AMEE CEO, Anne Lloyd, reflects on her recent visit to Canada to attend The International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM).
In April, I had the opportunity to visit colleagues across Canada, combining institutional visits with attendance at the International Conference on Academic Medicine in Ottawa.
These visits are an important part of AMEE’s work, providing an opportunity not only to share our evolving direction, but also to listen, strengthen relationships, and better understand the opportunities and challenges shaping Health Professions Education internationally.
Toronto: Leadership, collaboration, and innovation
My visit began in Toronto at the Wilson Centre, part of the University of Toronto. It was a pleasure to spend part of the visit alongside AMEE President Ayelet Kuper, discussing the future direction of both AMEE and the wider Health Professions Education landscape.
One of the highlights was delivering a Special Rounds presentation reflecting on leadership and my experiences over the past three and a half years as CEO of AMEE. The discussions that followed explored leadership through change, building community, and how organisations continue to evolve in increasingly complex environments.
I was also delighted to spend time with Brian Hodges, one of our plenary speakers for the upcoming AMEE Conference. Our conversations reinforced the importance of creating space within our conferences for deeper discussions around identity, systems, leadership, and the future of education.
A visit to the School of Pharmacy also provided valuable insight into curriculum transformation and educational innovation, particularly how programmes are adapting to changing healthcare needs and learner expectations.
Ottawa: Partnerships and future thinking
I then travelled to Ottawa for ICAM, where it was wonderful to connect with many colleagues who are also active members of the AMEE community.
Canada continues to be one of our key “anchor countries”, contributing significantly to both participation and scholarship within AMEE.
Alongside the conference, I visited the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Department of Medical Innovation at the University of Ottawa and a strong theme throughout these conversations was the growing need for collaboration across institutions and professions, alongside recognition that Health Professions Education is entering a period of significant transformation.
Particularly interesting were discussions around futurism and the need to think beyond traditional strategic planning.
Institutions are increasingly grappling with uncertainty, technological disruption, workforce pressures, and changing societal expectations, and educational organisations need to become more adaptive, anticipatory, and connected in response.
I also spent time with faculty members and PhD students, which I found especially valuable.
Hearing directly from emerging scholars provided an important perspective on the realities facing the next generation of educators and researchers, and their enthusiasm and commitment was genuinely inspiring.
Montreal: Capability, scholarship, and community
The final stage of my visit took me to Montreal and the Institute of Health Sciences Education at McGill University, where I participated as a visiting scholar and delivered an interactive session on “Shaping the future of Health Professions Education: Defining educator capability together”.
What struck me most during my time in Montreal was the depth of scholarship and the openness to thoughtful discussion around the future of Health Professions Education.
Conversations explored educator identity, faculty development, capability, and the importance of creating stronger links between scholarship, professional development, and educational practice.
The engagement with AMEE’s developing education capability framework was particularly encouraging, with many colleagues seeing it as an opportunity to bring greater coherence and shared language to educator development internationally.
Home: Reflection, inspiration, and a shared direction
Now back at home, I have taken time to reflect on my trip and everything I heard and learnt during my visits across Canada.
Across all of my conversations, one theme emerged consistently: a strong appetite for greater coherence in how we think about educator development, capability, scholarship, and professional identity.
It was extremely encouraging to see the level of interest in AMEE’s developing education capability framework and to hear colleagues describe it as both timely and positive.
What I found most inspiring throughout the trip was the openness of colleagues to engage in honest and forward-looking conversations about the future.
There was clear recognition that Health Professions Education is evolving rapidly, and that stronger international dialogue, collaboration, and shared frameworks will be essential in helping guide that evolution.
These visits also reinforced the importance of spending time within institutions and communities outside the annual conference environment for me.
Conferences are invaluable for bringing people together, but visits such as these allow for deeper dialogue, reflection, and listening.
I returned from Canada feeling both encouraged and inspired, encouraged by the strength of the global Health Professions Education community, and inspired by the shared commitment to shaping a better future for learners, educators, healthcare systems, and ultimately patients.
I am really looking forward to my next trip which will be to Brazil to attend the IV International Congress on Innovation and Research in Health Education (CIIPES 2026).
Finally, my sincere thanks to the many colleagues who gave their time so generously during my visit.
In particular, I would like to thank Ayelet Kuper, Cynthia Whitehead, Lionel Green-Thompson, Ryan Brydges, Brian Hodges, David Wiljer, Tina Martimianakis, Naomi Steenhof, Jerry Maniate, Connie LeBlanc, Anna Karwowska, Tanya Horsley, Chris Watling, Vicki LeBlanc, Tim Wood, Linda Snell, Richard Cruess, Meredith Young and Yvonne Steinert, along with the many others who contributed to such a thoughtful and enriching visit.
