Langley school alumnus joins the league of top Canadian health experts

A former Langley resident is one of the few non-doctors to win a prestigious medical award.

Professor Shelley Ross was conferred with an honorary membership in the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), the same award that Dr. Bonnie Henry won in 2021. The hard-to-achieve recognition is only for experts (other than family doctors) who make outstanding contributions to family medicine in Canada or globally.

To be even eligible for consideration, one must make high-level contributions either in research, advocacy, or service. Recipients often contribute towards research and policy-making strategies that help family physicians to do their work. Ross was chosen for her contributions in the field of medical research. Since 2008, she has contributed significantly towards structuring the curriculum for in-training doctors.

“I was so incredibly honoured to be recognized with the same award as was given to someone who I admire and respect so much. It also gave me some street cred with my mom — she loves Bonnie Henry, so it was a big deal to her that I got the same award the year after Dr. Henry,” said Ross.

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Her honorary recognition was announced virtually on Nov. 13 at the family medicine forum – an annual conference for family doctors. She was presented with the award by Dr. Francine Lemire, executive director and chief executive officer of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Ross completed her secondary education in Langley, in the same school where her father, Rob Ross, worked as the vice principal. She later won the president’s entrance scholarship to Simon Fraser University. Shelley was one of the brightest students in her class.

Rob shared that Shelley would complete her assignments even before her teachers explained them. She was later asked to take a special test in which professor Shelley did exceptionally well, and the school recommended that she join the French Immersion. Rob said Shelley was highly creative, too, drawing dragons and imaginative creatures as a kid. He believes Shelley’s creative thinking comes from her mom, Joan.

Shelley’s parents, both former principals and district administrators in the Langley School District, are proud of their daughters. Shelley’s sister works as the director at the Vancouver Coastal Health.

Currently, Shelley is directly involved in deciding what family doctor training should look like in Canada. She is even on national committees that look at training and find ways to improve patient experiences.

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“Langley played a huge part in who I have become, especially my experiences at Langley Secondary. I was so lucky to have amazing teachers — my biology teacher, Dr. Mayer Smith, who really got me interested in science and research, Mrs. Kennedy, who really encouraged my curiosity and interests, and M. Legentil who was a huge supporter from Grade 6 to Grade 12. Both in and out of school, I made life-long friends in Langley, and it is great to go back and visit,” said 52-year-old associate professor at the University of Alberta.

FAFM congratulates Dr. Shelley Ross and Dr. Craig Campbell, the 2021 CFPC Honourary Membership recipients! #fafm #familymedicine #myfmf pic.twitter.com/yf2wrflPZX

— Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM) (@fafm_cfpc) November 13, 2021

During her university days, Shelley discovered her combined love for research and teaching. After completing her teaching degree, she explored research in educational psychology. Later, she pursued PhD and eventually got her dream job.

“I never thought that I would be able to combine my loves of medicine, education, and research all in one job — and here I am. I absolutely love what I do, and I feel grateful that this is where my life took me,” she said.

Shelley said that the training curriculum of doctors has evolved in the past 20 years. Experts from various fields are involved in educating young doctors. The end result, she said, is to enhance the training so that when they are out practicing in the community, they are the best doctors that they can be.

Professor Shelley wants people to know that everyone involved in medical education is working to make sure that the things that need to change are being changed, such improving communication skills. She further encouraged patients to let medical students be a part of their doctor’s visits.

“I am so grateful that I get to work in this world and collaborate with so many great people,” Shelley said. “And it sounds trite, but follow your interests and curiosity, even if you are not sure where you want to end up. Life might surprise you.”

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