Why a UPEI Faculty of Medicine? Why now?

Building on a strong foundation of innovation, partnerships, and community engagement, the University of Prince Edward Island is helping to shape the future of medical education and health care in Prince Edward Island.

The establishment of the Faculty of Medicine reflects a shared commitment among academic, clinical, government, and community partners to strengthen physician training capacity, expand access to medical education opportunities, and support the long-term health-care needs of Islanders. Today, the Faculty delivers undergraduate medical education through Memorial University’s regional campus at UPEI while advancing the development of a future UPEI Doctor of Medicine program through the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) accreditation process.

The lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need to build resilient health systems, expand health human resource capacity, and prepare future physicians to respond to increasingly complex health-care challenges. These lessons continue to inform the faculty’s approach to medical education, including interdisciplinary learning, community-based training, population health, planetary health, and the evolving needs of patients and health-care systems.

Memorial University’s regional campus at UPEI welcomed its inaugural cohort of medical learners in August 2025 and continues to deliver Memorial’s established Doctor of Medicine curriculum in Prince Edward Island. The regional campus model enabled PEI to begin training medical learners sooner and to build the academic, clinical, and infrastructure capacity required to support future growth in medical education.

The regional campus includes an Indigenous Admissions Pathway to improve access to medical education for Indigenous learners and to contribute to a more representative physician workforce. Through partnerships with physicians, Health PEI, government, and communities across the province, learners can engage with the diverse health-care environments that characterize Prince Edward Island.

UPEI, Memorial University, Health PEI, physicians, government, and community partners continue to collaborate to support high-quality clinical learning experiences for medical learners across Prince Edward Island. These partnerships are essential to the ongoing development of undergraduate medical education and future postgraduate medical education opportunities in the province. The UPEI-based Health PEI Patient Medical Home, located within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Centre, exemplifies how education and health-care delivery can be integrated to benefit both learners and patients.

As part of its long-term vision, the faculty is also advancing planning for postgraduate medical education and residency training opportunities in Prince Edward Island. Over the coming years, this work will involve collaboration with Health PEI, Memorial University, Dalhousie University, physicians, government, and accreditation bodies to support the development of a sustainable continuum of medical education that meets provincial needs.

The new UPEI Faculty of Medicine will be built upon several pillars that align with the PEI government’s vision for health care:

• Interprofessional education and team-based care involving physicians, nurses, paramedics, psychologists, and other health professionals.
• Integrating physical and mental health education to support comprehensive patient-centred care.
• Women’s health is a priority area for education, research, and clinical collaboration, supporting provincial efforts to improve health outcomes and access to care for women across Prince Edward Island
• Planetary health and the interconnections between human health, animal health, and the environment.
• Understanding the impacts of climate change and environmental change on human health.
• Community-based and team-based models of family medicine and primary care.
• Preparing future physicians to meet the evolving health-care needs of rural, regional, and underserved communities.

As UPEI advances the development of its future Doctor of Medicine program, the faculty remains committed to collaboration, innovation, and excellence in medical education. This work builds on the strong foundation established by Memorial University’s regional campus and helps prepare the next generation of physicians to serve Prince Edward Island and beyond.

For more information or to arrange a tour of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Centre, please contact medicine@upei.ca