The CFPC and its Board of Directors welcome Dr. Sarah Funnell

2020-08-13

The CFPC and its Board of Directors are excited to announce that Dr. Sarah Funnell, of Ottawa, Ontario, is appointed to the CFPC Board of Directors. Dr. Funnell’s appointment is based on the alignment of her skills and perspectives with the CFPC’s core activities and our commitment to addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion.

In accordance with the Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act 128(1) and CFPC bylaw section 4.6, the Board appointed Dr. Funnell as an additional CFPC Board Director, effective August 15, 2020. Dr. Funnell was selected through the Call for Interest for a Board position issued earlier this year. She will serve on the Board until the time of the November 5, 2020 Annual Meeting of Members (AMM), when the Board will share a recommendation with CFPC members to approve this additional director position for a three-year term from November 5, 2020 until the time of the AMM in November 2023.

Dr. Funnell’s appointment brings new perspectives and diverse experiences:

• Certification in the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP) as well as Public Health and Preventive Medicine (FRCPC)
• She self-identifies as First Nations, caring for the Akwesasne First Nation and engaged in leadership positions across national organizations and academic institutions. These include:
  • Current Treasurer of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada
  • Co-Chair of CFPC’s Indigenous Committee (including involvement in the Rural Road Map Implementation and the development of CanMEDS-FM Indigenous Health Supplement)
  • Member of multiple Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada committees, including Indigenous Health Committee, Public Health and Preventive Medicine Specialty Committee, Indigenous Health Specialty PGME Steering Committee, and Access to Specialty Care in Rural Setting Working Group
  • Member of the Chiefs of Ontario’s First Nations Data Governance Council
  • Director of Indigenous Health in the Department of Family Medicine at Queen’s University
• Associate Medical Officer of Health for Ottawa Public Health
• Patient and health care advocacy and sensitivity to the importance of engaging with patients and decision-makers
• Assistant professor and lecturer at Queen’s University and lecturer at the University of Ottawa
• Research focus on end-of-life issues for Indigenous populations in Canada
• Perspective as a mother of three young daughters, finishing her 5th year of practice (having included urban, rural, Indigenous and new Canadian communities).

When asked how she connects with members from across our country and at different stages of practice, Dr. Funnell shared: “As an early career physician who has worked in urban, rural, Indigenous and new Canadian communities, I have a breadth of experience that allows me to connect with a diverse range of CFPC members. Medicine is a second career and my additional life experiences enable understanding of members in various stages of their careers. I completed medical training while having three young children, giving me the opportunity to learn how to balance the challenges of professional demands and family life. My experience working with national organizations and academic institutions is extensive and has allowed me to collaborate with leaders in family medicine. My personal and career experiences with Indigenous peoples connect me with members who self-identify as Indigenous and those who serve Indigenous communities.”

Dr. Funnell shares what she brings to the CFPC Board of Directors: “It is with my honest and measured approaches to critical conversations that I can contribute to the CFPC Board. I also offer strategic and systems thinking using an equity lens. I humbly recognize that I cannot speak on behalf of all Indigenous people or for Indigenous physicians, but it is through my relationships with Indigenous physicians and communities that I can serve as a liaison.”

Dr. Funnell’s full bio can be found on the CFPC website.