A visionary gift to transform health innovation in B.C.

At a time when communities across the region are calling for more primary care physicians, a visionary gift to SFU to transform health care is now helping to make that future possible.

For years, one message has come through loud and clear from our communities: we need more family doctors. Nearly 900,000 British Columbians were without a family doctor in 2023, and far too many people can’t access services when and where they need them.

That's why today’s announcement on the Stephens family’s $40-million gift to support the newly named SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine—the largest single donation in Simon Fraser University’s history and one of the largest to a school of medicine in Canada—feels so significant.

A legacy of change

Behind every future primary care physician is a place where they learned their craft. By supporting their education and training, this gift is more than an investment in the health workforce—it's an investment in healthier people and communities for years to come.

The first entirely new medical school in Western Canada in nearly 60 years, the SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine will welcome the first class of 48 medical students in August 2026; the size of each cohort will gradually increase to 120 students by 2035. Each cohort will be dedicated to strengthening the B.C. health care system and improving the health of families across urban, rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.

Grounded in community, innovation, and Indigenous approaches to care, SFU’s medical program resonated deeply with our friends and longtime philanthropists Ratana and Arran Stephens, who share in our values and vision to create a place “where the brightest and most compassionate minds from around the world come to be trained, nurtured, and inspired to make a difference.”

We at SFU have been planning and dreaming about this innovative new school of medicine for years. Seeing the Stephens family invest so boldly in that dream still feels a little unreal.

The future is bright

I look forward to watching the next generation of health leaders learn, grow, and thrive at the SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine—and shape the future of health and well-being in this province. To say I am incredibly privileged to have witnessed this pivotal moment and the possibilities this new chapter will create is an understatement.

Our sincere gratitude goes to Ratana and Arran Stephens and their family for turning our bold vision into meaningful impact for B.C.

Read more about the Stephens family and their transformative $40-million gift