Minister of Advanced Education Rajan Sawhney unveils two new medical school programs in Alberta. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

New med school programs being created in Lethbridge & Grande Prairie

Apr 3, 2024 | 3:14 PM

A pair of new educational programs aim to certify more than 100 new doctors every year in Alberta.

The Government of Alberta has announced $224.8 million to create Rural Medical Education Program Training Centres at the University of Lethbridge (U of L) and Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP) in Grande Prairie.

The programs are being developed in partnership with the Universities of Calgary and Alberta.

Minister of Advanced Education Rajan Sawhney says the goal is to address the shortage of physicians in the province, particularly in rural communities.

“Establishing the new training centres in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie is the first of many steps to solve the rural physician shortage. Advanced Education is committed to increasing support for Alberta’s medical schools and providing significant support to encourage more physicians to live and practice in rural settings,” says Sawhney.

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Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn, dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, was a key part in creating the new courses.

She explains that the U of L and NWP will offer traditional medical school programs for prospective physicians. They will do their undergraduate studies at the schools and then complete their residencies in either hospital or clinical settings.

Hemmelgarn says approximately 75 per cent of doctors end up living and practicing in the same areas in which they went to school.

She adds that each new physician will be able to care for approximately 1,200 patients

“This announcement has exciting implications. It will allow us to grow our medical programs as well as offer potential future expansions for other healthcare professions as well,” says Hemmelgarn. All of this is important because it will allow for integrated, interdisciplinary care and true team-based care, and that what we know our communities need and deserve.”

U of L President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Digvir Jayas says these programs will go a long way in creating a stable supply of new physicians, something he believes is greatly needed in nearly every small-to-medium-sized community in the province.

For the U of L, the Doctor of Medicine program will be run out of the former Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience. When the university opened its Science Commons facility in 2019, the neuroscience program was moved there and the Community Centre for Wellness took its place.

Dr. Jayas is expecting that the program in Lethbridge to be operational as of the 2025-26 academic year. Students would begin to serve patients during their residencies and the first class would be able to graduate in 2030.

Included in the funding announcement, the province will provide $43.2 million in capital funding to create the program in Lethbridge, $55.6 million will support operating expenses in both Lethbridge and Grande Prairie, and another $126 million will support the overall physician training expansion.

Currently, only the Universities of Calgary and Alberta offer Doctor of Medicine programs in Alberta.