An evening of reunion and recognition
Friday’s welcome reception brought alumni together to reconnect with former classmates, catch up with colleagues and celebrate the achievements of their fellow graduates. The evening also featured the Faculty's 2026 Alumni Awards of Distinction, recognizing graduates whose accomplishments and contributions have made a lasting impact on medicine and society.
For Patrick Teefy (MD 1986), who travelled from London, Ontario where he practises cardiology, returning to Ottawa was an opportunity to reconnect with the people and places that shaped his early career.
“I’ve graduated 40 years now. It’s hard to believe where time has flown,” he said. “It’s always important to come back home. It’s the root of our education, and it’s special to come back and meet those people that we studied with.”
Dr. Teefy’s class was the first to begin its medical studies in the new Roger Guindon building in 1982. While much has changed since then, he said, the people remain the most important part of the experience.
“You really remember the people more than the place. That’s really what’s the most important. And that’s why I came back. I wanted to pay homage to a great education, great teachers, and a great faculty.”
Alumni also took part in the Faculty’s first-ever alumni tour during Homecoming, revisiting the spaces where generations of students have learned, trained and begun their medical careers. For those returning after many years, the tour offered another way to reconnect with the Faculty and see how it has evolved.
A community that extends beyond graduation
For Brent Stoker (MD 1981), the value of a medical education is also reflected in the relationships and responsibilities that extend well beyond the classroom.
During eight years in Thunder Bay, Dr. Stoker cared for Indigenous high school students who had come from remote communities to attend school. He also followed the journey of a patient from infancy through her eventual career as a family physician in British Columbia.
Reflecting on his work with Indigenous students, Dr. Stoker spoke of a broader responsibility to Indigenous communities and the importance of acknowledging that history.
“I don’t come from the Indigenous community. I just felt like all Canadians, but especially my family, we owe them a debt,” he said.
His reflections offer a reminder that the legacy of a medical education is not measured solely in professional milestones, but also in the relationships built with patients and the communities physicians serve.
Celebrating shared memories and friendships
Dr. Pierre Morisset (MD 1971) had a special gift for Dean Dr. Melissa Forgie at Homecoming: a book documenting her father’s career as a military physician. Dr. Morisset had known her father while serving in the armed forces and remembered that the privately published historical volume included a detailed account of his career, including postings in Europe and Halifax.
Saturday’s class gatherings and dinners offered alumni another opportunity to reconnect.
For some, that meant lacing up their running shoes for a Saturday morning run with former classmates; for others, it meant taking to the basketball court for a friendly game on Saturday afternoon.
Sunday’s brunch brought alumni together to celebrate milestone anniversaries from the classes of 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021.
The weekend was also a homecoming for Dean Dr. Melissa Forgie (MD 1991), who reconnected with classmates from her own graduating year.
In her Homecoming remarks, Dean Forgie reflected on the Faculty’s evolution and the continuing importance of its alumni community.
“Your individual work, your careers, and your successes are a direct reason why our faculty is so strong today,” she told graduates.
She also highlighted the Faculty’s ongoing development in research and education, including the upcoming opening of the Advanced Medical Research Centre and new opportunities for collaboration across Ottawa’s health and research community.
The weekend was a reminder that the Faculty’s story is shaped not only by its research, programs and achievements, but also by the people who have carried its values into their careers and communities.
More photos from Homecoming 2026 are available in our Flickr album.
Support the next generation of physicians!
Homecoming celebrates the bonds between our alumni and the Faculty. It is also an opportunity to support the students who will shape the future of health care.
To help provide students with the resources they need to succeed, select Student Assistance Fund at the Faculty of Medicine in our online donation form and help carry this tradition of support forward.