Simon Fraser University (SFU) recently received the largest donation in the university’s history for its newly established medical school.<\/p>\n
The Stephens family donated $40 million CAD to the new medical school, which will be used to support medical students in training and help them become the future doctors of British Columbia (BC).<\/p>\n
In recognition of and gratitude for this act of kindness, the SFU medical school located in downtown Surrey will be officially named the SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine. The donation was made on behalf of the family by Ratana Stephens and Arran Stephens, co-founders of the food company Nature’s Path and heads of Que Pasa Foods.<\/p>\n
It is understood that the funds will be used to support medical research and innovation, student training, and the construction of key infrastructure for medical schools. Ratana Stephens expressed her gratitude to SFU and her family for working together to make this vision a reality.<\/p>\n
Intense global competition for medical talent: New medical schools become key to breaking the deadlock “We are currently facing a shortage of healthcare personnel, both domestically and internationally, and we are competing fiercely with other jurisdictions around the world for these healthcare talents,” British Columbia Premier David Eby said at a press conference on Friday. David Yin added, \u201cOur goal is to enable more people to find a family doctor in their close-knit communities. This new medical school is part of the government\u2019s efforts to improve healthcare in BC and south of the Fraser River. We are very grateful for the Stephens family\u2019s extremely generous generosity.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a joint statement regarding the donation, donors Ratana and Arran Stephens stated: \u201cSupporting the next generation of doctors is the best use of social resources and the most rewarding investment in social well-being.\u201d There is still a shortage of family doctors in British Columbia. In recent years, British Columbia has made significant progress in connecting residents with family doctors.<\/p>\n
Since 2023, the province has successfully connected 600,000 BC residents with a family doctor. Currently, BC leads all of Canada in this metric, with 77% of its residents having their own family doctor. However, the healthcare gap still exists: One in five: Currently, about 20% (one in five) of people in British Columbia still do not have a family doctor. Matching 4,000 people per week: Although the government is successfully matching another 4,000 people with family doctors every week, the demand remains huge.<\/p>\n
In addition to training local talent, British Columbia has also launched a cross-border recruitment drive for American medical personnel. In the past few months, more than 700 American medical professionals have joined BC, and over 2,000 others have submitted job applications.<\/p>\n
Cultivating sustainable healthcare capabilities with “community service” at its core with the establishment of the Stephens Family Medical School at SFU, Premier David Ellison hopes to cultivate more new talent willing to fill the gaps in family physicians. He emphasized that the sustainable development of the healthcare system depends on training professionals with a “community service mindset.” David Yin also expressed his gratitude to all those who have already contributed to the BC healthcare system: “The faculty, staff, doctors, nurses, health science professionals working at UBC and its various campus medical facilities, as well as the healthcare workers who mentor and support others and stand on the front lines of saving lives in hospitals, are the core force in solving this medical crisis.”<\/p>\n
This September, SFU’s Stephens Family Medical School will welcome its first cohort of students. They will become the core and soul of this new medical school, shouldering the responsibility of building the community and protecting family health in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"