - Health Informatics for the AMA as well as a member of the AMA Rates Committee and has held numerous prior leadership roles including with Calgary Foothills PCN. Dr. Fell holds a third-degree black belt in karate, has two adult children and has been married to her husband, a writer of sweary history, for 28 years.
Dr. Van Nguyen received her MD from the University of Calgary in 2005 and completed her family medicine residency at the University of British Columbia, before taking additional training in global health and addiction medicine. Working primarily at CUPS Calgary Society where she is also the medical director, she is an inner-city full-scope family physician specializing in integrated care for vulnerable populations. This includes comprehensive primary care, managing substance use disorders, mental health and the social inequities of poverty. She also works at the Peter Lougheed Center with the inpatient addiction consultation team, ARCH (Addiction Recovery and Community Health). Dr. Nguyen, who was named one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2015, has three young children and spends her free time juggling their dance schedules and keeping up with them on the ski hill.
Dr. Kerri Treherne completed her medical degree at the University of Alberta and her family medicine residency at the University of Calgary. She has been a family physician in Calgary for more than 25 years. She works at The Alex Community Health Centre, a non-profit community health centre in Calgary that recognizes the importance of addressing the social determinants of health in a team-based care environment. Dr. Treherne is currently the physician lead of The Alex Clinic at the Calgary Drop-in Centre. She is also a member of the Calgary West Central PCN Board and a strong advocate for the Patient’s Medical Home and dignity for all. In her spare time, she volunteers in her community, is a member of the SafeLink Alberta Board and is an avid athlete and runner, who runs daily and has competed in several gruelling marathons and triathlons.
Dr. Tyler Hunter received his medical degree at the University of Manitoba in 2018 before going on to complete his Family Medicine Residency at the University of Alberta in 2020. Dr. Hunter currently works in South Calgary, at a clinic-based practice where he focuses on senior’s health. He has previously served with the Alberta College of Family Physicians’ First Five Years in Family Practice (FFYFP) Committee, which supports family physicians in their first five years of practice and family medicine residents’ transition into practice. In his free time, Dr. Hunter enjoys golfing and skiing as well as running a few fantasy sports leagues.
Dr. Trevor Day is a family physician who has been practicing in Edmonton since 2015 and has been an assistant clinical professor at the University of Alberta since 2018, where he serves as a clinical preceptor for medical students and Family Medicine residents. Dr. Day is active in various physician leadership roles, and previously served as Board chair, president, and then past president for Edmonton West PCN. He is currently the chair of the Edmonton Zone PCN Committee (EZPCNC) Specialty Access and Linkages Committee. He is also a father, husband, and avid runner.
Other Representatives
Dr. Rithesh Ram, Drumheller (Ex-officio member)
Dr. Susan Byers, Lethbridge (Ex-officio member)
- Dr. Sarah Bates, Calgary
- Dr. Trevor Day, Edmonton
- Dr. Heidi Fell, Calgary
- Dr. Emmanuel Gye, Airdrie
- Dr. Tyler Hunter, Calgary
- Dr. John H.R. Julyan-Gudgeon, Red Deer
- Dr. Darryl LaBuick, St. Albert
- Dr. Usha Maharaj, Sherwood Park
- Dr. Van Thuy Nguyen, Calgary
- Dr. Kerri Treherne, Calgary
- Dr. Ann Vaidya, Calgary
- Dr. Vesta Michelle Warren, Sundre
- Dr. Sarah Bates, SFM President
- Dr. Andrea Hargrove, SRM Member
- Dr. Tyler Hunter, Urban FFS Representative
- Dr. Darryl LaBuick, Fees Rep & Chair
- Dr. Van Thuy Nguyen, SFM Member
- Dr. Rithesh Ram, SRM President
- Dr. Maeve O'Beirne, Chair
- Dr. Van Thuy Nguyen, Appointed Member
- Dr. Kerri Treherne, Appointed Member
- Dr. Richard Hanelt, Elected Member
