CHEPA mourns passing of former director Dr. Brian Hutchison

CHEPA members and colleagues are mourning the death of Dr. Brian Hutchison, a lauded innovator in primary health care and education, who had an assisted death on Monday August 19, 2024, after living with advanced prostrate cancer for several years.

He served as CHEPA’s director from 2002 – 2005, when he retired from academia. Dr. Hutchison, who received his BA and MD degrees from Western University, was a faculty member of McMaster’s Department of Family Medicine for 25 years, pioneering improvements in primary health care and health services research.

Recognized as one of Canada’s most influential and cited researchers in primary health care, his many accolades included the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award in Family Medicine research from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). In 2013 he was honoured as the Emmett Hall Laureate by the Justice Emmett Hall Foundation. As well, the CFPC in 2015 recognized him as one of the top 20 pioneering researchers in family medicine research in Canada.

After his retirement, Dr. Hutchison was founding Editor-in-Chief of the Health Care Policy journal, (2004-2009) and continued to advise the federal and provincial governments on primary care reform and quality improvement, including serving as Co-Chair of the Canadian Working Group for Primary Healthcare Improvement and Senior Advisor for Primary Care to Health Quality Ontario.

An in-person visitation for Dr. Hutchison will be held at McMaster’s Alumni Memorial Hall on Thursday August 29, 2024, at 1 p.m., followed by a celebration of life and reception beginning at 2.30 p.m. The celebration of life will also be livestreamed.

To read his full obituary and for more information about the celebration of life, click HERE.