Tony Sanfilippo

Tony Sanfilippo has been learning, researching, practicing and teaching medicine over the past five decades.

He has held key roles at various levels of medical and educational leadership and, for the past 16 years, directed one of the oldest and most venerable medical schools in Canada as it adapted to dramatically expanding medical knowledge, societal needs, student expectations, financial constraints, and one rather disruptive pandemic.

He has published numerous scientific articles, provided hundreds of invited presentations and received recognitions for teaching, leadership and service.

More recently, he has taken up writing as a means of exploring opportunities to better align medical education with the needs of contemporary society.

I see writing as a way to connect with others to share experiences and ideas in a manner that enlightens, excites and perhaps promotes healthy change. As such, it’s an extension of my career as a doctor and educator, moving from the personal and intimate to a more public and accessible space.
– Tony Sanfilippo

The Trust Prescription:
The Case for Human Connection in Healthcare

In The Trust Prescription, Dr. Anthony Sanfilippo examines the growing gap between clinical success and public confidence. Through powerful case studies and thoughtful analysis, he demonstrates that trust is not simply a byproduct of expertise – it is the foundation of effective care.

“The Trust Prescription brilliantly illuminates how shifting trust between patients and clinicians underlies many of modern healthcare’s opportunities and challenges. Demonstrated through vivid doctor–patient scenarios, real‑world examples, and thoughtful analysis, it is essential reading for anyone involved in the healthcare system.”

– Lisa R. Tannock, MD, dean of Queen’s University Faculty of Health Sciences

“As a medical educator, I know that we learn best through stories. Anthony Sanfilippo masterfully weaves together patient narratives, history, literature, and lived experience to explore trust in all its complexity. Thoughtful, engaging, and highly readable, this book is a powerful reminder of the need for human connection at the heart of healthcare.”

– Heather Murray, MD, FCRPC, professor of emergency medicine, Queen’s University

“Dr. Sanfilippo describes this book ‘germinating’ from an online multi-year dialogue with students that evolved from discussing how to become a doctor to reflecting on how to be a doctor. Those reflections have blossomed into this thoughtful exploration of the fragile physician-patient trust relationship. Physicians have a unique privilege and obligation to create that trust with patients through three elements: communication, truth, and commitment. With his gentle yet powerful stories, the role modelling, both positive and negative provide provocative insights into how to be an effective caring physician today amid the challenges of rapidly expanding ubiquitous knowledge, technology, specialization, and competing interests.“

– M. Ian Bowmer, MDCM, FRCPC, FRCP, FACHS, professor emeritus and former dean, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University

“Dr. Anthony Sanfilippo is wise, deeply humane, and unwaveringly committed to the welfare of others. So is this book. The Trust Prescription brings a cardiologist’s experience and a medical thinker’s insight to healthcare’s most fundamental challenge: earning trust by joining expertise with listening, truthfulness, and genuine care.”

– Julian Barling, PhD, FRSC, distinguished university professor and Borden Chair of Leadership, Smith School of Business

“A thoughtful and balanced analysis of a major healthcare issue rarely discussed―until now. Stories, humanely told, make for easy access to understanding something that has been sacred to the doctor-patient relationship, but has been forgotten. Solutions offered in this book are practical and no nonsense. The title says it all.”

– Bruce Wright, MD, CCFP, FCFP, affiliate professor of Department of Family Practice, UBC, former president of the Medical Council of Canada

The cover of the book "The Doctors we need: Imagining a New Path for Physician Recruitment, Training, and Support" by author Anthony Sanfilippo, MD has a white background with a red heart graphic in the middle that has a stethoscope attached to it like the heart is listening. It includes the quote "Sensible, thoughtful, and long overdue" by Dr. David Walker above the title which is written out in a blue, all caps font.

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The Doctors We Need:
Imagining a New Path for Physician Recruitment, Training, and Support

In The Doctors We Need, Dr. Anthony Sanfilippo, a respected cardiologist and former Associate Dean of Medical Education at Queen’s University, confronts a startling reality: in a nation proud of its pledge to universal healthcare, over 6 million Canadians lack a family doctor. This crisis persists despite massive investments in medical education and institutions. We need to think differently.

“This warmly written, story-rich book explores the widening chasm between society’s primary care needs and our archaic structures of medical education and practice. Dr. Sanfilippo’s diagnosis and remedies are sensible, thoughtful and long overdue.”

– Dr. David Walker, Former Dean of Queen’s Medical School

“Through story-telling and thoughtful analysis, The Doctors We Need traces the ‘family doctor crisis’ to its roots in medical education. Sanfilippo is uniquely qualified to suggest a remedy for this malady, and his prescription is bold and creative. If implemented, it would fundamentally change how we choose and train doctors and shake up our primary healthcare system to its very core.”

– Richard K. Reznick, OC, MD, FRCSC, FACS, FRCSEd (hon), FRCSI (hon), FRCS (hon), Professor Emeritus of Surgery and Dean Emeritus, Queen’s University and Past President Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

“Dr. Sanfilippo unpacks a complex problem facing many Canadians: a lack of access to family physicians and timely primary care. He does this in a way that every reader can understand, no matter their background. His proposed solutions are innovative, thoughtful, and achievable!“

– Dr. Tony Stone, Family Physician, and educator of family physicians

“Dr. S has created an accurate and on-point explanation for our present primary care crisis that starts with stories where physicians and patients will see themselves portrayed, continues with demystifying the complex medical education system, and finishes with clear-headed solutions.”

– Bruce Wright MD CCFP FCFP, Regional Associate Dean of the Island Medical Program at UBC, Head and Professor of Division of Medical Sciences at the University of Victoria, and former President of the Medical Council of Canada

“A rare insider’s look at medical education in Canada from one of the country’s most respected leaders in medical pedagogy. Inspiring, credible and highly pragmatic solutions to vexing issues at a time when most others are only able to eloquently describe the problem. A must-read for all who care about the future of the MD workforce in Canada.”

– Chris Simpson MD, Former President of the Canadian Medical Association (2014-2015) and Professor in the Department of Medicine at Queen’s University

“Dr. Anthony Sanfilippo, through compelling patient stories, powerfully illustrates the horrific consequences of Canadians’ inability to access foundational primary care. These narratives reveal the profound impacts on patients and their families, clinicians, the overall healthcare system, our economy, and society at large. His solution? Integrated primary care teams delivering patient-centered care, reforming policy of admission to medical school and curricular reform, all in order to attract top clinicians to practice family medicine. With a focus on funding improved health outcomes over the outdated fee-for-service structure, ‘The Doctors We Need ’ asks: Can we achieve this critical transformation?”

– Professor Colleen M. Flood, Dean of Queen’s University Faculty of Law