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Eby Visits SFU's New Medical School in Surrey
The school’s first cohort of 48 students is training with virtual reality, mannequins and an AI patient designed for low-stakes practice.
On Sept. 16, Premier David Eby toured Simon Fraser University's Stephens Family School of Medicine in Surrey, meeting the inaugural cohort of 48 students who began orientation in August.
The Stephens Family School of Medicine marks the first medical school to open in Western Canada in nearly 60 years, representing a significant expansion of regional health-care training capacity.
During the visit, Eby observed demonstrations of simulated training tools, including an AI-powered virtual patient named Roman, designed to help students practice empathetic patient interactions in a low-stakes environment.
Eby said B.C. has connected about one million people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner since 2018, with about 4,000 residents currently matching weekly through the Health Connect Registry.
The school plans to grow incoming classes to 120 students by 2035 and will eventually relocate to the permanent Surrey Centre Block facility, expected to open in 2030.