Samuel Dwight Chown (1853-1933) was a Methodist/United minister and administrator. He was born in Kingston, Ontario in 1853. At age twenty-one, Chown was accepted by the Montreal Conference as a probationer for the Methodist ministry. He was ordained in 1879 and served various charges in the Montreal Conference. He developed a reputation for his work in moral reform, especially temperance. In 1894, he moved to the Carlton Street Church in Toronto. In 1902, he was appointed Secretary of the Department of Moral Reform. In 1910, he was elected to serve as General Superintendent. In 1912, he was made principal of Ryerson Theological College in Vancouver. As General Superintendent, Chown brought the Methodist Church into church union in 1925. He retired in 1926 and published The Story of Church Union in Canada in 1930.

The Department of Family Medicine came in existence in 1971 under the Deans Dr. John Gutelius (1970-1973) and Dr. Robert Murray (1973-1983). Dr. Louis Christ was the first Head of the Department of Family Medicine from 1971-1977. He later joined the Department of Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Christ died on 9 February 1983 in Saskatoon.