The College of Family Physicians of Canada welcomes its first Indigenous President – and its new Board of Directors

2026-10-29

(Mississauga, ON)

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) welcomes Dr. Sarah Funnell as its first Indigenous President and announces its 2026/27 Board of Directors.

Dr. Sarah Funnell grew up among the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation on Rice Lake near Cobourg, Ontario, attending cultural events with her artist father and learning to bead before she could write. Medicine, she said, is her “calling.”

“As I pursued my career, I developed a deeper sense of responsibility to use this opportunity to strengthen Indigenous communities and help create a better future for my children and the generations to come.”

Dr. Funnell, who is a band member of Kitigan Zibi First Nation, splits her time between Ottawa and Kingston, where she is the inaugural Associate Dean, Indigenous Health, and Chair, Indigenous Health, at Queen’s University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, and a family physician at the Queen’s Family Health Team in Kingston, Ontario, where she supervises residents and medical students.

With a passion for leadership and good governance, Dr. Funnell has been an advocate to improve Indigenous health and curriculum through her volunteer work with the CFPC and other organizations. Her research includes food sovereignty and Indigenous population health. She is an award-winning educator and prolific speaker on topics related to health equity, public health, and primary care.

Dr. Funnell joined the CFPC Board of Directors in 2020 and is looking forward to her year as President.

“I approach this year with humility. In leadership this means inviting divergent voices into decision-making circles, sharing credit, and being accountable when we get things wrong. I look forward to hearing from members all over the nation and helping to build a CFPC that serves members. I am grateful for the trust placed in me.”

View the 2026/27 CFPC Board of Directors