OTTAWA, Ont., May 8, 2026 – Dr. Rebecca Hicks, a family physician from Toronto, Ont., today becomes the 145th president of the Ontario Medical Association and a leading voice for the province’s 50,000 doctors, residents and medical students.
Dr. Hicks was installed for her one-year term at the association’s Annual General Meeting in Ottawa on May 7. She practices family medicine in Toronto and completed both her medical degree and residency at the University of Toronto.
“We don’t have enough spots in family practice for patients in Ontario,” said Dr. Hicks. “There isn’t a week that goes by that I’m not asked if I can take on a family member or a friend. This is being felt across the province, and it’s something we need to focus on.”
“We need to increase access for patients while also making family medicine a sustainable career for physicians,” she added. “Team-based care is critical. It improves access and ensures doctors are supported so they can provide better care.”
Dr. Hicks provides comprehensive primary care and has been actively involved in physician advocacy at the local, regional and provincial levels, with a focus on strengthening primary care and improving system sustainability.
“My role is to work with physicians to understand what needs to change in their environment and set them up for success,” she said. “Reducing administrative burden will increase access for patients and allow physicians to focus on the work they are trained to do.”
Dr. Hicks succeeds Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman as OMA President, marking the first time in the association's 145-year history that two women have served consecutively in the role.
Dr. Abdurrahman made history as the OMA’s first Black female president and led the association through a successful physician services arbitration and the introduction of the FHO+ model. She will continue to serve the OMA as its immediate past president.
“Dr. Abdurrahman’s leadership has strengthened the voice of Ontario’s doctors and delivered meaningful progress for the profession. I am honoured to build on that work,” said Dr. Hicks.
“I’m really excited to partner with Dr. Abdurrahman as the first back-to-back women presidents in the OMA’s history. Representation matters. When people see themselves reflected in leadership, it opens doors for what they believe is possible.”
OMA members have chosen Dr. Haroon Yousuf, an internal medicine physician and head of hospital medicine at Hamilton Health Sciences, as their president-elect.
Dr. Yousuf is an associate professor of medicine at McMaster University, where he also serves as deputy program director of the internal medicine residency program. He will work closely with Dr. Hicks throughout her presidency.
The Ontario Medical Association represents Ontario’s 50,000-plus physicians, medical students and retired physicians, advocating for and supporting doctors while strengthening the leadership role of doctors in caring for patients. Our vision is to be the trusted voice in transforming Ontario’s health-care system.
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OMA Media Relations
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