Dr. Pierre Pluye named Family Medicine Researcher of the Year

Dr. Pierre Pluye, a Senior Investigator in the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies in the Lady Davis Institute at the JGH, has been named 2017 Family Medicine Researcher of the Year by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).

Dr. Pluye, a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University, is a specialist in family medicine and public health. His studies focus on assessing the outcomes of health information from the perspective of clinicians, patients, and the public.

A founding member of the association Méthodes mixtes francophonie, his work contributes to the development of mixed methods for primary research and literature reviews. This work is instrumental in combining qualitative and quantitative evidence. Dr. Pluye has been a pioneer of teaching mixed methods for graduate students in Quebec since 2006.

“This award means a lot to me as I used to be a practicing family physician in rural and humanitarian settings, before becoming a full-time Ph.D. researcher,” says Dr. Pluye, reflecting on his decision to pursue family medicine research.

“During my postdoctoral research in social studies of medicine, I had to decide what I would do next. This dream became reality 12 years ago in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University. I found a home there and a friendly network at the CFPC, where my work and expertise have been mobilized in educational programs and research committees.”

Dr. Pluye graduated in medicine, and completed his residency in general medicine at Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France. In the 1990s, he worked as a general practitioner in rural communities in the southwest of France and in a pediatric setting in Réunion Island, in the Indian Ocean.

Dr. Pluye helped to create and develop Réseau-1 Québec (an FRQS-funded primary care research network), and the McGill Primary Health Care Research Network, as an executive member and director, respectively.

“In 2017, I have been privileged to be elected to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and to see our book (Look It Up!) published,” says Dr. Pluye. “Then I received the CFPC award, which constitutes the highest professional honour that I can imagine. I am extremely thankful for this recognition. Given my career path, it truly means a lot for me, more than I could ever express in a few words.”

In 2017, Dr. Pluye co-authored Look It Up! What Patients, Doctors, Nurses and Pharmacists Need to Know about the Internet and Primary Health Care (McGill-Queen’s University Press) with best-selling author Julie Barlow and Dr. Roland Grad.