What happens when a clinical expert has to become an organizational leader?

In this roundtable, four physician-leaders unpack what really happens when clinicians step into leadership — the identity shift, the hard part nobody talks about, the system you can't control, and what the future will demand from leaders everywhere.

Framed as a learning journey, the host, Anthony DiValentino learns alongside you. This conversation is about  leadership transition and executive leadership — not just healthcare. If you've ever been promoted for being great at your craft and then had to learn to lead people, systems, and change, this is for you. You'll hear candid stories on clinical leadership , team trust, and leadership development that apply far beyond medicine.

In this episode:

• ​The Moment Everything Changed — the decision to lead
• ​The Hard Part Nobody Talks About — what no one prepares you for
• ​The System — leading inside constraints you don't control
• ​The Future — what next-generation leaders need now

Featuring:

Dr. Alun Ackery, Vice President & Chief Medical Officer at Unity Health Toronto

Dr. Dave Roberts, Dean of External Education at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Varun Kapila, Lead of Vascular at Ontario Health

Dr. Ahmed Taher, Deputy Chief of Staff & Quality Improvement Lead at Mackenzie Health

Tell us in the comments: what was the hardest part of your own transition into leadership?

Chapters:

00:00 What happens when clinicians step into leadership?

02:15 The Moment Everything Changed

14:30 The Hard Part Nobody Talks About

26:45 The System

38:20 The Future

48:00 Closing Round — One Thing They'd Tell Their Younger Self

#LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveLeadership #ClinicalLeadership

Breaking Silos is brought to you by Rhythmic Media: https://getrhythmic.com

Thanks to our episode sponsor:

J&J Welsh Financial Services & Cooperators Group.

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Peel Region is home to 1.8 million people — and one of the worst physician shortages in Ontario. The answer isn't importing doctors. It's training them here.

In this episode of Breaking Silos in Canadian Healthcare, Dr. Valerie Mueller (TMU School of Medicine) and Dr. Alison Freeland (Trillium Health Partners) break down the community-embedded training model they're building together — and why 70–80% of doctors who train in a region go on to practice there.

This isn't just a local story. It's a blueprint for how Canada rebuilds its medical workforce from the ground up.

What we cover: → Why the traditional academic training model fails communities like Peel → How the TMU / Trillium partnership is structured — and what makes it different → Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME): what it actually means for practice-ready doctors → The retention data that should be driving national policy → Whether this model can scale — and what's standing in the way

Presented by 407 ETR.

In this episode of Breaking Silos in Canadian Healthcare, we sit down with four accomplished OB/GYN leaders — Dr. Esther Chin, Dr. Michelle Jacobson, Dr. Nayla Khan, and Dr. Meghan McGrattan — for a thoughtful conversation about women’s health across different stages of life.We explore the reality that women’s health remains under-researched and too often under-addressed, leading to long delays in diagnosis and care. The discussion touches on the importance of listening to patients, the role of leadership in medicine, and the need to move beyond outdated models that leave too many women feeling dismissed or unheard.Across the conversation, the panel reflects on:- Caring for women medically and surgically across the lifespan.- What it means to lead as women in medicine and healthcare.- How family life, career demands, and professional responsibility intersect.- The cultural and systemic shifts needed to improve women’s health outcomes.- Why common symptoms still too often go untreated or normalized.This is a conversation about leadership, care, and the real-world experience of women working to improve the system from within.Featuring:Dr. Esther Chin, OBGYN & Global Surgery Lead, McMaster University & Hamilton Health Sciences, Co-Founder, STITCH Surgical ModelsDr. Michelle Jacobson, OBGYN & Menopause Specialist, William Osler Health System, Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer, Coven Women's HealthDr. Nayla Khan, OBGYN, William Osler Health SystemDr. Meghan McGrattan, OBGYN & Endometriosis Surgeon, Mackenzie Health System, Co-Host, The Push PodcastPresented by: Johnson & Johnson MedTechFollow us:Instagram: @breakingsiloscanada

LinkedIn: Breaking Silos in Canadian Healthcare

"Just because something is common does not mean that it is normal." In this upcoming episode of Breaking Silos in Canadian Healthcare, we are joined by Dr. Esther Chin, Dr. Michelle Jacobson, Dr. Megan McGrattan, and Dr. Naila Khan to address the urgent need for a more comprehensive approach to women’s health. We discuss the patriarchal roots of current medical systems, the "altar of sacrifice" culture, and how leadership is the key to breaking the cycle of physician burnout and patient dismissal. Listen to this trailer for a first look at our critical panel discussion.

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Clinic days are full. The tech was supposed to help.

In this episode of Breaking Silos in Canadian Healthcare, OntarioMD leaders Dr. Chandi Chandrasena and Dr. Darren Larsen sit down to talk honestly about what digital health is actually doing to clinic days in Ontario—where it’s working, where it’s clearly not, and how teams are quietly bending the tools back toward patient care.

We get past the buzzwords and into the lived experience: overflowing inboxes, too many portals, and the emotional load of feeling like you’re charting more than you’re caring. Then we zoom out to the bigger questions: Which workflows are worth redesigning? Where can AI scribes and smarter integrations give clinicians time back? And what does it look like when vendors, clinicians, and organizations pull in the same direction instead of talking past each other?

If you’ve ever felt like your EMR and digital tools are running your day instead of supporting it, this conversation is for you—and for anyone trying to build a better version of “normal” in Canadian primary care.Visit OntarioMD.live to register for the conference.

Are you a clinician or admin?

Register now at OntarioMD.live

#DigitalHealth #CanadianHealthcare #PrimaryCare #VirtualCare #HealthIT #OntarioMD

Clinic days are full. The tech was supposed to help.

In this episode of Breaking Silos in Canadian Healthcare, OntarioMD leaders Dr. Chandi Chandrasena and Dr. Darren Larsen sit down to talk honestly about what digital health is actually doing to clinic days in Ontario—where it’s working, where it’s clearly not, and how teams are quietly bending the tools back toward patient care.

We get past the buzzwords and into the lived experience: overflowing inboxes, too many portals, and the emotional load of feeling like you’re charting more than you’re caring. Then we zoom out to the bigger questions: Which workflows are worth redesigning? Where can AI scribes and smarter integrations give clinicians time back? And what does it look like when vendors, clinicians, and organizations pull in the same direction instead of talking past each other?

If you’ve ever felt like your EMR and digital tools are running your day instead of supporting it, this conversation is for you—and for anyone trying to build a better version of “normal” in Canadian primary care.

Visit OntarioMD.live to register for the conference.

Administrative burden and digital overload are burning out clinicians and staff in primary care, even as digital health tools and EMRs promise to make life easier. In this OntarioMD Digital Health Virtual Symposium trailer, we explore how to reduce digital health burden, optimize EMR/EHR workflows, and think realistically about AI scribes in everyday clinical practice. Hear OntarioMD leaders talk about real‑world digital health, clinician burnout, and what it takes to make new tools actually stick in busy community clinics.#DigitalHealth #HealthTech #AdministrativeBurden #OntarioMD

Millions of Canadians are struggling to find primary care, even though the Canada Health Act says we should all have reasonable access to medically necessary services. In this roundtable, nurse practitioner leaders from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario talk candidly about what it feels like to be “on an island and drowning,” how outdated laws and insurance rules quietly block NP care, and why professional associations are actually structural power if we want the system to change.They share real examples from clinics and communities, unpack who is really providing primary care right now, and make the case for using NPs more fully as part of the solution to Canada’s primary care crisis.#abpoli #onpoli #healthcare #healthcareprofessionals #media

In the middle of a nationwide primary-care crunch, nurse practitioners from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario step out from behind the exam room door and into the spotlight. Over sixty minutes, they compare what care looks like in three very different provinces: how team-based clinics work on the ground, what happens when legislation, funding models and methods of data-entry leave their work invisible. As stories of red tape, burnout and quiet innovation pile up, the roundtable becomes less about abstract policy and more about the people quietly holding primary care together.

#cdnpoli #onpoli #abpoli #healthcare

Filmed at the OntarioMD Digital Health Conference 2025, this episode explores how tech adoption, workflow solutions, and data-driven care are transforming Canadian clinics. Dr. Joel Moktar, Orthopaedic Surgeon (QuickChart), Dr. Paul Cano, Family Physician (OntarioMD), and Stephanie Stamatakis (Dynacare Insurance Solutions)reveal what’s next in health tech, AI, and integration; helping providers deliver high-quality care for all Canadians.

#HealthTech #MedTech #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #OntarioMD #DHC2025 #QualityCare #DataDrivenCare #CareIntegration #GlobalHealth #shorts #viral #BreakingSilos