General Assembly
The GA sets priorities and makes recommendations to address challenges facing the profession
The OMA General Assembly is made up of the General Assembly Steering Committee, the Priority and Leadership Group, networks and panels and working groups.
Updates from the GASC chair
Steering committee
Priority and Leadership Group
Panels and working groups
How the General Assembly works
The General Assembly continues to grow as a mechanism for grassroots engagement, helping to bring member perspectives directly into the work of the organization.
This structure is part of the modernization of the OMA governance model that represents members more effectively. The GA sets priorities and makes recommendations to address the opportunities and challenges facing the profession. It empowers all members by connecting them more directly to elected bodies and the decision-making process, while providing transparency into how the association functions.
What's new: GASC election results are in
Voting in the 2025 General Assembly Steering Committee elections has closed, and the results are in. Congratulations to our elected and acclaimed members, and thank you to all those who participated.
Elected candidates
Chair: Dr. Alykhan Abdulla
Vice-chair: Dr. Janet Hurst
Acclaimed candidates
Member-at-large: Dr. Elisheva Chernick, Dr. Ross Male, Dr. Cindy Wang
View the election position ranking and voter engagement report
General Assembly groups and membership
General Assembly Steering Committee
The General Assembly Steering Committee is an oversight committee that ensures the General Assembly, with its various entities, fulfills its mandate and functions effectively. The GASC reports directly to the Board of Directors and ensures the General Assembly has clear and transparent communications, and that all entities, activities and processes adhere to the OMA governance policies and the General Assembly charter.
Committee members:
- Dr. Alykhan Abdulla, chair
- Dr. Janet Hurst, vice-chair
- Dr. Elisheva Chernick, member-at-large
- Dr. Ross Male, member-at-large
- Dr. Cindy Wang, member-at-large
Priority and Leadership Group
There are 125 Priority and Leadership Group delegates. The goals of collaboration, representation and diversity require that delegates to the Priority and Leadership Group reflect the broad diversity of the profession as a whole.
Priority and Leadership Group delegates represent diversity in their type of medical practice, leadership experience, region, gender, as well as other characteristics. In their work, they not only represent the interests of their constituency groups, but the larger physician community. As a member of a constituency group’s elected leadership, delegates consistently solicit feedback from members within their constituency, while acting as their information resource and bringing the issues emerging from their constituency to the Priority and Leadership Group.
Contact us
Questions? Send us an email for more information about the General Assembly. For questions specific to your section, please connect with its executive members.
Key dates
Fall 2025 General Assembly meeting
- Nov. 22—23, 2025, Toronto (in-person meeting)
Spring 2026 Priority and Leadership Group meeting
- May 30—31, 2026
Fall 2026 General Assembly meeting
- Nov. 21—22, 2026
Spring 2027 Priority and Leadership Group meeting
- May 29—30, 2027
Fall 2027 General Assembly meeting
- Nov. 20—21, 2027
Panels
Panels are accountable to the OMA Board of Directors, with regular reporting and updates to the CEO, Governance and Nominating Committee, and the General Assembly Steering Committee. They also oversee the development of recommendations for Priority and Leadership Group (PLG) priorities for consideration by the OMA Board and determine if dedicated Working Groups are needed to address the priorities.
Advocacy, communications and engagement panel charter 
ACE panel members:
- Douglas Bell
- Karen Devon
- Julie Kovacs
- Pamela Liao
- Hamidah Meghani
- Vincent So
- Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, OMA president
Health policy panel members:
- Audrey Campbell
- Travis Carpenter
- Dharmendra Doobay
- Michael Finkelstein
- Charlotte Moore
- Jane Purvis
- Madeline Verhovsek
- Kevin Wasko
Progess to date
More than 200 ideas have been submitted by members across the province. These submissions have improved in both quality and strategic alignment, thanks to refinements in intake and prioritization processes.
The Priority and Leadership Group has defined 12 formal priorities to date, and the board has already supported multiple sets of related recommendations. Most recently, the PLG’s Reducing Delays in Patient Care Working Group brought forward a palliative care advocacy plan and a new advocacy toolkit – offering a targeted strategy to address systemic challenges in access to palliative care and equipping physicians with resources to support grassroots advocacy efforts.
GA-related structures and policies have continued to evolve based on member feedback to increase efficiency, and build stronger, more coordinated member voice in OMA decision-making. OMA working groups formed through the GA process have also drawn external recognition. Physicians participating in these groups have been asked by the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health and other system partners to share insights on their work and contribute their expertise – extending the impact of the GA beyond the association itself.