Dr. Payal Agarwal

BASc, MD, CFPC

Dr. Payal Agarwal is a family physician at Women's College Hospital and a Innovation Fellow at Women's College Hospital Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care.

She is currently completing her masters in Health Services Research.

Dr. Najma Ahmed

MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS

Dr. Ahmed completed Medical School and General Surgery Residency at McGill University. She holds a PhD in Surgical Infections and Sepsis. Following Residency, Najma pursued fellowship training in Trauma Surgery and Critical Care at the University of Michigan and the University of Toronto.

Najma works as a trauma and acute care surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital since 2001. From 2008 until 2018, Najma was the Residency Program Director for General Surgery.

Najma is the Vice Chair of education, Department of Surgery at University of Toronto and Professor of Surgery. Her contributions to post graduate surgical education have been recognized by numerous awards, including Royal College AMS/Donald Richards Wilson Award in 2016.

Her scholarly activities relate to the unique aspects of surgical training, and maintaining competence and expertise over a surgical career. Dr. Ahmed has been an Examiner as well as a Clinician-Educator at the Royal College.

Dr. Ahmed is a member of the Board of a grass roots organization called Canadian Doctors for Protection from Gun. She recently was awarded the CMA Canadian Medical Association, Sir Charles Tupper Award for her work on physician advocacy related to gun violence prevention.

Najma is currently the Surgeon-in-Chief at St. Michael’s Hospital since 2020.

Dr. Marie Claire Bourque

MD, BSc, MSc, FRCPC, DABPN

Dr. Marie Claire Bourque (Dr. MCB) is an internationally recognized psychiatrist, certified executive coach, and the Director of Mental Health and Peak Performance for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Known for her bold, no-nonsense style, she helps elite performers—from pro athletes to musicians—reach their highest potential by aligning with their values and inner wisdom.

Dr. MCB blends clinical expertise with creative strategy to drive real change in high-pressure environments. Formerly Corporate Medical Director at Cleveland Clinic Canada and President of Foothills Medical Centre Staff, she has helped shape the future of mental health through leadership and innovation.

Her personal journey reflects the courage she inspires in others. After stepping away from traditional academic roles, she forged her own path—leading with purpose, clarity, and unapologetic authenticity. A passionate advocate for mental fitness, she believes our minds require training just like our bodies. Through her work, she empowers others to make values-aligned decisions, build resilience, and live with intention.

When not working with top performers, Dr. MCB teaches as an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary and Clinical Instructor at the University of British Columbia. Tenacious, vibrant, and visionary, she is redefining how we understand mental health, performance, and purpose.

Dr. Teresa Chan

MD

Dr. Teresa Chan is the Founding Dean of the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine as well as TMU’s Vice-President, Medical Affairs. Dr. Chan is also a practicing emergency physician in the William Osler Health System Emergency Department team.

Dr. Chan’s contributions as an educational leader and scientist have transformed the field of medical education and scholarship. She has supervised hundreds of educational development projects and has led over 50 unique research teams while authoring over 230 peer-reviewed publications. She has also held various leadership and committee roles within the Canadian Association for Medical Education, Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. In 2024, Dr. Chan was named one of the top 10 most influential leaders in the Maclean's Power List for Health Care.

Dr. Chan has been a staunch advocate for diversity and health equity. Her clinical work focuses on breaking down societal and systemic barriers that prevent patient access to whole-person care. She is also actively involved in creating new programs to help clinical faculty members develop the skills they need to serve diverse populations of medical students and patients. Through her work in the classroom, in clinical spaces, and outside of formal learning environments, Dr. Chan has made her mark as a physician, mentor, and advocate inspiring the next generation of Canadian physicians to advance social justice and equity in all that they do.

Shelly Dev

MD, FRCPC

Dr. Dev has been a Staff Intensivist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto since 2006, after completing her Internal Medicine residency and Critical Care Fellowship at The University of Toronto, and a Fellowship in Multimedia Education at the New England Journal of Medicine.

She is a Clinician Educator and Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Education in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Sunnybrook and lead for Mentorship and Wellness in the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is a multi-award-winning medical educator of undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education audiences.

In addition to over 400 invited lectures given to national and international audiences about healthcare worker mental health, burnout, resilience and medical culture, Dr. Dev has written and spoken extensively on these topics in the wider media.

But, if asked, she would say her most significant accomplishment to date is continuing to convince 16-year-old Nathan and 15-year-old Jack to hang out with her in public.

Dr. Marjorie Dixon

MD, FRCSC, FACOG, REI, OB-GYN

Dr. Marjorie Dixon is an Obstetrics and Gynecology specialist with an Accredited Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.

In 2016, Dr. Dixon founded Anova Fertility & Reproductive Health, the leading fertility and IVF center in Canada. As Founder, CEO, and Medical Director, she propelled Anova to the forefront of innovative reproductive care. She was honored to receive and be recognized with the Mathias Gysler Award in 2022 for improving access to reproductive care for all Canadians. In 2017, Dr. Dixon was recognized as the YMCA Woman of Distinction. She was also awarded with the Globe & Mail’s Quantum Shift Class of 2019, RBC’s Canadian Women of Influence Momentum Award in 2018, the Top 100 Most Powerful Women 2023, the Compass Rose Entrepreneur award in 2024 and recently the Women of Inspiration award for excellence in Entrepreneurship, in 2024.

Dr. Dixon is recognized as an expert in her field, and is a coveted speaker at both national and international conferences. She has also been featured in Time Magazine, Vanity Fair, Todays Parent, Flare, Chatelaine, The National Post, CTV News, CityTV News, The Financial Post, Post Magazine, Fertility and Sterility, Human Reproduction and is known for her monthly appearances live on Cityline, elevating the discussion about women’s reproductive and fertility health.

Dr. Marjorie Dixon is a McGill University School of Medicine graduate, where she is on the Board of Directors for the Principal’s International Advisory. Dr. Dixon completed Obstetrics and Gynecology training at the University of Toronto, and specialized in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Vermont, USA. She is a member of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in the Division of Reproductive endocrinology and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Dixon’s transformative leadership in reproductive medicine has positioned her as a respected figure and standard of excellence within the industry.

Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh

MD, FRCSC, MHCM, ICD.D

Coming Soon...

Dr. Elisabeth Baerg Hall

MD, CCFP, FRCPC

Known for her deep expertise in identifying and treating adult ADHD, Dr. Elisabeth Baerg Hall is a sought after speaker, educator and therapist. She has a nuanced understanding of the needs of physicians and high-performing executives based on her leadership and clinical experience.

She is founding director of The ADHD Centre for Education & Training, a group specializing in:

• Capacity building (ADHD Skills Builder online client-facing psychoeducation modules) for mental health professionals wanting to improve their services to adults with ADHD,
• Psychoeducational Group Consultation for physicians wanting to improve management of their ADHD,
• Strategic Consultation and Therapeutic Program Development for businesses and institutions wanting to better serve adults with ADHD.

An award-winning Clinical Professor at University of British Columbia, Dr. Hall has trained in child and adolescent, and adult psychiatry and family medicine.

She is a graduate of the Sauder Physician Leadership Program.

In 2024 Dr. Hall and her team completed ADHD Skills Builder © a 7 module online ADHD Psychoeducational Program funded by the James Family Foundation.

Dr. Hall has led ADHD and other mental health educational initiatives at the provincial and national level.

Dr. Cheryl Hamlin

MD, MPH, OB/GYN

Medical School: University of Illinois Graduated in 1988
Residency: Boston Medical Center, completed in 1992

Practiced as a general OB/Gyn in Cambridge, MA for 35 years.

Abortion provider in Massachusetts, Mississippi and Alabama until the overturn of Roe.

Worked as an abortion provider briefly in North Carolina and New Mexico.

Currently retired from obstetric practice but working as a shield law provider in Massachusetts.

I am a board member of Arlington/Teosinte Sister City Project, supporting the community of Teosinte in El Salvador.

I am also a board member of Maya Midwifery International supporting a birth center in Guatemala.

I continue to live in Cambridge, MA

Dr. Ojistoh Horn

MD, MSc, BSc, CCFP

Dr. Ojistoh Horn is Kanienkeha:ka (Mohawk) is from Kahnawake where she lives with her family. Her father is from Akwesasne, where she currently works. She is 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 Akwesane, 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, she promotes the inclusion and support of traditional knowledge and ‘ways of being’ into a framework for providing wholistic and primary care to her people.

Dr. Michelle Jacobson

MD, MHSc, FRCSC

Dr. Michelle Jacobson is a menopause specialist in Toronto and the co-founder of Coven women’s health, a multidisciplinary women’s health clinic.

She is the director of the familial ovarian cancer clinic at women’s college hospital.

She has a special interest in women who are menopausal due to cancer therapies and is the creator and director of the SOGC’s Community of Practice in Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer and the primary author of the guidelines on the Management of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer and Breast Cancer and Menopause.

She sits on the board of the Menopause Foundation of Canada and the Canadian menopause society.

Dr. Dalia Karol

MD

Dr. Dalia Karol is currently a 5th year Resident Physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Karol has been a board member of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada for the past 6 years, and is currently serving as vice honorary secretary. Her previous roles with the FMWC includes having served as the resident representative to the board, the medical student representative to the board, vice chair of the communications committee, and facilitator and panelist at the annual general meeting. Dr. Karol is also a past winner of the FMWC Medical Student Leadership Award and the FMWC Enid Johnson MacLeod award. Dr. Karol’s research interests lie in using medical education interventions to improve women’s healthcare. Dr. Karol’s commitment to education has been recognized with a variety of teaching awards at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Aliya Khan

MD, FRCPC, FACP, FACE, FASBMR

Dr Aliya Khan is a clinical professor of Medicine in the divisions of Endocrinology and Geriatrics at McMaster University and Director of the Calcium Disorders Clinic and the fellowship in Metabolic Bone Disease.

She has published over 400 peer reviewed scientific publications in parathyroid disease and metabolic bone disease. She led the development of the global guidelines on hypoparathyroidism as well as the guidelines on X-Linked Hypophosphatemia which have just been published. She has been recognized by numerous international awards including the Woman Physician of the Year 2024 by the American College of Physicians and this year will receive the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists " Outstanding International Clinician Award " She is ranked as being in the top 0.1% of world experts in parathyroid disease

Dr. Maria Leis

MD

Dr. Leis is a recent emergency medicine staff physician and past chief resident of the CCFP-EM Program at the University of Toronto, with a special interest in gender equality, global health and medical education leadership.

She has a variety of experience promoting women in global leadership as well as women’s health; she currently serves as the National Resident Representative for the Federation of Medical Women of Canada, where she has done advocacy work at national parliament and the United Nations related to youth empowerment against gender-based violence and female physician advocacy.

Dr. Leis has won a variety of awards related to her leadership and advocacy work; this year she has been awarded the national CMA Young Leaders Award.

Dr. Leis is currently completing her Masters in Public Health at Harvard University to further her interests in global healthcare disparities.

Dr. Odessa McKenna

Dr. Odessa McKenna is a senior medical student at the University of Ottawa, with an interest in emergency medicine, rural medicine, and women’s health.

In 2022, she became involved with the FMWC as a second-year medical student within her local Ottawa chapter. Since then, she has served a number of leadership positions, including her ongoing role as national FMWC podcast co-host and committee member. Odessa possesses significant research experience in systemic and clinical health promotion within vulnerable populations, with a particular focus on building psychological resilience. More recently, she has used her leadership platforms to develop inclusive wellness resources and community initiatives. Odessa is deeply passionate about women physician leadership and is greatly looking forward to continuing her journey with the FMWC board as the newly elected National Medical Student Representative.

Dr. Fahima Osman

MD, MPH, FRCSC

Coming Soon...

Dr. Saroo Sharda

MBChB, MMEd, FRCPC

Dr Sharda is a dynamic, equity informed physician and healthcare and medical education leader, known for her engaging and thought-provoking presentation style and her ability to hold multiple truths with bravery and compassion.

She is the inaugural Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion at McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences. From 2019 to 2024, she served as the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Lead at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, embedding EDI and anti-racist practices into provincial policies and education.

Dr Sharda has presented and taught on equity, medical education and inclusive leadership at a variety of national and international organizations to a wide range of audiences, including many senior leaders and leadership teams.

She is a trained creative writing coach and narrative medicine facilitator, with deep facilitation experience through the Sustained Dialogue course.

She holds a Master's and Fellowship in Medical Education, with her scholarship focusing on power, hierarchy, anti-oppression, and identity formation.

Dr. Sharda has received several awards, including the Pauline Alakija Trailblazer Award (2022), the Certificate of Merit Award from the Canadian Association of Medical Education (2024), and the Sibley Award from McMaster University (2025).

An anesthesiologist, she chaired the Canadian Anesthesia Society's physician wellness committee from 2019 to 2023, integrating wellness and equity into national standards.

Her biggest achievement to date is avoiding being hit by flying soccer balls from the feet of her 9-year-old and 12-year-old sons!

Dr. Andrea Simpson

MD, MSc, FRCSC

Dr. Andrea Simpson is an Obstetrician Gynecologist and Minimally Invasive Surgeon at St. Michael's Hospital and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.

She is a Clinical Epidemiologist and Adjunct Scientist at ICES. Her areas of research interest include physician health and wellness, healthcare delivery and access to health services. She has received grant funding from the Physicians Health Services Incorporated (PSI) foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). She is active in undergraduate and postgraduate education and has received several teaching awards, including the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) National Faculty Award.

Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass

MD, FRCOG (UK), FRCS(C), Cert. Q.I (U of T)

President-Elect, Federation of Medical Women of Canada

Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass is the president-elect of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada. She was 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. Sean Wharton

MD, PharmD

Dr. Wharton has his doctorate in Pharmacy and Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is the medical director of the Wharton Medical Clinic, a community based internal medicine weight management and diabetes clinic. He is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and adjunct professor at McMaster University in Hamilton and York University in Toronto. He is the lead author of the 2020 Canadian Obesity Guidelines and has published many peer-reviewed articles in international medical journals.

Dr. Wharton is involved in activism to achieve health equity in Canada. He founded the BMSA (Black Medical Students Association) at the University of Toronto in 2000. The BMSA is now a recognized mentorship organization across Canada.