In The Doctors We Need, Dr. Anthony 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. We need to think differently.

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. Through compelling real-life accounts, he illustrates:

• The impact of outdated selection and training methods on doctor shortages
• How our complex, siloed medical education system lacks crucial oversight
• Why current approaches fail to produce doctors with the diverse skills needed today

This groundbreaking book doesn’t just diagnose the problem—it prescribes solutions that alter incentives for decision-makers and embrace a new path for aspiring family physicians. Dr. Sanfilippo proposes innovative reforms in three critical areas:

• Doctor selection
• Medical education and training
• Healthcare workplace environments

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.

ANTHONY SANFILIPPO has been learning, researching, practicing and teaching medicine over the past five decades. He has held key roles at various levels of medical and educational leadership and, for the past 16 years, directed one of the oldest and most venerable medical schools in Canada as it adapted to dramatically expanding medical knowledge, societal needs, student expectations, financial constraints, and one rather disruptive pandemic. He has published numerous scientific articles, provided hundreds of invited presentations and received recognitions for teaching, leadership and service. More recently, he has taken up writing as a means of exploring opportunities to better align medical education with the needs of contemporary society.

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“This warmly written, story-rich book explores the widening chasm between society’s primary care needs and our archaic structures of medical education and practice. Dr. Sanfilippo’s diagnosis and remedies are sensible, thoughtful and long overdue.” —Dr. David Walker, Former Dean of Queen’s Medical School

“Through story-telling and thoughtful analysis,The Doctors We Need traces the ‘family doctor crisis’ to its roots in medical education. Sanfilippo is uniquely qualified to suggest a remedy for this malady, and his prescription is bold and creative. If implemented, it would fundamentally change how we choose and train doctors and shake up our primary healthcare system to its very core.” —Richard K. Reznick, OC, MD, FRCSC, FACS, FRCSEd (hon), FRCSI (hon), FRCS (hon), Professor Emeritus of Surgery and Dean Emeritus, Queen’s University and Past President Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

“Dr. Sanfilippo unpacks a complex problem facing many Canadians: a lack of access to family physicians and timely primary care. He does this in a way that every reader can understand, no matter their background. His proposed solutions are innovative, thoughtful, and achievable!” —Dr. Tony Stone, Family Physician, and educator of family physicians

“Dr. S has created an accurate and on-point explanation for our present primary care crisis that starts with stories where physicians and patients will see themselves portrayed, continues with demystifying the complex medical education system, and finishes with clear-headed solutions.” —Bruce Wright MD CCFP FCFP, Regional Associate Dean of the Island Medical Program at UBC, Head and Professor of Division of Medical Sciences at the University of Victoria, and former President of the Medical Council of Canada

“A rare insider’s look at medical education in Canada from one of the country’s most respected leaders in medical pedagogy. Inspiring, credible, and highly pragmatic solutions to vexing issues at a time when most others are only able to eloquently describe the problem. A must-read for all who care about the future of the MD workforce in Canada.” —Chris Simpson MD, Former President of the Canadian Medical Association (2014-2015) and Professor in the Department of Medicine at Queen’s University

“Dr. Anthony Sanfilippo, through compelling patient stories, powerfully illustrates the horrific consequences of Canadians’ inability to access foundational primary care. These narratives reveal the profound impacts on patients and their families, clinicians, the overall healthcare system, our economy, and society at large. His solution? Integrated primary care teams delivering patient-centered care, reforming policy of admission to medical school and curricular reform, all in order to attract top clinicians to practice family medicine. With a focus on funding improved health outcomes over the outdated fee-for-service structure, ‘The Doctors We Need ’ asks: Can we achieve this critical transformation?” —Professor Colleen M. Flood, Dean of Queen’s University Faculty of Law