Gradient overlay

Our Community

The path to wellbeing is walked together.

At the heart of academic medicine are the people and partnerships that drive positive change. This page celebrates the growing community working to create safe, inclusive, and health-promoting learning and working environments across Canada. Through collaboration, shared learning, and a commitment to well-being, we are building a stronger future for everyone in academic medicine.

Our Collaborative Partners

We cannot accept the current systemic hazards in medical culture that threaten the wellbeing of our learners, administrators and faculty members. We need to embrace our agency and influence locally and nationally. The Okanagan Charter is a vehicle to harness local, organizational and trans-Canada momentum and talent.

Real change takes time and effort but every day we see interactions that shape the culture of academic medicine.

Community Stories

This initiative seeks to empower individuals in academic medicine to collectively strive towards embedding equity, compassion, respect, safe spaces, and self-care into the fabric of our communities.

The following stories of positive impact were shared from members of the academic medicine community to inspire compassion and respect in others.

Soft light blue gradient
Headshot of Dr. Lawrence Yang
The power of setting boundaries
Self-Care
Dr. Lawrence Yang
I was a prototypical family medicine hopeful. I had gotten straight A’s in high school, fared well in undergrad, excelled on the MCATs.
Soft light red gradient
Genevieve Moineau
A Journey of Compassion: How One Family Physician Shaped Me
Respect
Geneviève Moineau
When I look back at my experiences during my medical education journey, there is one moment that I cherish with great appreciation.
Soft light yellow gradient
Headshot of Elke Hutton
You don’t know what you don’t know! Watch for the cognitive biases!
Equity
Ketan Kulkarni
As a physician of BIPOC and racially visible minority, my voice has a wide variety of notes to form a rich pattern. I feel fortunate and privileged to care for patients with blood disorders and cancers and help families with a wide variety of background! From new Canadians to not so new Canadians!
Soft light green gradient
Headshot of Dr. Angela Cooper
The power of connection shines a light on the hidden culture of medicine
Safe Spaces
Dr. Angela Cooper
Recently, I gave a presentation called ‘Why Wellness Interventions Don’t Work’, to explore how the culture of medicine creates barriers to wellness.
Soft light purple gradient
Dr. Roger Wong
High Five!
Compassion
Dr. Roger Wong
When was the last time you greeted someone with a high five? It is a gesture of compassion, a deeply humanistic act when we celebrate every success, big or small, with team members as we journey together towards a common goal.
Soft light red gradient
Headshot of Dr. Cheryl Holmes
Small acts of kindness matter
Respect
Dr. Cheryl Holmes
This morning, I was prompted to reflect on a time when someone showed me kindness.
Soft light purple gradient
Headshot of Elke Hutton
How empathy and compassion saved my life
Compassion
Elke Hutton
When I lived in Richmond, BC, I was looking for a new GP after my old one told me he wasn't my mother when I came to him for reassurance that I would be ok during an elective procedure.