Get to know our special guest Dr. Tony Sanfilippo as he discusses his new book ‘The Doctors We Need – Imagining a New Path for Physician Recruitment, Training, and Support’. Dr. Sanfilippo, a respected cardiologist and former Associate Dean of Medical Education at Queen’s University, confronts a startling reality: in a nation proud of its pledge to universal healthcare, over 6 million Canadians lack a family doctor. This crisis persists despite massive investments in medical education and institutions.
Drawing on over 40 years of experience in the classroom and at the bedside, Dr. Sanfilippo exposes—with elegance, wit, and empathy—how our legacy processes for recruiting, educating, and promoting hyper-specialization in medicine have failed to adapt to the basic healthcare needs any Canadian should expect.
The Doctors We Need is a call to action, challenging Canadians, medical schools, and our political leaders to embrace urgent, disruptive change in the face of clear and present needs. It offers a practical roadmap for ensuring every Canadian has access to quality primary care. Essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of healthcare in Canada, this book provides the blueprint for transforming our medical system to truly serve all Canadians.
Dr. Sanfilippo received a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Life Sciences in 1976 and an MD in 1981, both at Queen’s University. He undertook training in Internal Medicine receiving his Royal College Fellowship in 1985 and certification in Cardiology in 1987. He went on to do a postgraduate research fellowship in Echocardiography at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital returning to Queen’s in 1989. Since then he has been a clinical cardiologist associated with Hotel Dieu and Kingston General Hospitals and has directed Echocardiography Laboratories at both locations. He holds a teaching position with Queen’s University as a Professor of Medicine and Cardiology.
Dr. Sanfilippo’s major clinical interest has been in echocardiography. He has published numerous articles, including research in echocardiography, valvular heart disease and cardiac disease in women.