Dr Christy Sutherland

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine have named Dr Christy Sutherland as the 2018 BC recipient of the Family Physicians of the Year award. The honor is given to 10 doctors across Canada, one from each province, for providing exceptional care to their patients, contributing to their communities, and being committed as researchers and educators of future generations of family doctors. Recipients are nominated by their peers, colleagues, and the CFPC’s chapters.

Dr Christy Sutherland completed her medical degree at Dalhousie University, and a family medicine residency at the University of British Columbia, where she is now a clinical assistant professor and serves as a preceptor and mentor to a variety of trainees, including fellows, medical residents, and medical students. Dr Sutherland also serves as the medical director for the PHS Community Services Society, a not-for-profit organization based in Vancouver that provides advocacy, housing, services, and opportunities for the most vulnerable of the Downtown Eastside. She has served as a physician on St. Paul’s Hospital’s Family Medicine Ward, an addiction physician on St. Paul’s Hospital’s Addiction Medicine Consult Team, and an addiction physician for WorkSafeBC. As education physician lead for the British Columbia Centre on Substance Abuse, Dr Sutherland works with other health care professionals, coordinators, and external stakeholders to provide leadership and support for education and training activities.

Dr Sutherland has also received the Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award from the St. Paul’s Hospital Goldcorp Addiction Medicine Fellowship, where she is preceptor for individual fellows during their in-patient rotation and community electives. She a Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine and has participated in several research grants and initiatives throughout her career focused on improving the lives of vulnerable populations.