A tireless advocate of family medicine and patient-centred care
Dr. Ian McWhinney is acknowledged as one of the founders of modern Family Medicine in Canada. He is credited with defining the discipline as a distinct field of medicine, based on the knowledge gained by the physician’s long term relationship with patients and their families, familiarity with their life stories, and the trust that patients place in their physician over time. A world-renowned medical educator, Dr. McWhinney’s approach to health care is now the basic model used in the training of family physicians. Fundamental to this approach is the attainment of common ground between doctor and patient.
A lovely quote found among Dr. McWhinney's writings: "However powerful we are in our prime, our descent into powerlessness can be sudden and inexorable; we are fortunate indeed if we can find healers who can make our fall less terrifying and our landing not without some grace."
