The OMA Physician Leadership Program
Nurturing the leadership talents of our doctors to enable health-system transformation and equitable patient care for all Ontarians
Following a successful three years since its 2023 launch, the OMA’s innovative Physician Leadership Program is excited to roll out its fourth offering in partnership with the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
This premier program — which inspires graduates to step forward for leadership roles and garners rave reviews from its alumni — is uniquely designed to give emerging and established leaders the critical skills necessary to drive Ontario’s health-system transformation to benefit our doctors and patients.
The program, offered exclusively to our members, accepts 30 applicants annually who have pioneering ideas, a passion for change and a commitment to learning alongside like-minded thought leaders in health care.
Never has physician leadership been more important to help mitigate the health-care challenges we face. Be it the primary care shortage, overcrowded emergency departments or stymying administrative burden, the current health-care system requires us to stand united and act as agents of change, together.
Who should apply?
We encourage you to apply if you are:
- Willing and able to commit the time required to participate in person during the program. The 10-day curriculum is delivered in four modules, over 2.5 days each. The program runs for approximately 10 months from February to November 2026
- Currently not serving on the OMA’s Board of Directors
- Currently involved in or expect to take on a leadership role
- Can recognize and affect change
- See great opportunity for renewal and improvement in our current health-care system
- Committed to learning in a group setting and see value in peer learning communities
- A member in good standing with the OMA and the CPSO
- A practising physician in the province of Ontario
Program structure
Our OMA Physician Leadership Program is a comprehensive learning experience for you, as an OMA member, that includes independent and group sessions. The sessions will be held in person in Toronto at the Rotman campus at 105 St. George St. The program duration for each annual cohort runs approximately 10 months from February to November 2026.
The 10-day program will be delivered in four modules, over 2.5 days each on the following days:
Co-consulting teams
The co-consulting teams support participants as they develop approaches to manage the challenges they face in their individual practice, as well as at the regional and system level. Co-consulting teams, which are formed among participants, are designed to manifest trust and respect between participants and provide another way for them to connect and support one another.
Action learning projects
Participants must come to the program with a proposed transformational change initiative for some part of the health-care system. The projects provide an anchor for the program and inform individual coursework. Throughout the program, participants will apply what they learn and develop a plan to address an interpersonal, organizational or health-system challenge.
Action Learning Projects must be actionable, though not necessarily implemented before the end of the program.
The ALPs vary considerably in nature, scope, timeline and, in some cases, sensitivity/confidentiality. There will be time during the program for participants to discuss ALPs with their consulting group (formed in Module 1).
As an endpoint to keep in mind, and aligned with the program’s purpose and Module 4, specifically, participants will create an ALP poster that:
- Describes the problem or opportunity (the “issue”), which may have evolved from the initial project proposal
- Explains the approach or process for addressing the issue (e.g., data, interviews, research about other systems or industries, etc.)
- Identified the stakeholders to engage
- Outlines the end-state recommendation(s) and expected benefit(s)
- Details the change or implementation process (what was done or would be recommended)
- Describe any personal reflections (e.g., what was learned, any changes to the approach, wished to have known earlier, what could have been done differently, etc.)
Applications must describe the following about your proposed ALP:
- Problem or opportunity you are trying to solve
- Ideal future state and the anticipated benefits of your recommended change
- Stakeholder(s) who can affect or be affected by your change initiative
- Impact or reach of your project
- Relevance of your proposed project in achieving the five goals: better outcomes, lower costs, improved patient experience, improved provider experience, health equity
- Efforts you have made to solve the issue
- The obstacles, barriers or risks you encountered or anticipate
Action Learning Projects will be supported by the program’s academic director and evaluated considering five goals: better outcomes, lower costs, improved patient experience, improved provider experience and health equity.
I’m so glad I took the chance as participating in the PLP has opened so many more doors, and helped me prepare to make the most of those opportunities.
The program will challenge your thinking, help you grow, and potentially help position yourself to make a far more efficient and greater impact on those around you, including patients, and the system itself. Worth every second and penny.
The most valuable takeaway from the program was a more in-depth understanding of my own strengths and skills as a developing leader. I was able to develop skills that have since helped me become a more effective and empathetic leader. I have been able to leverage the skills gained to advocate for my PLP project at the ministry level.
Through a greater understanding of navigating the health-care system, I have partnered with additional stakeholders at the hospital and Ontario Health to try and get funding for the clinical program.
Fantastic program. 10/10. Inspiring. Reduced my burnout and intellectually stimulating.
The program has given me insights into areas of development and learning in leadership discipline, some of which I didn’t even know existed prior to the program. Seeing health care more conceptually, outside of the daily routine, truly inspires to think broader, beyond the usual box of daily grind, burnout, lack of resource, administrative restrictions, etc.
The OMA PLP experience brings together existing leaders and emerging leaders; the biggest benefit from the program is this shared experience. Learning from others who are facing similar challenges and meeting others from across Ontario who are also motivated to improve patient care processes was incredibly uplifting. The high-quality teaching stimulated new ways of thinking about and engaging with challenges in health care.
This is one of the best courses I have ever taken, and I would highly recommend it to any current and future health-care leaders.
I entered the program to learn more about how to navigate the health-care system’s behind the scenes and learning what is the best way to advocate for change. I feel I have new tools to be a better leader, but I also learned that I am not alone in the community of change – I met 29 amazing doctors who strive for improvement in our system.
OMA Physician Leadership Advisory Network
The OMA Physician Leadership Advisory Network and the supported platform allow participants to connect with advisers who might otherwise be difficult to access. It helps participants consider and plan for possible leadership role(s) over their careers. The network is available to PLP graduates, allowing them continued access to advisers and their peers within the OMA-Rotman cohorts.
Program fees
To ensure you have access to leadership and professional development opportunities and will be at the table to inform and shape the future of health care, we are subsidizing a portion of the fees for this program. This commitment aims to have a meaningful impact on advancing our medical profession.
Members who are selected for the Physician Leadership Program will provide a personal co-payment of $3,500. This represents significant savings relative to the cost of individual course registration. The OMA will also reimburse most additional costs incurred when attending the program, including travel and accommodations.