OMA Talks speaker series

There is an extraordinary number of experts, innovators, leaders and teachers in the community. OMA Talks will shine a spotlight on these physicians. Launched in 2019, this TED-Talks-style speaker series will feature topical health-care issues, new ideas and celebrate the physicians leading the way to improve health care for all.

Using these influential voices, we aim to start new conversations and make these ground-breaking discussions accessible to every Ontarian. These events are open to all members and will be recorded and shared on YouTube to reach a wide audience. 

Upcoming events

There are currently no upcoming OMATalks. 

Previous events

Understanding Health Disparities in Indigenous Communities

In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the OMA held an OMATalks on addressing Indigenous health inequities on Sept. 29, 2022.  Distinguished Canadian journalist Tanya Talaga moderated an expert panel, including Drs. Alika Lafontaine, Benjamin Lalonde, Chase McMurren, Suzanne Shoush. The panel spoke to the specific needs in northern Ontario, the path to Indigenous reconciliation in health care, other health gaps/challenges unique to Indigenous communities and possible solutions.

Watch the ‘Understanding Health Disparities in Indigenous Communities’ event

Healthy Planet, Healthy Population

The OMA held a virtual event on the eve of Earth Day 2022 to discuss the effects of climate change on human health and need for the health-care sector to take climate action. Panellists Dr. Roberta Bondar, Dr. Mili Roy and Dr. Kim-Chi Tran discussed their environmental advocacy, the health-care sector’s impact on climate change and the role physicians can play in securing a greener future. 

Watch the ‘Healthy Planet, Healthy Population’ event

COVID-19 impact on mental health: What we need to do now

Canadian broadcaster Valerie Pringle hosted a panel discussion with physician experts about the anxiety around returning to school, the dramatic rise in eating disorders, and Indigenous and seniors’ mental health. This free virtual event was held on Aug. 25 and was open to all OMA members. 

Watch the 'COVID-19 impact on mental health' event (Vimeo).

Planning for the next pandemic

On the first anniversary of Ontario declaring a state of emergency, the Ontario Medical Association held a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Samantha Hill, OMA president, to discuss planning for the next pandemic and applying lessons learned from COVID-19. More than 100 physicians joined Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto and co-chair of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, Dr. Naheed Dosani, founder and lead physician, Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless (PEACH), Inner City Health Associates, Dr. Pamela Liao, assistant professor of palliative medicine at the University of Toronto and chair of the OMA Section on Palliative Care, Dr. Kieran Moore, Kingston’s medical officer of health and a member of the Ontario Ministers’ COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force and Dr. Jim Wright, OMA chief of economics, policy and research.

These experts shared their insights on how the issues in long-term care and health equity including systemic racism, workers’ rights and homelessness have been exacerbated throughout the pandemic. The critical role of public health in pandemic planning and response was also a key theme. The third event in the OMA’s thought leadership series OMA Talks, was held virtually on March 17, 2021.

Watch the 'Planning for the Next Pandemic' panel discussion and Q&A (Vimeo)

Healing the gender gap

Over 300 physicians joined panellists Dr. Sharon Straus, director of Knowledge Translation and physician-in-chief at St. Michael’s Hospital, Dr. Gianni Lorello, staff anesthesiologist at Toronto Western Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, Dr. Tara Kiran, Fidani chair in Improvement and Innovation and vice-chair Quality and Innovation at the University of Toronto and Dr. Michelle Cohen, family physician and assistant professor at Queen’s University for an evening of thoughtful dialogue moderated by the CBC’s Anna Maria Tremonti.

Healing the Gender Gap was the second topic featured as part of the OMA thought leadership series OMA Talks. This event was held virtually on November 27, 2020, the evening before the Fall 2020 Council Meeting.

Watch the 'Healing the Gender Gap' panel discussion and Q&A (Vimeo)

Watch the 'Healing the Gender Gap' event (Vimeo)

OMA Talks lived experience vignettes

Throughout OMA Talks Healing the Gender Gap physicians from across the province provided their perspectives on the gender gap by sharing their lived experiences with gender issues in medicine.

AI: Physicians in the 21st century

The OMA launched a new thought leadership forum entitled OMA Talks in 2019. The inaugural event was held on November 22, 2019, and featured a keynote speech by Dr. Steven Wartman, internist, sociologist, author and former president of the Association of Academic Health Centres. The event included a panel discussion with Dr. Frank Rudzicz, a scientist at the International Centre for Surgical Safety of St. Michael’s Hospital and Dr. Muhammad Mamdani, vice president of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto. The first OMA Talks event was moderated by OMA President Dr. Samantha Hill and included a Q&A session.