This article originally appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of the Ontario Medical Review magazine.
Championing physicians is the OMR tradition
On the 100th anniversary of the Ontario Medical Review and as its editor for a quarter of that century, I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge with pride and respect the members we serve at the Ontario Medical Association.
The OMR is an extension of the profession. It is owned by members of the OMA. And it mirrors the accomplishments of Ontario doctors over many decades and generations.
The magazine has been a vital source of communications from its earliest days when it served to reflect a profession that comes together to acknowledge and share the challenges and opportunities in health care in Ontario.
The OMA applied the collective wisdom, thinking, expertise and energy of the doctors of Ontario to tackle the issues of the day and anticipate the challenges of the future.
These issues were present in the first edition, they are present today, and they have been constant throughout the OMR’s 100 years.
Against the backdrop of not only the health-care system and its evolution but also the political environment and social priorities, physicians are leaders in their communities. At the same time, the OMA has earned respect for its demonstrated role as a leader in the health-care issues of the province.
The OMR has been an important beacon of that work and, by extension, it reaches beyond the OMA as an audience. This magazine is looked upon by governments and other stakeholders in health as a flagship communications platform of the OMA and Ontario’s doctors.
The stories in this edition are inspiring and reflective of the changing dynamic that our members are experiencing in the health-care system.
Not only is it important that there be an appropriate vehicle to showcase the work of our membership – whether it’s part of the print edition of the OMR or its digital version – an important aspect of the OMR is that it be a conduit to the experience on the front lines and where the organization is going.
The articles in this edition reflect that tradition and commitment as the magazine’s stories, features and columns have done over time.
Over its many years, the publication served to highlight the activities of the profession and has also been an important reference to vital policy decisions, negotiated agreements with government, and health legislation advocated for by doctors.
The ‘Then and now’ timeline takes us on a walk through a century of health-care achievements in Ontario that uncover medical breakthroughs that changed the world, and transformative moments in policy that improved our life experience.
Each of these topics, which are now more visible and more shareable in today’s world of digital and advanced communications tools, has been a point of connectivity across the profession.
These issues have taken on a greater presence and have been the subject of active dialogue among the profession as a result of the OMR, which has played an important role in nurturing these types of conversations.
Finally, the OMA’s organizational change through its governance transformation is truly profound. What has occurred in recent years, in terms of the vision of the profession and the commitment of leadership to drive this transformation, is to be commended.
The OMR through its pages and circulation to all doctors in Ontario – whether they are medical students, doctors established in their careers, or those who have retired – has always reflected the principles and mission, values, vision of the organization and membership of the day.
The steps the organization has taken to more effectively represent its members and its commitment to reconnect to front-line doctors could not be more important than it is in this current environment.
While the OMA and its members drive to this better place, the OMR maintains the same commitment to reflect and share, and the same passion to be the best it can be on behalf of the doctors of Ontario.
I’m honoured to have had the opportunity to play a small role and experience the OMR’s evolution, and to share these thoughts with you on the publication’s 100th anniversary.
Jeff Henry is a former editor of the Ontario Medical Review.