General Assembly
The GA sets priorities and makes recommendations to address challenges facing the profession
The OMA General Assembly is made up of the General Assembly Steering Committee, the Priority and Leadership Group, networks and panels and working groups.
Updates from the GASC chair
Steering committee
Priority and Leadership Group
Panels and working groups
How the General Assembly works
Now in its fourth year, the General Assembly continues to grow as a mechanism for grassroots engagement, helping to bring member perspectives directly into the work of the organization.
This structure is part of the modernization of the OMA governance model that represents members more effectively. The GA sets priorities and makes recommendations to address the opportunities and challenges facing the profession. It empowers all members by connecting them more directly to elected bodies and the decision-making process, while providing transparency into how the association functions.
What's new
On March 26, 2025, the Board of Directors approved a new position description for Priority and Leadership Group delegates. Read the new PLG delegate position description.
The PLG position description has been updated with the following:
- Appointment of a PLG delegate alternate and their eligibility
- Outlining leadership responsibilities
Please contact info@oma.org for any questions about PLG delegate alternates.
General Assembly groups and membership
General Assembly Steering Committee
The General Assembly Steering Committee is an oversight committee that ensures the General Assembly, with its various entities, fulfills its mandate and functions effectively. The GASC reports directly to the Board of Directors and ensures the General Assembly has clear and transparent communications, and that all entities, activities and processes adhere to the OMA governance policies and the General Assembly charter.
Committee members:
- Dr. Alykhan Abdulla, chair
- Dr. Gregory Rose, vice-chair
- Dr. Joy Hataley, member-at-large
- Dr. Ross Male, member-at-large
- Dr. Cindy Wang, member-at-large
Priority and Leadership Group
There are 125 Priority and Leadership Group delegates. The goals of collaboration, representation and diversity require that delegates to the Priority and Leadership Group reflect the broad diversity of the profession as a whole.
Priority and Leadership Group delegates represent diversity in their type of medical practice, leadership experience, region, gender, as well as other characteristics. In their work, they not only represent the interests of their constituency groups, but the larger physician community. As a member of a constituency group’s elected leadership, delegates consistently solicit feedback from members within their constituency, while acting as their information resource and bringing the issues emerging from their constituency to the Priority and Leadership Group.
Key dates
Spring 2025 Priority and Leadership Group meeting
- May 24—25, 2025, in Toronto
Fall 2025 General Assembly meeting
- Nov. 22—23, 2025
Spring 2026 Priority and Leadership Group meeting
- May 30—31, 2026
Fall 2026 General Assembly meeting
- Nov. 21—22, 2026
Spring 2027 Priority and Leadership Group meeting
- May 29—30, 2027
Fall 2027 General Assembly meeting
- Nov. 20—21, 2027
Contact us
Questions? Send us an email for more information about the General Assembly. For questions specific to your section, please connect with its executive members.
Panels and working groups
General Assembly panels oversee the development of solutions-focused recommendations for consideration by the OMA Board of Directors, while seeking to understand the varied perspectives of members.
However, the majority of General Assembly activity will be concentrated within working groups. Working group recommendations will be reviewed by the panels prior to being sent to the OMA Board of Directors. Working group members will:
- Contribute consistently and meaningfully to the work of the General Assembly
- Support the advisory function of the General Assembly
- Constructively engage with fellow General Assembly working group members, panel members, the General Assembly delegate body and constituency group elected leaders as required to fulfill their mandate
Advocacy, communications and engagement panel charter 
ACE panel members:
- Dr. Lisa Salamon, chair
- Dr. Julie Kovacs, vice-chair
- Dr. Rayuda Koka
- Dr. Gareth Seaward
- Dr. Dannica Switzer
- Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, OMA president
Working group on comprehensive HHR advocacy including portable licensure
Mandate: To develop recommendations on advocacy for a comprehensive HHR strategy including potable licensure for underserved areas
Working group members:
- Dr. Alexandre Petiquan, chair
- Dr. Olivia Cheng
- Dr. Aviraj Deshmukh
- Dr. Marc Gabel
- Dr. Hamidah Meghani
- Dr. Vivian Tam
Health policy panel members:
- Dr. Lisa Berger
- Dr. Dharmendra Doobay
- Dr. Michael Finkelstein, chair
- Dr. Jane Purvis, vice-chair
- Dr. Nathan Roth
- Dr. Haroon Yousuf
Working group on centralized requisition for diagnostic imaging
Mandate: To develop high-quality recommendations to address centralized requisitions for ordering diagnostic imaging tests.
Working group members:
- Dr. Farah Abdulsatar
- Dr. Brenda Copps
- Dr. Marilyn Crabtree (observer)
- Dr. Edward Hirvi
- Dr. Scott Laing
- Dr. Winnie Lee
- Dr. Ryan Margau
- Dr. Faysal Naji
General Assembly Panels Charter
Compensation panel members:
- Dr. Robert Dinniwell
- Dr. Eric Goldszmidt, chair
- Dr. Kathleen Gregory
- Dr. Jane Healey
- Dr. Mark Kaluzienski, vice-chair
- Dr. Karima Khamisa
- Dr. David Schieck
Progess to date
More than 200 ideas have been submitted by members across the province. These submissions have improved in both quality and strategic alignment, thanks to refinements in intake and prioritization processes.
The Priority and Leadership Group has defined 12 formal priorities to date, and the board has already supported multiple sets of related recommendations. Most recently, the PLG’s Reducing Delays in Patient Care Working Group brought forward a palliative care advocacy plan and a new advocacy toolkit – offering a targeted strategy to address systemic challenges in access to palliative care and equipping physicians with resources to support grassroots advocacy efforts.
GA-related structures and policies have continued to evolve based on member feedback to increase efficiency, and build stronger, more coordinated member voice in OMA decision-making. OMA working groups formed through the GA process have also drawn external recognition. Physicians participating in these groups have been asked by the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health and other system partners to share insights on their work and contribute their expertise – extending the impact of the GA beyond the association itself.