Keynote Speakers
Get to know our Keynote Speakers!
Dr. Chika Oriuwa
Physician | Expert in Human Connection, Authentic Leadership, and Organizational Wellness
Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, where she was named the valedictorian of her graduating medical class in 2020. She is a physician, professional spoken word poet, international public speaker, writer, and champion of authentic leadership through genuine human connections.
Presently, Dr. Oriuwa is completing her residency in psychiatry at the University of Toronto where she aims to go on to complete further sub-specialist training in forensic neuro-psychiatry. Dr. Oriuwa has served on a variety boards, using her expertise to influence their efforts in creating equal opportunity and curating spaces of wellness and artistic expression. She is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards and honors, including being recognized as one of Best Health Magazine's '2020 Women of the Year' and TIME Magazine's Next Generation Leaders. Additionally, Dr. Oriuwa was recently honored in Mattel’s #ThankYouHeroes campaign alongside five other women with a one-of-kind Barbie doll made in her image to commemorate her contributions as a frontline healthcare worker.
Dr. Oriuwareleased her first book, a memoir, with Harper Collins entitled ‘Unlike The Rest: A Doctor’s Story’ in 2024.
Dr. Joan Chan
Assistant Professor and Director of the Office of Innovation and Scholarship in Medical Education at the University of Manitoba
Joan Chan is a mother of two sons, a wife of one husband, a new but passionate Swiftie, and a family physician of a thousand patients in Guelph, ON. She also serves her medical community as a restorative medical educator, using courses, workshops and coaching to facilitate the reconnection of medical practitioners with their humanity.
Her podcast, The Other Human in the Room, engages a growing audience of healthcare humans from across the globe. She loves working with burnt out clinicians to build sustainable and even enjoyable experiences of medical practice - and believes this is the key to saving our healthcare system as a whole.
Keynote Session - Day 1 (May 9, 2025)
Dr. Chika Oriuwa - Authentic Leadership
Dr. Oriuwa will share personal challenges regarding systemic barriers within medical institutions and public perceptions highlighting the role of curiosity, courage, and empathy in fostering authentic leadership. Through storytelling and practical insights, attendees will learn how to create transparent, supportive, and values-driven environments. An interactive Q&A will provide space for dialogue on advancing equity in healthcare leadership.
Learning Objectives:
Recognize the importance of ‘Audacious Authenticity’ in the role of bold and effective leadership and individual and organizational wellness.
Re-imagine the idea of wellness as not one that is solely based on individual self-care, but collective care, and our responsibility to safeguard the wellness and authenticity of others
Demonstrate the importance of vulnerability as a leader and how this key trait will not only transform the culture of an organization but also unlock our capacity for compassionate leadership.
Keynote Session - Day 2 (May 10, 2025)
Dr. Joan Chan - The Human Side of Healthcare
Medicine is at a crossroads. Our daily work demands continue to increase, patients' health concerns grow more complex, and yet the system not only fails to rise to these challenges, but instead new cracks appear. In this workshop, Dr Joan Chan will facilitate an exploration of the radical notion that each of us are the other humans in the rooms with our patients. Together we will walk towards the understanding that centering our own humanity is not only necessary for finding satisfaction and joy in our work, but it's actually the most powerful vehicle for systemic change.
Learning Objectives:
Discuss how both the healthcare system and our socialization are major contributors to burnout amongst clinicians.
Explore the concept of our human capacity, and how designing our lives to work under our capacity has long term benefits for ourselves and for our patients.
Utilize a decision-making framework to plan your next realistic, actionable steps towards creating a spacious workflow and life.
