TY - JOUR
T1 - The transition of general practice into an academic discipline
T2 - tracing the origins through the first four professors in general practice/family medicine
AU - Straand, Jørund
AU - Wit, Niek de
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - Being the ‘mother’ of most clinical specialties, general practice is as old as medicine itself. However, as a recognized academic discipline within medical schools, general practice has a relatively short life span. A decisive step forward was taken in 1956 when the University of Edinburgh established its Department of General Practice, and appointed the world’s inaugural professor in the field in 1963. During the 1960s, the pioneering move in Edinburgh was followed by universities in the Netherlands (University of Utrecht), Canada (Western University, Ontario), and Norway (University of Oslo), marking the beginning of global academic recognition for general practice/family medicine. Despite its critical role in healthcare, the academic evolution of general practice has been sparingly documented, with a notable absence of comprehensive accounts detailing its integration into medical schools as an independent discipline with university departments and academic professors. Last year (2023) marked the 60th anniversary of Dr. Richard Scott’s historic appointment as the first professor of General Practice/Family Medicine. Through the lens of the first four professors appointed between 1963 and 1969, we explore the ‘birth’ of general practice to become an academic discipline. In most western countries of today, general practice has become a recognized medical discipline and an important part of the medical education. But many places, this development is lagging behind. The global shaping of general practice into an academic discipline is therefore definitively not completed.
AB - Being the ‘mother’ of most clinical specialties, general practice is as old as medicine itself. However, as a recognized academic discipline within medical schools, general practice has a relatively short life span. A decisive step forward was taken in 1956 when the University of Edinburgh established its Department of General Practice, and appointed the world’s inaugural professor in the field in 1963. During the 1960s, the pioneering move in Edinburgh was followed by universities in the Netherlands (University of Utrecht), Canada (Western University, Ontario), and Norway (University of Oslo), marking the beginning of global academic recognition for general practice/family medicine. Despite its critical role in healthcare, the academic evolution of general practice has been sparingly documented, with a notable absence of comprehensive accounts detailing its integration into medical schools as an independent discipline with university departments and academic professors. Last year (2023) marked the 60th anniversary of Dr. Richard Scott’s historic appointment as the first professor of General Practice/Family Medicine. Through the lens of the first four professors appointed between 1963 and 1969, we explore the ‘birth’ of general practice to become an academic discipline. In most western countries of today, general practice has become a recognized medical discipline and an important part of the medical education. But many places, this development is lagging behind. The global shaping of general practice into an academic discipline is therefore definitively not completed.
KW - Edinburgh
KW - Family medicine/history
KW - Oslo
KW - university departments/professors
KW - Utrecht
KW - Western Ontario
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85190990435&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02813432.2024.2335537
DO - 10.1080/02813432.2024.2335537
M3 - Review article
C2 - 38625547
AN - SCOPUS:85190990435
SN - 0281-3432
VL - 42
SP - 483
EP - 492
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care
IS - 3
M1 - doi.org/10.1080/02813432.2024.2335537
ER -