Dr. Leslie Rourke

Dr. Leslie Rourke obtained her MD, certification in family medicine, and Master of Clinical Science in Family Medicine at Western University in London, Ontario. She and her husband and practice partner, James Rourke, were rural family doctors in Goderich Ontario for 25 years (and Western University medical faculty for 20 years) until moving to Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s in 2004. At Memorial, Dr. Rourke joined the Health Sciences Centre Family Practice Unit, was the Continuing Medical Education director for Family Physicians, and the HSC FPU Director. Since retiring from Memorial, Dr. Rourke and her husband are now residing in Ottawa.

Dr. Rourke’s areas of expertise, teaching, research, and publications include preventive healthcare of infants and young children, rural women physician issues, and doctor-patient relationships and boundaries and work-life balance.

Her most significant and continuing career-long contribution is as the lead and co-founder of the Rourke Baby Record (RBR), www.rourkebabyrecord.ca, recognized as Canada’s gold standard guideline on preventive healthcare for infants and children to age 5 years. First published in 1985 and regularly updated, most recently in 2024, the RBR is a knowledge mobilization tool that is widely used by primary healthcare providers across Canada to provide current evidence-informed well-baby/well-child care. Promoting literacy as part of healthy child development is embedded in the RBR.

Honours include Professor emerita at Memorial University; Honorary member of the Canadian Paediatric Society; Society of Rural Physicians of Canada Rural Service Award and Fellowship; and the 2017 WONCA Five Star Doctor Award for North America (jointly with Dr. James Rourke) in recognition of excellence in the five pillars of care provider, decision maker, communicator, community leader, and manager.