This story includes subject matter that may be difficult. Our physician health and peer support resources are available to you. Find contact and self-referral information at Doc360​.ca.

HeartBeat 2025 was a rhythm of connection, compassion, and reflection at the Fort Garry Hotel, with over 100 members attending.

“Connection is not just a buffer against burnout. It’s a foundation for resilience, advocacy, mentorship, and change,” said then Doctors Manitoba President Dr. Randy Guzman, addressing members at the special event held to recognize diversity and excellence in medicine in addition to the business of the annual general meeting.

Dr. Guzman reflected on his journey from the son of Filipino immigrants to becoming a vascular surgeon.​“I am reminded of the opportunities I’ve had and the barriers others still face. It’s not enough to simply increase diversity. We must also build relationships and structures that ensure every physician feels seen, supported, and valued.”

Confronting Hard Truths

The evening featured a presentation about a preliminary report on a particular part of history of Doctors Manitoba, undertaken with the help of experts from the Manitoba Historical Society. It focused primarily on the discrimination and oppression that has existed in the medical profession, and how Doctors Manitoba contributed to it. It included hard truths and difficult revelations, and comes with a content warning. 

In the early years, as with so many professions, medicine was overwhelmingly male and white. The profession reflected many broader forms of discrimination and structural exclusion in Manitoba’s society. This included derogatory language in business documents and official publications, reinforcing discriminatory stereotypes about women and Indigenous Peoples that helped to legitimize their use. It also included supporting admissions caps on women, Jewish and eastern European medical students. 

The draft report also looks at the present and the future, including progress to a more diverse and equitable profession where everyone belongs, and every patient receives the best possible medical care, regardless of their identity. This includes a profession that more closely reflects the broader population it serves in terms of gender, geography, race, and ethnicity, as well as ensuring the decision-making tables within Doctors Manitoba reflect the membership it serves. After the event, attendees were invited to share their feedback, and this report will then be published for the broader membership later this year. 

Hearing and seeing these facts about the depth and breadth of past oppression can be extremely difficult to hear. If you want to talk, our Doc360 team is here for all members. As we move forward with awareness of these historical truths, in a spirit of reconciliation, we must take advice from experts and those with lived experience to ensure our efforts provide space and time for healing and for action.

Fireside Chat with Dr. Monkman and Premier Kinew

The evening included a fireside chat with Dr. Lisa Monkman and her partner, Premier Wab Kinew. Both shared stories about how increased diversity, whether in medicine or at the Legislature, leads to stronger decisions and better outcomes. 

Dr. Monkman told the heartbreaking story about the death of her aunt, wherein the system failed, and it is an example she has come to share with students about discrimination in health care.​“When we talk about racism in health care, it’s multi-layered, multi-level… sometimes it’s hard to see. It’s easy to point fingers and blame when people act out in racist ways. It’s not about hurting feelings. It’s about saving lives. And we as physicians all have a calling to protect the public.” 

New Endowment Announced

Doctors Manitoba will be creating a new endowment fund with the Max Rady College of Medicine. This is an investment in the future of medicine in Manitoba, helping those who face financial barriers to becoming physicians. Doctors Manitoba will be making an initial contribution of $75,000 towards this endowment.

Opening Membership to MLPIMG

Members also voted by an overwhelming majority to approve a bylaw change expanding Doctors Manitoba membership to physicians in the Medical Licensure Program for International Medical Graduates, or MLPIMG. With this new recognition, MLPIMG physicians will be supported and welcomed as part of the medical and broader community, allowing earlier access to supports and resources that will help them settle and thrive in Manitoba.

Watch the video celebrating the diversity and expertise of Manitoba’s medical community. 

One of the highlights of the event was the recreation of the photo taken on the steps of the Fort Garry Hotel at the Manitoba Medical Association Annual Meeting in 1925, showing just how much the face of medicine has changed in 100 years.