The College of Family Physicians of Canada welcomes its 2025/26 President—the first from the territories—and new Board of Directors

2025-11-12

(Mississauga, ON) The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) welcomes its first President from the territories and announces its new Board of Directors for 2025/26.

Newly elected CFPC President Dr. Sarah Cook moved to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, in 2008, drawn by the opportunity to practise full-scope family medicine, to learn from Indigenous perspectives on health and wellness, and to develop broad skills in rural and remote family medicine. Dr. Cook said she was inspired to become a leader early in her career, seeing it as a way to make system-level change and create solutions to improve access and quality, particularly for those living in the north.

Dr. Cook helped launch Choosing Wisely NWT, applying a unique northern lens to its principles; developed a group prenatal program for women travelling to Yellowknife to give birth; implemented a program for early pregnancy loss to reduce emergency department visits; and piloted a virtual integrated care teams for remote communities. She served as Yellowknife Medical Director and as the Northwest Territories’ first Territorial Medical Director.

“I believe that family physician leadership is critical to the success of our health care systems,” said Dr. Cook. “Family doctors provide the majority of medical services in Canada, both within and far beyond primary care. As leaders, we provide a bridge between those creating policies and financial decisions and those who are providing direct care, ensuring that effective solutions and improvements are identified and heard.”

Dr. Cook joined the CFPC Board in 2020 and then the CFPC’s Officer track in 2023—a first for a physician practising in a territory.

The 2025/26 CFPC Board of Directors:
Dr. Sarah Cook, President
Dr. Carrie Bernard, Past President
Dr. Sarah Funnell, President-Elect
Dr. Helen Cuddihy, Secretary-Treasurer
Dr. Alykhan Abdulla, Director-at-Large
Dr. Magaly Brodeur, Director-at-Large
Dr. Amanda Condon, Director-at-Large
Dr. Roop Conyers, Director-at-Large
Dr. Sarah Lespérance, Director-at-Large
Dr. Destiny Lu-Cleary, Director-at-Large
Dr. Meenakshi Natarajan, Director-at-Large
Dr. Avik Nath, Director-at-Large


About the College of Family Physicians of Canada
The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is the professional organization that represents more than 47,000 members across the country. The CFPC establishes the standards for and accredits postgraduate family medicine training in Canada’s 17 medical schools. It reviews and certifies continuing professional development programs and materials that enable family physicians to meet certification and licensing requirements.

The CFPC provides high-quality services, supports family medicine teaching and research, and advocates on behalf of the specialty of family medicine, family physicians, and the patients they serve.


Contact
Winnie Wong
Director, Marketing and Communications
The College of Family Physicians of Canada
Email: [email protected]