2026 MCC Annual Meeting
Right skills, right scope, right time: strengthening Canada’s physician workforce
September 28-29, 2026
1021 Thomas Spratt Place, Ottawa, Ontario
The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) and our Council members look forward to again hosting this year’s Annual Meeting at the MCC building.
Discussion will center on physician mobility and jurisdictional pathways, Canadians studying abroad, supervised practice and associate physician models as well as other emerging pathways for internationally trained physicians.
Format
The format of the 2026 Annual Meeting will include our Council and National Registry of Physicians Data Governance Advisory Committee (NRPDGAC) meetings on September 28, 2026. Please note that these meetings are only open to members. That evening, we welcome all guests to join us for our Awards Dinner to recognize our 2026 award recipients. On September 29, 2026, attendees will have the opportunity to hear a series of speakers during our plenary sessions and participate in two workshops.
Invitations and registration
The 2026 MCC Annual Meeting and each of its sessions are by invitation only. All invitations have been sent, by email, directly from the MCC. Please register using the link provided in the email.
Land acknowledgement
The MCC acknowledges that its office, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation, who continues to care for and sustain the land on which we have the privilege of working.
We honour all Indigenous Peoples and their valuable past, present, and future contributions to this land.
Agenda
Please check back regularly for updates
Monday, September 28, 2026
Medical Council of Canada
1021 Thomas Spratt Place
Ottawa, ON K1G 5L5
7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast
8:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Closed meeting: Council Meeting and Meeting of the Members (Council members, invited Observer, and invited Committee Chairs only)
11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Welcome NRPDGAC members
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Photo session
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Closed meeting: NRPDGAC meeting (Committee members, and invited Observers only)
Speakers
Dr. Gordon Giddings
MCC Council President
Dr. Gordon Giddings is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He completed residency at Western University in Family Medicine and fellowships in Palliative Care at Bruyere Continuing Care (Ottawa) and subspecialty Kidney Palliative Care at the University of Alberta. He was named the Canadian Medical Association Journal’s 10th physician editorial fellow in 2013 and was subsequently appointed Associate Editor in the Research and Practice departments. He is the Clinical Content Editor for Pallium Canada’s Palliative Pocketbook and LEAP (Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative and End-of-Life Care) Workshops.
Dr. Giddings has had the benefit of international work and served as medical director of Hospice Waikato and Rainbow Place (New Zealand’s only pediatric hospice) between 2014 and 2016. He joined the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta in 2016 and is currently an Assistant Registrar with responsibility for the Professional Conduct Department.
Dr. Viren Naik
CEO, MCC
Dr. Naik currently serves as the chief executive officer (CEO) at the MCC and previously served as the chief assessment officer. He holds an esteemed academic appointment of professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa.
Throughout his career, Dr. Naik has made significant contributions to medical education and leadership. He played a pivotal role in designing and establishing health care simulation centres at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto as well as The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Naik’s commitment to medical education led him to serve as the vice president, Education for The Ottawa Hospital, one of Canada’s busiest academic health sciences centers. He has also been a driving force in integrating simulation into CanMEDS for postgraduate education and continuing professional development.
With over 25 years of experience in academic medicine, Dr. Naik is an internationally recognized medical education leader. He boasts an impressive portfolio of over 140 publications and grants, and 250 invited national and international presentations, showcasing his dedication to advancing medical education and practice.
Dr. Samantha Nutt
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Samantha Nutt is an award-winning humanitarian, bestselling author and acclaimed public speaker. A medical doctor and the Founder and President of the renowned humanitarian organizations War Child Canada and War Child USA, Dr. Nutt has worked with children and their families at the frontline of many of the world’s major crises—from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone to Darfur, Sudan.
A leading authority on global health, humanitarian aid and foreign policy, Dr. Nutt is a frequent commentator for major media outlets and a TED speaker whose work has reached audiences worldwide. Her bestselling book, Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid, was a number 1 national bestseller.
Dr. Nutt is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of Ontario in recognition of her contributions to improving the lives of children in conflict zones. She is a staff physician at Women’s College Hospital, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and a Senior Fellow at Massey College.
Visit Dr. Nutt’s website.
Panelists and workshop leaders
Dr. George Abraham
Board Director, FSMB
Dr. George Abraham assumed the role of Chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) for a one-year term.
Dr. Abraham is Chief of Medicine at Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, Massachusetts, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Adjunct Professor at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS).
He is the Emeritus President of the American College of Physicians (ACP) which is the largest internal medicine specialty organization in the world, having served from 2021-22. Prior to that he served as Governor of the Massachusetts Chapter, Chair of the Board of Governors (ACP) and as a member of the Board of Regents (ACP).
He currently serves as a member of the Advisory Commission on Additional Licensing Models (ACALM). Dr. Abraham serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and prior to that, served as the Chair of the Infectious Disease Board of the ABIM.
Dr. Kordan Harvey
Program Director—Core Internal Medicine, General Internal Medicine Physician, The Ottawa Hospital / Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa
Dr. Kordan Harvey is a General Internal Medicine physician at the Ottawa Hospital and the Director of the Core Internal Medicine residency training program. He completed his undergraduate medical training in Ireland at University College Dublin and his medical residency and subspecialty training at the University of Ottawa. His academic areas of interest include point of care ultrasound, medical education, and artificial intelligence.
Dr. Cheryl Holmes
Dean, Ross University School of Medicine
Dr. Cheryl Holmes is Dean of Ross University School of Medicine and a Clinical Professor and former Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education at the University of British Columbia.
Dedicated to supporting the learner journey and fostering a sense of belonging, she is a Canadian leader in medical education whose work focuses on learner wellbeing, inclusive and accessible learning environments, social accountability, and the professional identity formation of future physicians.
Dr. Holmes is the recipient of the Canadian Association for Medical Education Certificate of Merit and the University of Illinois Chicago MHPE Best Thesis Award.
Dr. Lyuba Konopasek
Senior Vice-President, Intealth
Dr. Lyuba Konopasek is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), an SVP at Intealth, and a Visiting Clinical Professor in the Department of Medical Education at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
Dr. Konopasek received a BA in Biology from Brown University, her MD from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, and completed her training in Pediatrics at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She recently served as Senior Associate Dean for Education at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. Prior to joining Netter, she was the Director for Physician Engagement and Well-Being Programs and the Designated Institutional Official for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York, overseeing graduate medical education at both the Columbia and Weill Cornell campuses. She served a three-year term as Associate Dean for Medical Education at the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.
Dr. Konopasek’s activities in medical education span the continuum from undergraduate medical education to residency training and faculty development. She has presented numerous faculty development workshops on topics including physician well-being, competency-based medical education, professionalism, communication skills, and coaching and feedback both nationally and internationally.
Ms. Stephanie Price
Executive Director, FMRAC
Ms. Stephanie Price is a professional engineer who spent the first fifteen years of her career working in the cement industry designing, building and optimizing plants in the Americas. Since then, she has worked in professional regulation, helping federations of regulators achieve results at a national level.
She is a Certified Association Executive, holds the Institute of Corporate Directors’ ICD.D designation, and is currently a director on the Board of Excellence Canada.
MCC Annual Awards Dinner
By invitation only
Fairmont Château Laurier
Laurier Room
1 Rideau Street, Ottawa, Ontario
Monday, September 28, 2026
6:15 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Our exceptional 2026 award recipients will be recognized at this year’s MCC Annual Awards Dinner. Learn more about our awards, the recipients, and their accomplishments.
Pictured is the Dr. Louis Levasseur Award for Distinguished Service.
Accommodation and transportation
MCC staff will contact Council members, NRPDGAC members, speakers, performers, and award recipients directly to arrange accommodation and travel details.
Onsite parking will be available for all guests, in the MCC parking lot, on September 28 and September 29.