Robert F. Woollard

Family medicine professor Robert F. Woollard has dedicated his career to teaching, research, and training program development. He has also completed international work on social responsibility, decentralized education, and rural practice. 

He holds a Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Alberta and practised front-line rural medicine for nearly 20 years in Western Canada. Dr. Woollard's academic career began in 1989 when he joined the Department of Family Medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

His research has focused primarily on a new paradigm of medical education inspired by rural generalism and social responsibility in medical schools. Throughout his career, he has embodied the inspiring figure of a family physician in tune with society's health needs.

He has been involved in a variety of influential bodies and has shined a light on the contribution of rural areas, including the knowledge and expertise of First Nations in British Columbia and of countries like Nepal and Vietnam as well as African states in a consensual approach of cultural humility. 

Over the course of his career, Robert F. Woollard has received nearly 80 research grants and supported more than 20 graduate students. His outstanding contributions to the discipline of family medicine in Canada and abroad earned him the W. Victor Johnston Award in 2019. He was also awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.

He has chaired high-level committees, boards, and working groups for Doctors of BC, the Canadian Medical Association, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada in the areas of medical education, environmental health, and ethical relations with industry.

Université Laval is awarding Robert F. Woollard an Honorary Doctorate in Medicine in recognition of his outstanding academic commitment and exemplary involvement in a variety of influential bodies.