Rita McCracken
Lead, Primary Care Research and Development
Rita McCracken
Lead, Primary Care Research and Development
Areas of interest
Primary care service delivery models, primary care prescribing patterns, opioid prescribing in primary care
Biography
Dr. Rita McCracken, MD, PhD, CCFP (COE), FCFP, brings over 15 years of experience in primary care delivery, research, and academic leadership. She is both a Certificant (2008) and a Fellow (2019) of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and earned her PhD at the University of British Columbia (2018) studying the effects of polypharmacy on frail elders. Her current research focuses on major challenges in Canadian healthcare, including the shortage of family doctors, models of team-based care, and systemic inequities in health access and outcomes. As a full-service family physician, she brings firsthand insight into how policies, funding, and organizational models affect patient care. Dr. McCracken has led and contributed to numerous provincial and national studies on primary care workforce capacity, virtual care, prescribing policy, and health equity. She is frequently consulted by policymakers and media as a leading expert in primary care reform. Her scholarship is advancing the field of primary care research and helping to shape a more inclusive, sustainable, and responsive healthcare system.