McGill Programs in Whole Person Care

McGill Programs in Whole Person Care Transforming healthcare through whole person care.

Traditionally, the existential and spiritual aspects of illness and their relationship to health care outcomes have received limited attention within the educational and research environment of North America. In recognition of this fact, the McGill Programs in Integrated Whole Person Care were instituted in February 1999 on the initiative of Dean Abraham Fuks and Dr. Balfour Mount. The initial pro

posal to develop and to implement the Programs established the need for further research studies and educational programs that address the subjective experience of illness so as to include the spiritual and/or existential components of personhood, as well as the physical and emotional elements that are currently the focus of attention in the medical profession. The McGill Programs in Whole Person Care are based on the premise that in situations in which treatment is unable to change the disease outcome, it may be possible to create a space in which healing can occur. Lessons about quality of life and individuation, learned in the arena of advanced illness, also have relevance earlier in the disease trajectory and for those who are physically well. While the existential/spiritual domain is known to be an important determinant of quality of life, there has been little emphasis on integration of these issues in health care. The Program therefore seeks to integrate the physical aspects of personhood along with the psychosocial and existential/spiritual ones, and to better understand how to respond to suffering experienced by the whole person.

🗓️ IJWPC Workshop Invitation! 🗓️Join us on June 10th for a moving workshop led by Anne-Laurie Beaubrun, IJWPC author and...
05/24/2026

🗓️ IJWPC Workshop Invitation! 🗓️

Join us on June 10th for a moving workshop led by Anne-Laurie Beaubrun, IJWPC author and Faculty Lecturer at McGill’s Ingram School of Nursing.

This workshop was inspired by Anne-Laurie's IJWPC article, Rooted in My Why: A Story of Nursing, Identity, and Integrity (https://ijwpc.mcgill.ca/article/view/609/767), and invites attendees to reflect on professional identity through discussion and collage!

Check out our website for more information & registration: https://ijwpc.mcgill.ca/announcement/view/34

IJWPC Workshop Invitation: Professional Identity Through Collage Workshop with Anne-Laurie Beaubrun Posted on 2026-05-24 You are warmly invited to an in-person workshop hosted by McGill Programs in Whole Person Care with Anne-Laurie Beaubrun, based on her article, Rooted in My Why: A Story of Nursin...

We are pleased to announce the release of our latest issue, Community in Healthcare! Through this collection of articles...
05/21/2026

We are pleased to announce the release of our latest issue, Community in Healthcare! Through this collection of articles, our authors highlight the many ways community influences patient care, advocacy, education and wellbeing.
You can read more through the link in our bio or at https://ijwpc.mcgill.ca/issue/view/65

05/07/2026

Un moment marquant au CUSM đź’™

Nous sommes fiers d’avoir inauguré un mur commémoratif rendant hommage à l’héritage du Dr Balfour Mount, fondateur des soins palliatifs. Cet espace accueille désormais les patients, les familles et le personnel au sein de l’Unité de soins palliatifs Balfour Mount, récemment renommée, au site Glen.

L'installation comprend :

🔹 Une bannière de bienvenue indiquant le nouveau nom de l'unité
🔹 Un aperçu historique retraçant les origines et l'évolution des soins palliatifs
🔹 Un portrait du Dr Mount récemment commandé à l'artiste Lorraine Simms, fruit de plus d'un an de recherches approfondies, de collaboration et d'attention

Le portrait réalisé par Lorraine Simms capture non seulement les traits du Dr Mount, mais aussi la compassion et le dévouement qui ont façonné un domaine et continuent d'inspirer les soins aujourd'hui.

Nous remercions chaleureusement la Fondation CUSM - MUHC Foundation pour son soutien à la réalisation de ce projet.

Sur les photos : l’artiste Lorraine Simms, Linda Guignion, l’épouse du Dr Mount, et Colleen Timm, PDG adjointe du CUSM.

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A meaningful moment at the MUHC đź’™

We were proud to unveil a commemorative wall honouring the legacy of Dr. Balfour Mount, founder of palliative care. The space now welcomes patients, families and staff to the newly named Balfour Mount Palliative Care Unit, at the Glen site.

The installation features:

🔹 A welcome banner marking the unit’s new name
🔹 A historical overview tracing the origins and evolution of palliative care
🔹 A newly commissioned portrait of Dr. Mount by artist Lorraine Simms, the result of over a year of thoughtful research, collaboration and care

The portrait by Lorraine Simms captures not only Dr. Mount’s likeness, but the compassion and dedication that shaped a field and continues to inspire care today.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Fondation CUSM - MUHC Foundation for its support in bringing this project to fruition.

In the photos: artist Lorraine Simms, Dr. Mount’s wife Linda Guignion and Colleen Timm, Associate President and Executive Director, CUSM.

Echoing the work of Rana Awdish, this issue explores how embodiment shapes whole person care, placing the body at the he...
04/15/2026

Echoing the work of Rana Awdish, this issue explores how embodiment shapes whole person care, placing the body at the heart of how care is given and received.
đź”— Visit our website in the bio for submission details and guidelines.
🗓️ Deadline: June 26, 2026

Call for submissions for the International Journal of Whole Person Care! IJWPC invites clinicians, educators, researcher...
04/11/2026

Call for submissions for the International Journal of Whole Person Care!

IJWPC invites clinicians, educators, researchers, and healthcare professionals at all stages of their careers to submit first-person narratives that capture the theme of Embodiment in whole person care. This special issue will be led by Guest Editor, Rana Awdish MD!

Check out the full call here https://ijwpc.mcgill.ca/announcement/view/32 before the submission deadline (June 26th/2026). Please share widely within your networks!



McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences McGill School of Physical and Occupational Therapy McGill Nursing McGill Department of Family Medicine McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy McGill Social Studies of Medicine

We are thrilled to share a recent publication in The Gazette that centers Dr. Tom Hutchinson's ongoing commitment to who...
03/12/2026

We are thrilled to share a recent publication in The Gazette that centers Dr. Tom Hutchinson's ongoing commitment to whole person care! This article amplifies the essential role of vulnerability, compassion, and connection in physician training and patient care.

Full article available here: https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal-doctor-humanistic-medicine-whole-person-care-mcgill

More information on Dr. Hutchinson's path through decades of medical practice can be found within his recently published memoir, The Craft of Medicine, which is available for purchase here: https://www.amazon.ca/Craft-Medicine-Tom-Hutchinson/dp/1788463730

We are pleased to welcome Rana Awdish MD as Guest Editor for our next issue of the International Journal of Whole Person...
03/07/2026

We are pleased to welcome Rana Awdish MD as Guest Editor for our next issue of the International Journal of Whole Person Care. Stay tuned for more information on this issue in the next few weeks!

02/12/2026

Seeking cover art submissions! 🎨

The International Journal of Whole Person Care is seeking creative works to be featured as the cover art for our upcoming special issue exploring community in whole person care! We invite submissions that span diverse digital and analog artistic mediums.

Submissions can be sent to the journal's managing editor ([email protected]) by the February 28th deadline. Please reach out to Emily with any questions!

REMINDER: Today is the last day to submit your first-person narrative for our next issue, “Community in Healthcare”.Plea...
02/08/2026

REMINDER: Today is the last day to submit your first-person narrative for our next issue, “Community in Healthcare”.
Please check out the link below or visit our website through the link in our bio.


Practicing whole person care can sometimes feel like a solitary effort — an ongoing commitment to values and aspects of care that are often underappreciated in clinical environments. Over time, this can leave practitioners feeling isolated, uncertain, and exhausted. Fostering community among like-...

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