It’s approaching that time of the year again! We are getting ready to open registration for the 14th Annual Health Symposium.
Every year the Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario gets the opportunity to come together as healthcare practitioners and learners, to share space and discuss research, practices, and opportunities in the medical industry.
“I’m really excited about this event because it’s an opportunity to strengthen our community of Black physicians and allies focused on promoting health equity,” said Dr. Husam Abdel-Qadir, Director of Continuing Professional Development at the BPAO.
Part of the reason BPAO exists is because Black people are more likely to have worse health outcomes for nearly every health condition, and there is little representation for those addressing their issues. Disparities in healthcare access, substandard treatment, and the stress of anti-Black racism, weighs heavily on Black communities, and physicians often bare the brunt of attending to those disparities.
“Black physicians also frequently feel alienated within traditional healthcare settings which contributes to a sense of isolation and higher rates of burnout. We hope this conference allows us to address both issues,” Said Dr. Abdel-Qadir.
This year is slated to be jam-packed with speakers from across the physician community.
This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Sean Wharton, who is the co-chair of the Canadian clinical practice guidelines on obesity and an author of two papers in the New England Journal of Medicine. The list of speakers also includes Dr. Nicole Woods, one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, and Dr. Nav Persaud, a Canada Research Chair in Health Justice.
“This is our most important event of the year, because it’s a time to share space with our members and the broader physician community,” said Chenai Kadungure, executive director of BPAO.
“We’re so excited to finally be back in person, and cannot wait to see all the beautiful faces in the room. ”
Stay tuned for more updates and details as they come. Registration opens December 1. If you haven’t already renewed your membership, be sure to do so to get the best priced tickets!
Registration cost for physician Members of the BPAO is $89 while the cost for non-member physicians is $249. Lower registration prices for trainees (with deeper discounts for BPSO members).
