Mission
The Foundation for Medical Practice Education (FMPE) is the original Canadian not-for-profit to offer ongoing practice-based learning programs created by family physicians for family physicians. FMPE’s programs are evidence-based, supportive, flexible and focused on practice change to enhance patient care.
Vision
To provide family physicians with the means to maintain and enhance professional knowledge and to integrate that knowledge into practice.
Core Values
Excellence
We strive for excellence in the creation and delivery of our programs. This involves rigorous development of evidence-based materials delivered through research-based educational approaches. Our process also includes careful consideration of the ethical dimensions of our programming.
Lifelong Learning
Beginning in residency and continuing throughout their career, we empower family physicians to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to change practice thereby optimizing patient care.
Community Of Practice
Primary care in Canada is becoming increasingly team-based and interdisciplinary. From Primary Care Networks in Alberta, to Family Health Teams in Ontario, and Family Medicine Groups in Quebec, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants are delivering comprehensive, patient-centred care alongside family physicians.
While FMPE’s educational offerings were originally designed for family physicians, the program has evolved to include primary healthcare providers, such as Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Pharmacists, and International Medical Graduates (IMGs), whose perspectives enrich every learning session.
Across all our programs, FMPE supports members in forming communities of practice, facilitated by trained peers. These groups create safe spaces to reflect on individual practice, benchmark against best practices, and address knowledge gaps. By fostering engagement, collaboration, and personal growth, these communities help all members—physicians and allied providers alike—navigate professional challenges while learning from one another.
Sustainability
As a not-for-profit, our focus is on environmental, economic, societal and organizational best practices. This encompasses practical tools, resources, strategies and techniques to develop sustainable working environments that enable a less carbon-dependent future.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility (EDIA)
EDIA is not a stand-alone initiative at the FMPE—it is woven into the fabric of who we are and how we learn together. By ensuring that diverse voices, perspectives, and lived experiences inform every stage of our programs, we enrich both the content we deliver and the community we serve.
Through advisory committees, surveys, and feedback channels, we regularly gather insight from across cultural, social, and demographic lines. This commitment ensures that our modules, small group learning, webinars, and communications reflect the realities of family physicians practicing across Canada.
Our module development process exemplifies this ethos: every resource undergoes rigorous review by family physicians, followed by content experts and specialists, ensuring both clinical excellence and diverse perspectives. Accessibility is prioritized across formats—print, digital, and interactive—with features such as navigational bookmarks, accessible fonts, and design standards that aim to meet learners’ needs.
There is an ongoing focus on the use of inclusive language, supported by regular discussions on the most appropriate and respectful ways to express ideas. In parallel, there is a continued emphasis on increasing the diversity of cases across a range of parameters, with particular attention to representing different perspectives based on province and practice setting, including rural and urban contexts. Module topic selection also reflects this commitment, with examples such as the Indigenous health module designed to address diverse populations and support culturally informed, inclusive learning.
Small group learning remains the heart of FMPE. Groups bring together members with different practice contexts, patient populations, and lived experiences in a supportive environment where consensus is not required, but open, reflective dialogue is encouraged. By 2030, FMPE envisions a community of practice where every member feels represented, supported, and empowered to grow — where EDIA is not only a value but a lived experience that defines how family physicians learn, lead, and practice together.
Historical Background of FMPE
The Foundation for Medical Practice Education (FMPE) has been supporting family physicians since 1997, making continuing medical education both engaging and practical. Originally created to support small group learning in 1992 under the leadership of Dr. John Premi at McMaster University, the Practice-Based Learning Program has grown over the past 30 years to now include both group and individual learning, with the flexibility of online learning. Through this evolution, it has remained true to its innovative spirit—helping our members learn and adapt in ways that enhance their practice.
General Collaboration
Since 1992, FMPE’s programs have been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) for Mainpro+ credits. On occasion, FMPE collaborates with relevant Canadian organizations to produce modules. As such, we are open to exploring collaborations that make use of our modules while carefully evaluating all potential partnerships to ensure alignment with our mission, vision, and values. Pharmaceutical companies and other for-profit organizations are not involved in producing FMPE modules so that FMPE remains non-biased.
Scotland
The growth of PBLP in Scotland has been nurtured by the FMPE in Canada, and this relationship has represented a mutually beneficial model of international collaboration. The two programs continue to work together to explore educational materials, to share research findings and advance strategies to enhance the implementation of new knowledge into practice.