Our Year in Review
As 2025 draws to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on a year defined by connection, learning, and community. Throughout the year, we gathered across Ontario to create spaces that supported growth, encouraged dialogue, and strengthened relationships among Black physicians, medical learners, and allied health professionals.
The year began with our 16th Annual Health Symposium, bringing together clinicians and learners for a full day of accredited education focused on health issues disproportionately affecting Black communities. Beyond the formal sessions, mentorship conversations began over lunch, residents connected with attending physicians who had once navigated similar challenges, and the learning extended into the hallways and breaks between presentations.
In March, we marked International Women's Day with Pilates sessions hosted across our regional hubs. The gatherings offered medical learners an opportunity to step away from clinical demands and connect with peers. The conversations that followed, over coffee and shared meals, reinforced the connection between personal wellness and community care.
As new residents prepared to begin training, we partnered with BRPO and BPC to host our second annual PGY1 Bootcamp. The event focused on easing the transition into residency through honest conversation. Senior residents shared what they wished they had known, physicians offered perspective on navigating those first on-call shifts, and incoming residents found reassurance in realizing they were not alone in their concerns or uncertainties.
In June, we gathered for our annual Gala to honour Dr. Nah-Amakuma Barnor, Dr. Anna Jarvis, Dr. Remi Ogundimu, Dr. Miriam Rossi, and Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass. The evening celebrated the leadership and contributions of Black women whose work has shaped medical education, advocacy, and mentorship. Their presence and the stories shared throughout the night underscored both the progress made and the responsibility we carry to continue building pathways for future generations.
Over the summer, we welcomed incoming and returning medical learners at our annual Medical Learners BBQ. The event brought together students, residents, international medical graduates, staff physicians, and families in an informal setting. Across tables and conversations, connections formed between those just beginning their journey and those further along the path.
In August, we did something we had never done before. At TIFF Lightbox, we hosted the premiere of The Blackprint, BPAO's first documentary. The film centred the emotional lives and wellness of Black men in medicine and beyond, exploring what is often left unspoken in clinical and personal spaces. The panel discussion that followed created room for honest conversation about vulnerability, mental health, and the particular challenges Black men face in navigating medicine as both practitioners and patients.
As the year progressed, we continued our commitment to professional development and community building. Our annual Golf Fundraiser Tournament brought members together for an afternoon of conversation and connection. Through our Women's Health CPD program, we strengthened participants' ability to provide culturally safe, evidence-based care across the reproductive lifespan.
Looking back, 2025 was built in the relationships formed and deepened throughout the year. In mentorship that began with a single conversation. In the support offered during transitions. In the courage to share experiences and ask difficult questions. The year reminded us that building community in medicine requires intention, consistency, and the ongoing commitment to ensuring that no one walks this path alone.
To our members, partners, and sponsors, thank you for making this year possible. Your support and commitment to this community made each of these gatherings a reality.