{"id":2743541,"date":"2025-08-20T14:33:47","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T18:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/?page_id=2743541"},"modified":"2025-08-29T10:55:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T14:55:32","slug":"member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Member in the Spotlight – September 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\n\n\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n
\n
\n

Member in the Spotlight<\/span><\/h1> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n
\n
\n

Septembre 2025<\/p> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n
\n
\n

Inspiring Journey<\/span><\/h3>

Dr. Ren\u00e9e Fournier<\/span><\/h4> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n
\n
\n

\u00a0<\/p>

Family physician for over 40 years, Dr. Ren\u00e9e Fournier has practiced across the entire healthcare network\u2014from the heart of Montr\u00e9al to rural Ontario, and even on a humanitarian mission in Africa. Emergency physician, hospitalist, teacher, and pioneer of interdisciplinary work, she has always chosen to dive in, learn, and commit.<\/p>

Now transitioning toward retirement, she still practices at the Queen Elizabeth GMF-U and continues to share her knowledge with passion. \"Family medicine is not a linear career. You can\u2019t expect to know everything from day one. But if you dive in, you\u2019ll learn. And you won\u2019t regret it!\"<\/p>

A Career Fueled by Adrenaline and Versatility<\/strong><\/h5>

From a working-class background\u2014her father was a mail carrier, her mother a seamstress\u2014Dr. Ren\u00e9e Fournier had no doctors in her family to inspire her.<\/p>

\"I wanted to be a vet my whole life. I loved animals\u2014still do!\" she recalls.<\/p>

While studying biology, she worked weekends and summers in the cardio-respiratory lab at H\u00f4pital Sacr\u00e9-C\u0153ur, taking blood samples for arterial blood gas and carbon monoxide levels. She was often called to the ER or ICU for the most critical cases. \"They were always calling me for the big cases\u2014intubated patients, ICU... That\u2019s where I discovered medicine.\"<\/p>

After finishing her bachelor\u2019s, she applied to both medicine and veterinary school. Her interview in medicine went so well that she got the call just hours later.<\/p>

\"They said, \u2018You\u2019re in.\u2019 I said yes immediately. I\u2019ve never regretted it.\"<\/p>

From the very beginning of her career, Dr. Fournier gravitated toward frontline medicine\u2014 fueled by human connection and adrenaline. She completed a family medicine residency, even before it was mandatory, motivated by her interest in emergency care, obstetrics, and pediatrics. \u201cI wanted more electives so I could work in rural settings and be versatile.\u201d She then worked in the Verdun emergency room, in a CLSC, and took part in the Urgence Sant\u00e9 program, back when physicians would travel with paramedics by car. \" We\u2019d intubate, administer Narcan, stabilize patients on site\u2026 Murders, overdoses, fires, bad car accidents\u2014I\u2019ve seen it all. It was fascinating.\"<\/p>

Driven by a shared professional commitment, Dr. Fournier and her partner\u2014a medical specialist\u2014moved to Ontario, where he pursued clinical research and a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine. What was meant to be a temporary detour eventually led them to settle in London, Ontario, in 1985\u2026 and stay for 25 years.<\/p>

On All Fronts<\/strong><\/h5>

In Strathroy, she discovered a rural practice that was both diverse and deeply human. She worked in a small community hospital with a very high volume of outpatient care. Family doctors there looked after their own hospitalized patients, assisted in surgeries, took emergency shifts, and some delivered babies.<\/p>

\"Back in the 80s and 90s, we admitted under our own names. There were no full-time orthopedists or pediatricians\u2014you had to be ready for anything.\"<\/p>

She joined a Family Health Team model, where physicians worked closely with nurse practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists, and social workers.<\/p>

She developed a strong interest in maternal and child health, as well as home care. \"In many families, I cared for up to four generations. It was that old-school family doctor model\u2014but not so old, just rural. It was incredibly rewarding.\"<\/p>

True to her values, she also served as a peer assessor for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, visited French-speaking clinics as far as northern Ontario, and sat on several hospital committees. \"We weren\u2019t paid, but we learned so much. I loved seeing how other clinics operated\u2014it helped us bring the best practices back to our own GMF.\"<\/p>

When the time came to return to Qu\u00e9bec, it took over a year to transfer her 1,500 patients. \"It was a real loss. Some of the babies I had delivered were pregnant themselves when I left! These were very special relationships.\"<\/p>

Returning to Montr\u00e9al\u2026 and Sharing Her Legacy<\/strong><\/h5>

In 2010, upon returning to Montreal, Dr. Fournier joined the Queen Elizabeth GMF-U, drawn by its transition to electronic medical records and its academic teaching environment. She quickly noticed a significant gap in obstetric and pediatric follow-up for patients. She initiated a partnership with a McGill-affiliated hospital to provide prenatal care up to 36 weeks and then resume postnatal follow-up. The outcome was transformative: a wave of newborns reshaped the clinic\u2019s pediatric culture. \"I'm really proud of that. We trained our nurses in vaccination and set up dedicated baby clinics. When there are children, there\u2019s life and joy in a clinic!\"<\/p>

Since then, she has passed on her experience to young residents. Her message is clear: \"Dive in. Be curious. Don\u2019t try to be an expert in every specialty. You\u2019ll learn by doing.\" She promotes versatility, resourcefulness, and emphasizes the importance of preserving physicians' mental health. \"Take care of yourself before you take care of others. Learn to delegate, to set boundaries. If you don\u2019t have time to clean your house, hire someone. Spend that time with your kids instead.\"<\/p>

On the verge of retirement, her curiosity remains intact: she wants to explore artificial intelligence, test tools like Scribd to reduce paperwork, and continues to advocate on public health issues like vaccination. \"When I was a student and then a resident, we still saw \u2014 far too often \u2014 cases of meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae or meningococcus. Today, thanks to vaccines, many young doctors have never seen a case. And that\u2019s a good thing. We need to keep talking about vaccination, offer it on site, and actively fight misinformation.\"<\/p>

Between Care and Cultivation<\/strong><\/h5>

In her 42 years of practice, Dr. Fournier has managed to preserve a precious balance between professional commitment and personal life. Today, she splits her time between Montreal and her retreat at Lake Massawippi, where she tends a vegetable garden, a blueberry patch, and dwarf apple trees. Between cycling, skiing, tennis, traveling, and culinary projects \u2014 like taking fine pastry classes with colleagues approaching retirement \u2014 she keeps herself plenty busy.<\/p>

\u201cI have so many projects!\u201d<\/p>

In 2020, just before the start of the pandemic, she took part in a humanitarian mission in Congo-Brazzaville with her husband and the organization Terre Sans Fronti\u00e8res. Together, they provided care to refugee populations, especially in maternal and child health. \u201cIt was a shock. Women give birth using an oil lantern, there\u2019s no blood bank, no vaccines... It\u2019s maternity care with no prenatal care at all.\u201d Her husband performed an emergency C-section using intravenous ketamine. She came back deeply shaken but determined. \u201cIt\u2019s a failure of our planet that we can\u2019t do more for these people. But we helped train a young Congolese doctor and financed a more modern ultrasound machine. That\u2019s what makes a real difference.\u201d She\u2019s already considering repeating the experience in retirement.<\/p>

Today, she strives to pass on that sense of balance to her colleagues and residents: protect your mental health, enjoy time with your family, and make room for leisure. \u201cWhen the kids were in ski competitions, I was a volunteer parent on the slopes. Everyone was outside, everyone enjoying the day. We spent time together as a family.\u201d And when everyday life threatens to overflow, her advice is simple: \u201cDelegate what you can. The cleaning can wait. The time with your kids \u2014 that doesn\u2019t come back.\u201d For her, medicine is a calling\u2026 but personal life should never come second to everything else.<\/p> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Member in the Spotlight Septembre 2025 Inspiring Journey Dr. Ren\u00e9e Fournier \u00a0 Family physician for over 40 years, Dr. Ren\u00e9e Fournier has practiced across the entire healthcare network\u2014from the heart of Montr\u00e9al to rural Ontario, and even on a humanitarian mission in Africa. Emergency physician, hospitalist, teacher, and pioneer of interdisciplinary work, she has always […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1463,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2743541","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMember in the Spotlight - September 2025 - Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Member in the Spotlight - September 2025 - Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Member in the Spotlight Septembre 2025 Inspiring Journey Dr. Ren\u00e9e Fournier \u00a0 Family physician for over 40 years, Dr. Ren\u00e9e Fournier has practiced across the entire healthcare network\u2014from the heart of Montr\u00e9al to rural Ontario, and even on a humanitarian mission in Africa. Emergency physician, hospitalist, teacher, and pioneer of interdisciplinary work, she has always […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100064821276218\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-29T14:55:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dre-Renee-Fournier-6-e1756393299925.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/en\\\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/en\\\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\\\/\",\"name\":\"Member in the Spotlight - September 2025 - Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/en\\\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/en\\\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Dre-Renee-Fournier-6-e1756393299925.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-20T18:33:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-29T14:55:32+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/en\\\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/en\\\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/en\\\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Dre-Renee-Fournier-6-e1756393299925.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Dre-Renee-Fournier-6-e1756393299925.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/en\\\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Accueil\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Member in the Spotlight – September 2025\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/\",\"name\":\"Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/logo-amom-1.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/logo-amom-1.svg\",\"width\":281,\"height\":129,\"caption\":\"Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.amom.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/profile.php?id=100064821276218\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Member in the Spotlight - September 2025 - Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Member in the Spotlight - September 2025 - Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al","og_description":"Member in the Spotlight Septembre 2025 Inspiring Journey Dr. Ren\u00e9e Fournier \u00a0 Family physician for over 40 years, Dr. Ren\u00e9e Fournier has practiced across the entire healthcare network\u2014from the heart of Montr\u00e9al to rural Ontario, and even on a humanitarian mission in Africa. Emergency physician, hospitalist, teacher, and pioneer of interdisciplinary work, she has always […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/","og_site_name":"Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100064821276218","article_modified_time":"2025-08-29T14:55:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":480,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dre-Renee-Fournier-6-e1756393299925.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/","url":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/","name":"Member in the Spotlight - September 2025 - Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dre-Renee-Fournier-6-e1756393299925.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-20T18:33:47+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-29T14:55:32+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dre-Renee-Fournier-6-e1756393299925.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Dre-Renee-Fournier-6-e1756393299925.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/member-in-the-spotlight-september-2025\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Accueil","item":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Member in the Spotlight – September 2025"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/","name":"Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/#organization","name":"Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al","url":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/logo-amom-1.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/logo-amom-1.svg","width":281,"height":129,"caption":"Association des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens de Montr\u00e9al"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100064821276218"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2743541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1463"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2743541"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2743541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2743704,"href":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2743541\/revisions\/2743704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2743541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}