Not limited by conventional thinking, the York University School of Medicine will prepare the next generation of talented frontline primary care doctors. Our students will represent the diversity of the communities in which they live and thrive in a new, inter-professional, team-based health care environment, as they continue to adapt to evolving patient needs and improve community and population health.
Our future doctors will train in real world settings, working with inter-professional health care teams.
Students will learn to work in teams to address complex patient care issues, as well as social equality and other factors that affect the health of individuals and communities. York University has received approval to proceed with planning for the School of Medicine, including $9 million in start-up funds announced in the 2024 Province of Ontario budget.
At-a-glance:
- Launching in July 2028
- 80 undergraduate learners per year, 240 students at steady state
- 102 postgraduate learners per year, 293 students at steady state
- A three-year MD program
- Focus on community-based learning, including undergraduate longitudinal integrated clerkships
- Primary care specialties include family medicine, psychiatry, general internal medicine, obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics, and general surgery
- Interdisciplinary research themes include socioeconomic determinants of health, population health, data analytics, health system innovation, as well as emerging technologies and health care
- Clinical training in communities within the University’s service areas of northern Toronto, York Region, Simcoe County, the District of Muskoka, as well as adjacent rural areas
Ontario has an urgent need for more primary care physicians in underserved urban settings, in the fast-growing areas that surround large population centres, and in rural and remote locations.
Gaps in primary care physician numbers contribute directly to rising health care costs.
Without access to a family doctor, too many Ontarians go to the hospital for conditions that could be treated far earlier, more effectively, and at lesser cost through integrated, community-based care.
York University has a plan to:
- Develop pathways to support students from groups under-represented in the medical profession including mature, Indigenous, Black, economically disadvantaged, and disabled students access medical school and other health professions.
- Identify diverse groups of medical students deeply committed to the community.
- Train students in community placements where they will learn alongside other health professionals to foster high-performance health care teams.
- Produce the next generation of dedicated primary care physicians.
York University believes that a new medical school with a progressive, population-based curriculum, informed by emerging technologies, and a different way of delivering health care can help lead the way.
The York University School of Medicine will feature a unique curriculum, new skills and new tools that build on the resources and leadership of one of the leading academic health faculties in Canada.
Activated by our long commitment to social justice, York University is helping ensure that all Ontarians have access to equitable health care and improved health.
York University is uniquely positioned to create a school of medicine.
The third largest university in Canada, York University is a global leader in health-related research and has developed innovative approaches to solving some of the most pressing questions in health care, disease and injury prevention, and in the delivery of health care. York University offers:
- 11 Faculties supporting interdisciplinary health research, including the leading Faculty of Health
- 6 health-specific, interdisciplinary organized research units (ORUs)
- 42 research chairs in health
- 250+ faculty members actively conducting research in health-related areas
- 400+ health-related research grants funded by 90 domestic and international sources
- Dozens of health-related research collaborations in more than 30 countries
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ranked ranked researchers in Canada on COVID-19 mathematical modelling
When measured by impact, York University’s research in nursing and the health professions are cited more than any of the top 15 research-intensive universities in Canada with medical schools.
The University has strong and successful relationships with health-related organizations and providers who partner with York U on research, innovation and public services, and who generously provide experiential learning and internships for students. These relationships include virtually all acute-care hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), as well as many key partners outside of the GTA in our service area.
York University has a strong plan to help fill the gap for the over one million people in Ontario without access to a family doctor and can deliver a leading medical curriculum grounded in principles of health equity and a community-based, population health perspective.
The York University School of Medicine will be funded through the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, the Ministry of Health, contributions from other partners and levels of government.
In addition, the University is creating many exciting high-impact philanthropic opportunities for individuals, foundations, corporations and the many community groups committed to the best health care and a future of positive change for all Ontarians.
The York University School of Medicine would not be possible without the globally recognized strength of the University’s existing programs.
The School of Medicine will help to create new interdisciplinary academic, research, experiential learning and community-engaged initiatives across the arts, social sciences, life sciences, business, engineering and law. It will unlock new opportunities in health leadership and management, global health, health policy, medical humanities, bioethics and health technologies, to name just a few.
The York University School of Medicine will also provide new opportunities for inter-professional training with fields such as nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychotherapy, clinical psychology and social work, among others.
The community will be our campus.
Medical students will train at clinical learning sites located across northern Toronto, York Region, Simcoe County, the District of Muskoka, and surrounding rural areas. The York University School of Medicine’s anchor facility will be in the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct (VHCP), on land generously transferred by the City of Vaughan.
The School of Medicine site will be located next to the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, the first new hospital to be built in Ontario in more than 30 years. As part of Mackenzie Health, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital is also the first “smart hospital” in Canada.
The VHCP is an 82-acre parcel of land at Jane Street and Major Mackenzie Drive in the City of Vaughan and is fast becoming a destination to drive excellence in health care, education, research, commercialization and innovation.
York University has longstanding successful partnerships with regional and provincial health-related organizations and health care providers who collaborate on research, innovation, public services, and generously provide experiential learning and internship opportunities for students. This includes nearly all acute-care hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and many beyond the GTA.
The University also has successful relationships with many primary care and community health agencies, rehabilitation centres, women’s shelters, non-profit care providers and services in the GTA, as well as multiple long-term care facilities including major providers such as Baycrest Hospital. A new long-term care centre to be operated by Mackenzie Health will create additional opportunities.
The University’s goal is to help improve the health and health care outcomes of individuals in our service area of northern Toronto, York Region, Simcoe County, the District of Muskoka, and surrounding rural and remote areas by increasing the supply of future health professionals including primary care physicians, nurses, and nurse practitioners, among many others, working in in patient-centred and integrated health teams.
The York University School of Medicine will focus on the discovery, application and translation of new knowledge into a space where health professionals are working, health policy is being developed, and care is being delivered.
The University is focused on one of Ontario’s underserved and fast-growing areas with critical areas of health care need today, and for the future.
Along with our clinical partners, York is ideally located to serve this large and diverse area.
York University, as a leading post-secondary institution in Canada, has a long history of action to achieve social justice. The University’s decolonizing, equity, diversity, and inclusion strategy identifies the principles and actions the University is undertaking to right the future.
Students are attracted to York University because of its commitment to drive positive change. Medical students will be recruited through specific programs and a rigourous community-supported selection process that identifies people who both reflect and are committed to supporting the population in the service area.
In addition, we are developing a two-year pathway to accelerate access to medicine and nursing through a proposed Bachelor of Interprofessional Health Sciences degree.
This program will offer all students, including mature, Indigenous, Black, economically disadvantaged, or those who self-identify as disabled, the opportunity to prepare for health related and health professions programs, including medicine.
The York University School of Medicine will feature an accelerated three-year primary care and population-heath focused medical curriculum. This means that students could enter their postgraduate residency training programs as early as five years after entering university.
Training will provide students with a broader understanding of the socio-economic factors that determine health and health care outcomes. As well, the School of Medicine will incorporate a preventative model of care that will improve the management of chronic conditions through better integration with the primary health care system and community partners such as long-term care, home care, rehabilitation and public health.
Training will focus on interdisciplinary and inter-professional learning. Students will study within an integrated, value-based, and team-based health care approach supported by distributed clinical learning sites, including Ontario Health Teams.
York University is developing a two-year pathway to accelerate access to medicine and nursing through a proposed Bachelor of Interprofessional Health Sciences degree.
This program will offer all students, including mature, Indigenous, Black, economically disadvantaged, or those who self-identify as disabled, the opportunity to prepare for health-related and health-professions programs, including medicine.
York University recognizes the important contributions of internationally trained physicians. To support this group, medical residencies are expected to have a student ratio of one international medical graduate for every five domestic students.
The York University School of Medicine supports the Province of Ontario’s focus on accelerating accreditation and integrating Internationally trained medical graduates.
Strong community engagement is a key part of the York University School of Medicine. and we are building ongoing and enthusiastic public awareness within our service areas of northern Toronto, York Region, Simcoe County, the District of Muskoka, and surrounding rural areas. In addition, we are building ongoing support from key health partners within our many communities.
We will begin training our first cohort of medical students in 2028. Admissions information will be available in early 2027. If you are interested in studying or becoming a faculty member at the York University School of Medicine, please stay connected for further updates in the years ahead.
Together, we will redefine the future of primary care and inspire new generations to make a profound impact on the health and well-being of the individuals and communities we serve.
We are always updating this page as new information becomes available. Please contact us if you have any additional questions
Thank you for your support!