Dr. James Rourke

Dr. James Rourke has served as dean of medicine and professor of family medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland since his appointment April 5, 2004. He previously served as the assistant dean of Rural Regional Medicine at the University of Western Ontario, where he was a professor in the Department of Family Medicine.

Dr. Rourke grew up on a farm and attended a one room rural public school. He graduated with his MD from University of Western Ontario in 1976, where he completed his Family Medicine training in 1978 and his Masters of Clinical Science (Family Medicine) in 1993. He is certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada in Family Medicine (1978) and emergency medicine (1985) and was awarded Fellowship in 1990. 
Since moving to Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. Rourke has traveled extensively throughout the province and in New Brunswick to visit teaching sites. This has included several visits to Labrador and medical clinics in Nain and St. Anthony.

Dr. Rourke was an active rural family physician (including obstetrics and emergency work) in Goderich, Ontario for 25 years with his wife and partner Dr. Leslie Rourke. Their practice was one of the primary UWO Rural Family Medicine teaching sites. He was the founding director of the Southwestern Ontario Rural Regional Medical Education, Research, and Development Unit, founded in 1997 and funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health to develop, integrate and co-ordinate rural medicine at the University of Western Ontario. He worked with UWO and 33 communities, family physicians, and specialists to build a strong, integrated undergraduate and postgraduate rural and regional medical education network that helped set the stage for a major expansion in the UWO medical school.

Dr. Rourke has a long-standing interest in rural medicine, and is a recognized leader at provincial, national and international levels. As Project Director, Medical Education Design Team (2000-2001), for the Northern Ontario (Rural) Medical School Project proposal, Dr. Rourke was very involved in the initial development work that led to approval to build the Northern Ontario Medical School. He was chair of the WONCA (World Organization of Family Doctors) Working Party in Rural Practice that has organized seven world rural health conferences and was involved in developing a joint WONCA/WHO project “Health for All Rural People.”

Dr. Rourke has received many honours and awards, including the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario Council Award College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario Council Award (2004) “to honour outstanding Ontario physicians who have demonstrated excellence and come closest to meeting society's vision of an "ideal physician”’; the D.I Rice Merit Award from the College of Family Physicians of Canada; the UWO Award of Excellence in Teaching by Part-time Faculty; the UWO Martin J. Bass Recognition Award for Exceptional Contribution to Family Medicine; and the Community and the Community Teacher of the Year from the Ontario College of Family Physicians. He has had more than 60 journal articles published.