The OMA Physician Leadership Program

Nurturing the leadership talents of doctors to enable health-system transformation and equitable patient care for all Ontarians

Following a successful two years since its 2023 launch, the OMA’s innovative Physician Leadership Program is excited to roll out its third year 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 leaders critical skills necessary to drive Ontario’s health-system transformation that benefits our doctors and patients.  

The program, offered exclusively to OMA 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 in these challenging times.  

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 stymieing administrative burden.  

Find out more about this one-of-a-kind program and the leadership opportunities at the OMA during this panel discussion during which OMA Past President Dr. Rose Zacharias, OMA Board Chair Dr. Cathy Faulds and Rotman School of Management’s Brian Golden dive into the PLP’s unique features, the importance of physician leadership and more.

Watch a panel discussion to learn more about the program and leadership in the OMA

OMA Past President Dr. Rose Zacharias, Board Chair Dr. Cathy Faulds and Rotman School of Management’s Brian Golden discuss features of the program, the value of physician leadership and more.

Who should apply?

We encourage you to apply if you are: 

  • Willing and able to commit the time required to participate in 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 2025 
  • 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

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Apply for the 2025 PLP

Applications are now open for 2025. Members who meet the requirements are encouraged to apply to the program for the 2025 year. Application packages that have been submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 1 will be reviewed and members will be notified at the end of the selection process.

Complete the application form

Contact us

If you have any questions about the program or scholarships contact the OMA.

info@oma.org

Program structure

The 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 OMA offices at 150 Bloor St. W. and the Rotman campus at 105 St. George St. The program duration for each annual cohort runs approximately 10 months from February to November 2025. 

The 10-day program will be delivered in four modules, over 2.5 days each on the following days:

  1. Adaptive Change in Complex Systems: Leading with Purpose
  2. The Resilient Leader
  3. The Psychology of Persuasion and Influence
  4. Emotional Intelligence: Lifelines

  1. AI and Analytics: Decision Making, Measurement and Evaluation
  2. Negotiation for Results
  3. Powerful Conversations and Storytelling
  4. Storytelling and Visioning

  1. In Search of the Perfect Health System
  2. Design and Innovation (Part 1)
  3. Planned Change in Complicated Systems
  4. Emancipatory Leadership: Leveraging Cultural Fluency for Impact

  1. Influencing System Change: Working with Government
  2. Design and Innovation (Part 2)
  3. The Life of the Leader
  4. Personal Development and Behaviour

Detailed course descriptions

Access the full course descriptions

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 health care. 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 and achievable in scope before starting Module 4. 

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: 

  1. Describes the problem or opportunity (the “issue”), which may have evolved from the initial project proposal 
  2. Explains the approach or process for addressing the issue (e.g., data, interviews, research about other systems or industries, etc.) 
  3. Identified the stakeholders to engage 
  4. Outlines the end-state recommendation(s) and expected benefit(s) 
  5. Details the change or implementation process (what was done or would be recommended) 
  6. 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.

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.