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Associate Professor Curtis Handford of the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and St. Michael’s Hospital is Ontario’s Family Physician of the Year.

The College of Family Physicians of Canada's  recognizes family physicians who provide exceptional patient care and improve the health of communities and well-being of society.

A faculty member of the department of family and community medicine at ��˾��ֱ�� for 15 years, Handford has mentored students from across Canada in a highly-sought elective course on inner city family medicine, influencing many to choose a career in family medicine.

“Dr. Handford treats his patients with equal respect and dignity,” says Dr. Lauren Welsh, a former trainee and now colleague. “His ability to build relationships with his patients is core to his ability to deliver compassionate and patient-centred care.”

Renowned for his collaborations with primary care providers, community partners and acute care stakeholders to improve care systems for patients and their caregivers, Handford also led the development of a clinical practice guideline for the use of buprenorphine/naloxone as an opioid maintenance treatment, the first of its kind in Canada. Despite his many accomplishments, says Dr. Karen Weyman, the site chief at St. Michael’s Hospital Department of Family and Community Medicine, “Dr. Handford remains a humble and generous colleague who consistently demonstrates an exemplary level of thoughtfulness, collegiality and professionalism to which we can all aspire.”