ACP Ontario Chapter Scientific Meeting

November 3-4, 2023
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
ACP Global Ambassador reflections by: Mukta Panda, MD, MACP FRCP-London, and Tammy Lin, MD, MPH, FACP

It was indeed a true honor to be invited and hosted as Global Ambassadors for the ACP Ontario Chapter Meeting. Governor Dr. Khalid Azzam, the Governor’s Council members, and the staff were extremely gracious and welcoming. Dr. Azzam, Dr. Ahraaz Wyne, and Ashley Bourdeau generously met with us to help inform and shape our interactive session a few weeks before the meeting. Overall, the meeting was a terrific success! It was apparent that the Scientific Planning Committee had given intentional and detailed consideration to meeting the needs of their membership. The program included information for medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty in various stages of their careers. There were approximately 15-20 medical students and residents present during the poster competition on Friday evening and approximately 50 members from multiple career stages present during the scientific sessions.

The poster session on Friday evening highlighted scholarly work presented by student and resident authors. We served as judges alongside Dr. Hassan Mir and Dr. George Dresser. Our task was not easy by any means. Listening to the accomplishments of the presenters, coupled with their hard work, commitment, and passion was a true joy. Their work was impressive and enlightening as future physicians and physicians-in-training. It was also a reflection of collaborative efforts with their mentors, many of whom were also present for support. The didactic and scientific sessions were outstanding: filled with practical clinical pearls and timely updates delivered by both Internal Medicine specialists and subspecialists and those from other specialties. The moderators did a nice job of allowing enough time for robust discussions and questions. We were also treated to a fascinating journey through the history and evolution of renal care delivery in Ontario by Dr. Paul Tam, this year’s chapter Laureate Award winner. The Doctor’s Dilemma session, a medical quiz style game, hosted by Dr. Ahraaz Wyne (and assisted by Dr. George Dresser and Dr. Khalid Azzam) generated a lot of healthy competition. Dr. Wyne also saved some questions for the audience at the end. This addition generated enthusiastic participation from everyone and kept us all engaged and learning. The Town Hall, facilitated by Dr. Azzam, was also very informative and generated excellent conversation highlighting the opportunities within and resources offered by ACP and the Ontario Chapter.

Our session, Promoting Physician Well-being: Red Flags, Blue Zones, and Evergreen Strategies, generated multiple conversations during the meeting. It is always a privilege to present together and there seemed to be a lot of enthusiasm for both the topic of physician well-being as well as increasing engagement. At an elegant dinner Friday night, we had the opportunity to learn more about the Chapter and the health care system in Canada. This was very helpful to help us promote a culture of well-being as well as learn what resources may be available and beneficial at a systems level. During our session, we enjoyed hosting an interactive activity with rich participation by Chapter members and attendees and introducing a workbook with prompts and resources that everyone could take with them. Dr. Azzam will also be able to use the information collected during our session to help advance their chapter goals and programming in these areas. He was very open to the idea of continuing to collaborate with us after the meeting and we met to debrief and discuss next steps, follow up, and future collaborations. This is very exciting because it presents an opportunity for multiple North American Chapters and leaders to collaborate closely on a more ongoing basis and for members to network further around shared interests across chapters and countries.

In keeping with the detailed planning, the meeting ended with an invitation for the members and their families to attend a social event at Niagara Parks Power Station for an epic sight and sound night show inside the heart of the power plant. Being so close to Niagara Falls was an added treat. A long walk in the afternoon prior to the meeting and then again at night on the way to the event offered the opportunity to be witness to the beauty, power, and graciousness of Mother Nature. Truly soul filling and humbling - a memory and gift that will keep on giving. This was a great experience!