Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman is a pediatric allergist and clinical immunologist, an assistant clinical professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, and an adjunct assistant clinical professor in pediatrics at McMaster University. In May 2025, she was installed as president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), becoming the first Black woman to hold the position.

Born in Nigeria, Abdurrahman immigrated to Sudbury, Ontario at the age of 12. She earned her BSc in physiology and mathematics from McGill University and a master's degree in biostatistics from the University of Waterloo before completing her MD at the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She subsequently completed her pediatrics residency and subspecialty training in clinical immunology and allergy at McMaster University.

In 2019, Abdurrahman co-launched the Q&A Allergy Clinic in Toronto, dedicated to the care of adults and children with allergic and immunological conditions. She has also contributed to medical education, developing a biostatistics module for the MD curriculum at U of T that was later adapted for public health agencies.

Her advocacy work focuses on equity in health care, addressing disparities for rural communities and racialized groups, and combating medical misinformation. As OMA president, she represents the province's 50,000-plus physicians, residents, and medical students, ensuring their voices are heard at policy tables. Her provincial membership tour has prioritized smaller and underserved communities that have historically lacked access to senior OMA leadership.

Abdurrahman joined the OMA in 2014 during a period of government-imposed cuts to physician remuneration. She chaired the allergy section, led governance reform efforts, and served on the board for four years before assuming the presidency. Her current priorities include strengthening supports for medical students and residents, reducing administrative burdens through digital tools, and advancing physician wellness.

She holds academic appointments at two universities and is recognized as a leading voice on the intersection of medicine, equity, and health policy in Canada. Her career reflects a commitment to making health care more inclusive — both in the communities she serves clinically and in the institutions she leads.

Dr. Amany Asfour is a distinguished physician, business leader, and international advocate with more than 30 years of experience advancing women’s empowerment, gender equality, and public health across Africa and beyond. A paediatrician by training, she has successfully bridged medicine, entrepreneurship, and policy advocacy to champion the social and economic advancement of women and girls.

Dr. Asfour graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, and earned her Master’s and MD degrees in Pediatrics from Egypt’s National Research Centre. While still a medical student, she entered the private sector and went on to establish a successful healthcare management and medical equipment company.

Guided by her belief that women’s financial independence is key to their power of choice and voice, Dr. Asfour has focused her work on women’s economic empowerment, capacity building, human resource development, and equal access to education and training. She is a strong proponent of STEM education for girls and the promotion of women in science and technology.

Her advocacy also spans the prevention of gender-based violence and the elimination of harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage. Through leadership at global, regional, and grassroots levels, she has mobilized institutions to integrate gender equality into health, business, and development agendas.

Dr. Asfour has held numerous leadership roles, including President of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (2017–2021), Chair of the COMESA Business Council (2014–2018), President of the Egyptian Business Women Association, and Chair of FEMNET. She is the Founder of the African Paediatric Nephrology Association and the Hatshepsut Women Business Development Centre and Incubator.

Within the African Union framework, she is a Board Member of Africa CDC and has served as a member of the African Union Foundation, and as the President of the Africa Business Council.

Dr. Asfour has received numerous national, regional, and international honours in recognition of her contributions to health, women’s leadership, and sustainable development, including awards from the Egyptian Government, the African Union and other African institutions, the Arab League and Islamic organizations, as well as international women’s and business associations.

Eliza Lo Chin, MD, MPH, MACP, FAMWA

Dr. Eliza Lo Chin is AMWA’s Executive Director, Assistant Professor (Voluntary) at the University of California, San Francisco, and Medical Director of Watermark by the Bay. A graduate of UC Berkeley, she received her MD from Harvard Medical School and her MPH from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health. She is the editor of This Side of Doctoring: Reflections from Women in Medicine and was featured in the National Library of Medicine Exhibition, Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians. Dr. Chin has served as co-chair/co-director of national/international meetings, executive producer of the short film At Home and Over There: American Women Physicians in WWI, and member of several advisory/editorial boards. She has been a visiting scholar with the Women’s Leadership Institute of Mills College, and California delegate to Vision 2020. A recipient of several awards, she is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians and of AMWA. She is a leader within the Medical Women’s International Association and an AMWA Representative to the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Her interests include women’s leadership and mentoring, women’s health, geriatrics, medical humanities, and history of women in medicine.

Dr. Ruth Collins-Nakai, MD '72, MBA '98, is a renowned pediatric cardiologist, public health advocate, and health-sector leader whose career has spanned clinical medicine, academic leadership, policy reform, and the biomedical industry. A graduate of the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, she has received an honorary doctor of science degree from her alma mater in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to medicine and society.

Collins-Nakai trained in pediatric cardiology at Harvard Medical School before returning to the U of A, where she founded the Heritage Pediatric Cardiology Program — a groundbreaking initiative with outreach clinics across northern and central Alberta that laid the foundation for today's major children's heart program at the university. She later served as associate dean in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
Throughout her career, Collins-Nakai has been a forceful voice for public health. She successfully advocated for seatbelt legislation in Alberta after caring for children critically injured in car crashes, and moved a motion at the Canadian Medical Association that led Air Canada to become the first airline in the world to go smoke-free. She has also championed accessible early childhood education and the prevention of cardiovascular risk factors beginning in childhood.

Her leadership roles include president of both the Alberta Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association. She was also the first Canadian — and first woman — to serve as president of the American College of Cardiology and of the Inter-American Society of Cardiology, milestones that reflect both her clinical stature and her commitment to advancing the field globally.

After completing an MBA in 1998, Collins-Nakai transitioned into the private sector, where she has focused on biomedical startups — integrating her research background, clinical expertise, and business acumen to support the development of new health technologies.

A trailblazer for women in medicine, Collins-Nakai has navigated systemic barriers with resolve, crediting a supportive family and a habit of finding ways to "go around" obstacles rather than be stopped by them. She remains an advocate for the next generation of physicians, embracing the field's shift toward humane, partnership-based models of care.

Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh, MD, CCFP is a visionary leader, physician, author and advocate whose work spans clinical practice, health system transformation and social justice advocacy. She currently serves as the Executive Vice President of North America for the Medical Women’s International Association and Past President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada, representing and amplifying the voices of women physicians worldwide and the healthcare empowerment of all women and girls.

Prior to this, she was the President of Doctors of BC (2022-2023) where she played a pivotal role in shaping healthcare policy, gender equity, cultural safety & humility for truth and reconciliation and advancing primary care reform in British Columbia. She was the first Punjabi female in 122 years to lead the association.

She was also previously the President of BC Family Doctors, served as a board member for her Division of Family Practice and on the Child Health BC board for four years.
She also launched the Health Justice Alliance, a groundbreaking intersectoral initiative bringing together physicians and lawyers to explore collaborative approaches to improving the family justice system. She has also been appointed to the Collaborative Strategy Justice Commission.

Her leadership extends to multiple professional committees and strategic bodies, including the Physician Services Committee, BC Coroners Service Illicit Drug Toxicity Provincial Steering committee, indigenous specific anti racism steering committee and the Provincial Digital Health Leadership Committee.

She is a passionate force for healthcare equity, human rights, and challenging the status quo. A mother of three daughters, survivor and keynote speaker Dr. Dosanjh combines compassion, resilience and strategic vision to inspire change within medicine and beyond.

Meseret (Mesi) Haileyesus is a social entrepreneur, multi-award-winning economic security and Justice futurist, and the first Canadian to bring economic abuse into public policy discourse and call for national and international economic abuse policy responses in the Canadian Parliament. She is the Founder and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment (CCFWE), co-founder of the International Coalition Against Economic Abuse, and founder of multiple national and global initiatives advancing financial inclusion and systemic reform.

Her leadership has been recognized nationally and internationally with more than 25 awards, including the 2025 Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case, the 2023 CWE Entrepreneur Award by Google Canada, recognition among Canada’s Top 25 Women of Influence, Forty Under 40, and features in Forbes.

For more than 24 years, her work has examined how health care, economic, employment, and technological systems shape risk, resilience, and long-term outcomes, particularly for women and equity-deserving communities. She has worked extensively with governments, financial institutions, fintech companies, consumer lawyers, and multilateral bodies, contributing to strategic frameworks and policy dialogue addressing systemic barriers faced by women experiencing financial abuse. She is widely known for translating complex structural challenges into clear, decision-ready insights for leaders navigating system change.

Meseret has been repeatedly invited to testify before the Canadian Parliament, the Senate, the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women, and the Ontario Legislative Assembly. Her advocacy has contributed to legislative dialogue surrounding Bill 41: Protection from Coerced Debts Incurred through Human Trafficking Act (2023) and Canadian Senate Bill S-206 on Guaranteed Livable Basic Income. She has also contributed to federal pre-budget consultations on access to banking and financial protection.

A defining achievement of her leadership is more than a decade of sustained policy influence contributing to Federal Budget 2025. She was invited by the Minister of Finance to deliver keynote remarks in Parliament regarding the development of Canada’s first national Code of Conduct for financial institutions addressing economic abuse. She currently serves on several national policy and advisory boards.

Her systems-change leadership has informed federal budgets, legislative reforms, and national measures advancing women’s economic security, financial inclusion, homelessness prevention, and equitable access to capital. In 2019, Meseret initiated Canada’s National Economic Abuse Awareness Day on November 26. The initiative has since expanded internationally, influencing awareness efforts in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, and strengthening education for financial institutions, policymakers, and survivors of coerced debt and financial abuse.

She has presented her work to the United Nations, the European Union, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, provincial legislatures, the House of Commons, and the Senate.

Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn is the college dean and vice provost of the University of Alberta’s College of Health Sciences, which brings together the combined strength of the faculties of kinesiology, sport, and recreation, medicine and dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, public health, and rehabilitation medicine. It represents more than 770 faculty members and more than 7,200 undergraduate and graduate students.

Dr. Hemmelgarn will also retain her role as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.

Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn has led the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (FoMD) since January 2020, helping it to navigate both restructuring and the global pandemic. Under her leadership, the faculty completed and has begun implementing its strategic plan, Vision 2025: a five-year roadmap for the future. Highlights of Vision 2025 to date include implementing the wâpanachakos: Indigenous Health Program, expanding the Office of Rural & Regional Health, and recruiting both a chief wellness officer to create a culture of health and well-being in FoMD as well as a social accountability lead.

Dr. Hemmelgarn has served for more than 35 years in various roles across health care, academia and administration. She earned her bachelor and master of nursing degrees from the University of Saskatchewan before going on to complete a PhD in epidemiology and biostatistics from McGill University, followed by an MD from McMaster University. Dr. Hemmelgarn additionally completed subspecialty training in nephrology at the University of Calgary, and continues to practice clinically to maintain front-line experience in health care and an in-depth perspective on health-care issues. She is a fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Dr. Hemmelgarn’s research expertise focuses on using administrative and other secondary data sources to improve patient-oriented research, patient engagement, and integrated knowledge translation, and to move forward positive change in health policy and practice. She has received more than $20 million in funding as a principal investigator and has more than 500 peer-reviewed publications as an author or co-author. Dr. Hemmelgarn established the world-renowned Alberta Kidney Disease Network and is a founding member and co-team lead of the Interdisciplinary Chronic Disease Collaboration.

Dr. Horn is Kanienkeha:ka. Her mother is from Kahnawake, Que., and her father is from Akwesasne, which saddles the borders of Ontario, Quebec and New York State. She works as a family physician taking care of her people through all stages of the lifecycle. Supervising medical students and family medicine residents during their rural rotations in Akwesasne, she emphasizes the complexities of providing primary care to Indigenous Peoples and their communities.

Drawing on both Western and traditional paradigms, working with like-minded physicians across the country, with a focus on the effects of the environment and pollution on health, Dr. Horn promotes the inclusion and support of traditional knowledge and “ways of being” in a framework for providing holistic and primary care to her people.

Dr. Horn is president of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada.

Dr. Sayra Khandekar is the Assistant Registrar for Registration at the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA).

She graduated from Stanford University and Tulane University School of Medicine and completed post graduate training at the University of Tennessee and the University of Alberta. She has her MBA in Healthcare Leadership and Management from the University of Texas at Dallas.

She is a cardiologist and practiced at the Misericordia Hospital and the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton. She has held previous leadership roles at Covenant Health, the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association and Alberta Health Services before joining CPSA full time in January 2025.

Dr. Ladha is Assistant Professor, the Director of EDI for Postgraduate Medical Education at the University of Alberta, and Co-Director of Research and Evaluation at the New Canadians Health Centre, Edmonton's refugee clinic. She is a specialist in pediatrics with a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and has expertise in health equity, anti-racism, and community engaged research. She was awarded the QEII Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022 for her tireless advocacy during the pandemic which included media engagements at the local, national and international level. In 2024, she received the Women's Executive Network National EDI leader Award for championing EDI initiatives in medical education, research, and healthcare delivery.

Vision for Social Accountability
Dr. Ladha is passionate about policy change that addresses health and social inequities with a view towards social justice. She prioritizes co-creation of research and policy initiatives with impacted populations so that their voices are prioritized. She believes building connections within and outside the walls of academic institutions is integral to diminishing polarization and creating more unified and equitable communities.

Hobbies + Interests
Dr. Ladha loves to travel, explore new recipes and restaurants, and meet new people. When she's at home, you'll find her with her head in a book. She is inspired by the power of storytelling and would love to write her own stories one day.

Award-Winning Physician. National Health Leader.
System Disruptor and Fixer.
Named Maclean’s top Health Care Innovator of 2023, Dr. Alika Lafontaine is among the most influential voices in Canadian medicine today. A seasoned anesthesiologist and transformative leader, he made history as the first Indigenous and youngest physician to serve as President of the Canadian Medical Association—an institution more than 150 years old. His bold, visionary leadership continues to shape how Canadians think about healthcare, equity, and the future of our public systems.

Dr. Unjali Malhotra is a Family Physician with extensive training and expertise in Women’s Health. She graduated from Family Medicine in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and went on to create and complete the Women’s Health fellowship program at the University of Manitoba, focusing on contraception, gynaecologic oncology, and general gynaecology. She went on to work at the Bay Centre for Birth Control at the Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and assisted in the creation and improvement of women’s clinics throughout Ontario.

She moved to Vancouver in 2008 and is the former Medical Director of Options for Sexual Health British Columbia (formerly Planned Parenthood). She is affiliated with BC Women’s Hospital, and is a Clinical Associate Professor at UBC. She is the creator and supervisor of a Women’s Health training program for family practice residents at UBC and a provincial HPV program. Her current research interests surround health advocacy and access in Women’s Health.

Her practice focuses on well-woman care including contraception (including IUD insertion), abnormal bleeding (endometrial biopsy), HPV-related issues, and menopause/peri-menopause.

Dr Malhotra is a Certified Menopause Practitioner through the internationally accredited organization, The North American Menopause Society. She is a board member of the Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health (SOGC).

Dr. Seema Marwaha is a general internal medicine physician, educator, and journalist dedicated to bridging the worlds of medicine and media to advance health equity, empower patients, and transform the way health is communicated to both patients and the public. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Deputy Site Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at St. Michael’s Hospital, and Site Lead for the GIM Fellowship Program.

Born and raised in Edmonton, she completed her undergraduate and medical training at the University of Alberta before moving to Toronto for residency and fellowship. She later received the Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship to pursue a Master’s in Education at Harvard, specializing in technology and innovation, and completed a Fellowship in Global Journalism at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Since 2019, she has served as Editor-in-Chief of the national publication Healthy Debate, where she has built an innovative communication and advocacy training program for health professionals. She has also contributed regularly to CBC, Post Media, the Canadian Press and Maclean’s. Her academic work centers on healthcare storytelling, patient experience education, advocacy, anti-racism, and the innovative use of technology in health education.

Outside of medicine, she is a music lover, avid traveler, and proud mother of two boys.

Dr. Shazma Mithani is an emergency physician at the Royal Alexandra and Stollery Children’s Hospitals. She has been working as an adult and pediatric doctor since graduating from residency from the University of Alberta in 2014. Prior to that, she completed medical school in 2009 at Western University in London, ON.

Dr. Mithani has been involved in health advocacy for years, and works with vulnerable patient populations everyday on shift. Some of her advocacy outside of the hospital includes community initiatives, such as naloxone kit training, and public education through her social media platforms. She serves as a director on the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) and Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE) Boards.

Outside of work, Dr. Mithani enjoys spending time with her family, playing ultimate frisbee, running, going camping, and playing tennis. She’s also a self-described foodie and loves supporting local restaurants in Edmonton.

Dr. Jennifer Ringrose graduated from the University of Alberta with a Master of Science degree then completed a medical degree at the University of Calgary. She was a core internal medicine resident and then a general internal medicine resident at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. She was recruited to the University of Alberta in 2009 to the Division of General Internal Medicine.

Leadership and Collaborations:

Dr. Ringrose was the General Internal Medicine Residency Program Director from 2013-2022. She led the program through initial accreditation (GIM became an official subspecialty in 2013), accreditation in 2018 and the transition to competency based education in 2019.

Dr. Ringrose is now the Divisional Director for General Internal Medicine.

Dr. Ringrose is also the current President of the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine (CSIM) and the Canadian Hypertension Specialists Society (CHeSS).

Clinical Interests

Dr. Ringrose is an attending physician in General Internal Medicine and the Hypertension Clinic at the University of Alberta Hospital/Kaye Edmonton Clinic.

Dr. Nazia Sharfuddin is a General Internal Medicine specialist and physician leader dedicated to advancing healthcare quality and patient safety. She holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Quality and Safety from Harvard Medical School, bringing expertise in system redesign, patient safety, and quality improvement to multi-site health systems.

At Trillium Health Partners, Dr. Sharfuddin serves as Physician Lead of Patient Safety and previously served as Physician Lead of Quality Improvement. In these leadership roles, she has focused on strengthening patient safety and improving care delivery across one of Canada’s largest hospital networks. She has led system-wide award-winning initiatives to enhance clinical response systems, improve care processes, and advance access to high-quality care.

Dr. Sharfuddin is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, where she designs and teaches curriculum in healthcare quality and safety. She serves as Theme Lead for Quality, Safety, and Value in the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine MD Program and teaches in the Master’s Program in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, holding faculty appointments in both programs. She previously served as Clerkship Site Director for Internal Medicine. She also developed and launched the Quality Improvement Experiential Student Training (QuEST) program, a partnership between the University of Toronto and Trillium Health Partners that equips medical students and physicians with quality improvement skills and has generated more than 50 real-world healthcare improvement projects.

Dr. Sharfuddin’s work has been showcased nationally and internationally, published in peer-reviewed journals, and recognized with institutional and external awards, including the Top 20 Under 40 Award for Health Sciences and the Canadian Medical Association Award for Young Leaders.

Dr. Suzanne Shoush is a First Nations/Black physician, mother, and advocate who lives and works in Toronto’s downtown core where she has spent more than a decade working in the city’s shelter systems. She is also the inaugural Director of Indigenous Health Program for Inner City Health Associates (ICHA), and the Indigenous Health Faculty Lead for the Department of Family and Community Medicine with the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.

As the inaugural Director of Indigenous Health Program for ICHA, Suzanne is the lead physician for community and culture-based, trauma informed, culturally safe, and low barrier comprehensive primary care clinics including Nameres, Auduzhe Mino Nesewinong, Ode’I min, the Call Auntie Clinic, and the Indigenous Health Organization Outreach Program (IHOOP). She is also the Indigenous Health Faculty Lead for the Department of Family and Community Medicine with the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Shoush has degrees in both Engineering and Medicine. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Mathematical Modelling at the University of Toronto Institute for Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation.

Dr. Shoush grew up in Alberta, her mother is Li’wat Coast Salish, and her father is Sudanese. In addition to her work in Toronto’s shelter systems, she has also worked throughout Ontario in rural and remote communities as a rural family physician.

Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass is the president of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada. She is the inaugural and Past President of Black Physicians of Canada. She is the Chair of the Governance Committee of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.

Dr. Tunde-Byass is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and the UK. She completed her OBGYN training in the UK and Canada. She received special interest training in Maternal and Fetal Medicine at King’s College, London. UK. She has been an active staff at NYGH since 2004. She is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Toronto and a graduate of the New Evolving Academic Leadership (NEAL) program at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Tunde-Byass has held major administrative positions like Residency site coordinator and Interim Chief of OBGYN at NYGH. She is involved in key quality initiatives at the Local and Provincial levels. She was the Co-chair for the Quality Standard on Increasing access to Vaginal Birth After Cesarean section and an expert panel member for Early pregnancy complications and loss (Joint projects of PCMCH and HQO). She is the Co-Chair of Maternal Newborn Outcome Committee at Better Outcome Registry Network (BORN). She has received numerous teachings and innovation awards.

She is involved in medical education and passionate about EDI and Anti-Black Racism. She is passionate about maternal mortality, morbidity and birthing experiences in the Black population. She has made many media appearances including a CBC documentary series For the Culture with Amanda Parris exploring Black maternal deaths. She is the co-author of Achieving equity in reproductive care and birth outcomes for Black people. CMAJ 2024.

Her research interest is in Early pregnancy complications and Quality improvement and patient safety initiatives like decreasing CS rate by increasing access to trial of labour after Caesarean section. She has presented some of her research at international conferences and has publications in peer review journals. She was the recipient of the 2022 Postgraduate medical education, University of Toronto Social responsibility award. She is co-founder of Women Health Education Made Simple (WHEMS).

Dr. Unjali Malhotra is a Family Physician with extensive training and expertise in Women’s Health. She graduated from Family Medicine in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and went on to create and complete the Women’s Health fellowship program at the University of Manitoba, focusing on contraception, gynaecologic oncology, and general gynaecology. She went on to work at the Bay Centre for Birth Control at the Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and assisted in the creation and improvement of women’s clinics throughout Ontario.

She moved to Vancouver in 2008 and is the former Medical Director of Options for Sexual Health British Columbia (formerly Planned Parenthood). She is affiliated with BC Women’s Hospital, and is a Clinical Associate Professor at UBC. She is the creator and supervisor of a Women’s Health training program for family practice residents at UBC and a provincial HPV program. Her current research interests surround health advocacy and access in Women’s Health.

Her practice focuses on well-woman care including contraception (including IUD insertion), abnormal bleeding (endometrial biopsy), HPV-related issues, and menopause/peri-menopause.

Dr Malhotra is a Certified Menopause Practitioner through the internationally accredited organization, The North American Menopause Society. She is a board member of the Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health (SOGC).

With a background in clinical pharmacology and toxicology, Sabina values healthcare but is aware of the systemic racism and structural factors that impacts many communities and leads to inequities in health. She is exceptionally vested in making sustainable, systemic, meaningful and intentional changes to healthcare in Canada. This is why Sabina focuses much of her efforts and advocacy on making healthcare accessible for all. She is a big believer in community approaches to healthcare, especially by organizations who truly understand the challenges faced by the groups that they serve and who they have built trust with over decades. In addition, Sabina is a huge proponent of ensuring that a culturally sensitive and trauma-informed lens is used. As a first generation Canadian, she is thankful for the opportunities that living in Toronto has brought to her, but she also feels keenly that the fortunes of this city and country have come at a deep price for Indigenous Peoples.

Sabina takes a holistic view to health and strongly believes the social determinants of health have a significant impact on the overall health of the people. Sabina has faced precarious housing and hunger due to poverty as a new immigrant and is therefore a strong supporter of safe housing and wholesome nutrition as a basic human right for all.

Sabina is also very passionate about science education and advocacy. She focuses a lot of her efforts to counter the avalanche of mis- and dis-information on social media. In evidence based parenting groups, she explains scientific information by breaking it down into easy-to-understand posts using consensus-based guidelines developed by global health and pediatric agencies. She also engages with vaccine hesitant individuals on several vaccine on-the-fence type social media groups by understanding their fears and anxieties and trying to address their concerns. She created a fact-based, educational page called Unambiguous Science where she discusses new information on COVID-19 in a non-sensational and non-politicized manner.

Sabina is the Vice-Chair of the board at Lymphoma Canada and on the board of The Stop Community Food Centre. She is a member of Vision2020, Women Moving Millions and GROW Women. She also sits on the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s Dean’s Strategic Committee.

One of Canada’s most respected healthcare leaders, Dr. Verna Yiu has spent more than two decades holding executive roles across academia and the provincial healthcare system, where she is known for her exceptional servant leadership philosophy.

Dr. Yiu is a professor of pediatrics in the U of A’s division of pediatric nephrology. A well-respected and long-serving member of the U of A community, Dr. Yiu has held numerous leadership roles in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry including Interim Dean (2011), Vice Dean (2008-2011), and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs (2000-2008). She is a proud U of A alumna, having completed her undergraduate degree, medical school, and residency at the U of A. She completed her fellowship in pediatric nephrology at Harvard University.

For the past ten years, Dr. Yiu has held executive leadership roles at Alberta Health Services—Canada’s largest province-wide healthcare system—serving first as executive vice-president and Chief Medical Officer (2012-2016), then as president and Chief Executive Officer of AHS (2016-2022). During her tenure, she helped to optimize the integration of care within the province, leading AHS to become one of the top 5 most integrated healthcare systems in the world. She also helped to reduce AHS’s growth expenditure by more than 50% while maintaining quality and safety of care, launch the provincewide clinical information system Connect Care, and steered Alberta’s health authority through the worst public health crisis in recent memory: the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Yiu is also a well-established leader within the national community, having served on many boards and committees including the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information, among others. She has received numerous awards for her service—most recently being named a Global Woman of Vision in 2019 and ranked second on the Medical Post’s 2021 Power list of physicians in Canada—as well as her teaching and clinical care.

Dr. Yiu continues to work on the front lines, providing care to young patients and their families at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.

Dr. Samra Zafar is passionate about helping people live and lead with courage to become agents for change. She is an award-winning international speaker, bestselling author, and resident psychiatrist who specializes in authentic leadership, belonging, and inclusive wellness. In her captivating keynotes, Zafar shares valuable, science-backed tools and insights to help leaders build authentic connections and inclusive workplace cultures that foster high-performing, resilient, and agile teams for transformational results.

After escaping a decade of abuse as a child bride in Canada, Zafar pursued her education and became a global advocate for progress. Her bestselling memoir, A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose, shares her journey while her second book, Unconditional: Break Through Past Limits to Transform Your Future, details science-based strategies rooted in lived experience to help readers unlearn limiting beliefs and live fuller, unconditional lives. It was named one of Forbes’ 2025 “Best Books for Personal Growth by Women Authors”.

Previously a leader in financial services, Zafar is currently completing her residency in psychiatry at the University of Toronto. She is also the founder and executive director of Brave Beginnings, a registered charity that provides mentorship to survivors of abuse. Her work has been featured in several national and international media outlets, including The Huffington Post, Harvard Medical School’s Primary Care Review, CTV, CBC, Global News, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and more.

A four-time TEDx speaker, Zafar has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, Top 25 Most Inspirational Women, and Top 25 Canadian Immigrants. She is a trailblazer, spearheading inclusion and wellness in organizations across the world. Past speaking clients including RBC, TD, Manulife, Deloitte, CPA, Yale University, Adidas, Art of Leadership, Canadian Psychiatric Association, UNICEF, and several other corporations, associations, and universities. Her keynotes combine scientific research with hard-earned life lessons to share courageous strategies that lead to bold results.

Zafar earned her medical degree from McMaster University. She also holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics from the University of Toronto. Formerly a governor at the University of Toronto, Zafar currently sits on the board of Women’s College Hospital Foundation. She also served as chair of the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus Council.