Family Medicine & Primary Care (Ph.D.)

Offered by: Family Medicine (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)      
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Program Description

The PhD program will build upon our MSc in Family Medicine.

Research topics in the field of family medicine and primary health care cross conventional discipline boundaries and research traditions. Our training program focuses on patient-oriented, community-based research using innovative methodologies and participatory approaches. The program advances academic excellence in family medicine and primary health care.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Thesis

A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.

PhD Comprehensive Exam

PhD students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in the following topics: basic statistics, epidemiology, qualitative and mixed methods, literature synthesis, knowledge translation and participatory research approaches. If a PhD candidate does not have prior training in any of these areas and believes that he or she cannot answer questions on these topics during the comprehensive exam, additional courses will be required for the PhD student.

Required Courses (9 credits)

¹

Note: this slot course must be taken three times (3 cr.)

Elective Course (3 credits)

3 credits in advanced research methods, at the 600 level or higher. May be chosen from outside the Department, in consultation with the student's academic advisor or supervisor.