We’re putting physicians first.
Supporting physicians and the medical profession in Canada
What is the Affinity Partnership?
Launched in October 2018, the Affinity Partnership is a collaboration between the Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management Inc. and Scotiabank to support the medical profession and help advance health in Canada. We’re proudly investing $115 million over 10 years to support physicians and the communities they serve.
The approach that the Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management and Scotiabank have taken toward investing in physician health is visionary. This level of support has the potential to reshape the future of health care in Canada.
Our commitment in numbers
$80MM
Total funds committed
70+
Physician-focused organizations supported
6
Years of funding
*As of August 2024
The Affinity Partnership through the years
Our support is making an impact. Here are a few of the initiatives from the first six years of the Affinity Partnership:
2019
Well Doc Initiative
$9.2 million in total commitments through 2028 have helped catapult an idea into a respected and measurable physician wellness program that is scaling nationally.
2020
Pandemic support
$4.6 million committed to 45 physician organizations during a time of real need.
2020
Physician Wellness+ Initiative
$15 million committed to key physician organizations over four years to develop and expand wellness programs to address physicians’ pressing needs.
2021
Black Physicians of Ontario
$1 million committed to champion equitable representation and promote the well-being of Black physicians and trainees.
2022-2023
Investing in medical leadership
Nearly $1 million to support key events like the International Congress on Academic Medicine, the Black Physicians of Canada inaugural conference and the Canadian Conference on Physician Health, fostering professional growth and community.
2024
Health Care Unburdened Grant program
$10 million to support initiatives that seek to reduce administrative burden and improve physician wellness and patient care.
Funding spotlight
Doctors spend about 18.5 million hours* each year on unnecessary administrative tasks. Health Care Unburdened Grants between $500,000 and $1 million are helping reduce administrative burden.
After reviewing hundreds of impressive applications, we've selected recipients focused on reducing documentation workload and improving process efficiencies.
Through this $10 million program, these are initiatives that help physicians reclaim lost time, enhance wellness and improve patient care.
*Source: Canadian Federation of Independent Business: Patients before paperwork, 2023
Putting physicians first
See how the Affinity Partnership is helping physicians from coast to coast:
View transcript
Intro: Physicians First (Tri brand logos)
Dr. Victor Ng: “As we all know, there's a serious crisis in family medicine, where there is significant impact to wellness and burnout.”
Dr. Farid Kakavand: “Most of the primary care providers in general, they're overworked, because they have so many patients to see.”
Title card/Super: Through our Affinity partnership, the Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management and Scotiabank pledged $115 million for physician health and wellness.
Dr. Victor Ng: “At the CFPC, we recognized that there was a need, a need that couldn't be met with just one program. What the Affinity funding really allowed us to do is accelerate some of these program developments.”
Lower thirds/Super: Dr. Victor Ng Program Lead/Director - CFPC
Title card/Super: As of 2023, Affinity funding has helped accelerate program developments for CFPC, including a small group learning program.
Dr. Victor Ng: “Part of the benefit of the small group teaching is for them to have the tools and the techniques that they can refer back to while they're in practice.”
Lower thirds/Super: Dr. Farid Kakavand Program Facilitator, Small Group Learning - CFPC
Dr. Farid Kakavand: “The modules and discussions we had with all colleagues helped me to really be able to manage my time better and recruit more facilities and help, like getting a nurse practitioner and also having some time for exercise, for leisure.”
Title card/Super: Program participants can share experiences in safe spaces with fellow physicians, addressing topics including burnout.
Dr. Farid Kakavand: “If a physician goes for a vacation, when they come back, they’re faced with double the number of patients they have to see on one single day. When the workload increases, you become emotionally drained. When you're numb to the situation, you won't be able to relate to your patient's pain.”
Dr. Victor Ng: “Many of the family doctors, they would have wellness issues that they might not be able to articulate and part of what that small group really afforded them to do was be able to have a facilitator that was one of their peers, a facilitator that knew the subject matter a little bit better and provided that opportunity and provided that safe place for them to explore.”
Dr. Farid Kakavand: “I saw the changes in these physicians from where they started and where they are at now, equipped with the tools they need for well-being. And I saw that in myself too.”
Split screen/Super: And I saw that in myself too.
Dr. Victor Ng: “The approach that the Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management and Scotiabank have taken toward investing in physician health is visionary. This level of support has the potential to reshape the future of health care in Canada.”
Outro: We proudly support Canada’s physicians
Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management, and Scotiabank. (Tri brand logos)
MD Financial Management provides financial products and services, the MD Family of Funds and investment counselling services through the MD Group of Companies and Scotia Wealth Insurance Services Inc. For a detailed list of these companies, visit md.ca and visit scotiawealthmanagement.com for more information on Scotia Wealth Insurance Services Inc. The trademarks of the Canadian Medical Association are registered and used under licence. The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank®) provides banking and credit products and services. Visit scotiabank.com. ® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence.
CFPC is revitalizing physician wellness
The College of Family Physicians Canada (CFPC) is putting physicians first by leveraging innovative education tactics to improve physician wellness.
View transcript
Intro: Physicians First (Tri brand logos)
Sheila Kerry: “Physician burnout is real and it's all across Canada.”
Dr. Nicole Green: “Our system doesn’t support healthy boundaries around our work.”
Title card/Super: Through our Affinity partnership, the Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management and Scotiabank pledged $115 million for physician health and wellness.
Lower thirds/Super: Sheila Kerry Associate Director of Communications - MSPEI
Sheila Kerry: “MSPEI has used Affinity funding for a few different programs, which really started out as ideas and we were able to operationalize them. So we have various programs that focus on physician wellness, physician leadership, supporting their practice and a whole gamut of other supports for our PEI physicians. And that wasn’t something that could happen before now.”
Lower thirds/Super: Dr. Nicole Green Physician Lead, Peer-to-Peer Program - MSPEI
Dr. Nicole Green: “So as physicians, our work hours are long and our commitments to patients, you know, run deep. There's no protected time for sleep, there's no protected time for spending a day at home with your family when you have been gone for more than 24 hours. And so when we don't support physicians in those situations, it becomes really challenging.”
Split screen/Super: It becomes really challenging.
Title card/Super: One of MSPEI’s Affinity-funded programs, the Peer-to-Peer Program, is physician-led.
Sheila Kerry: “Our program lead is a physician herself and she's able to work alongside her peer supporters who are trained physicians, and they can provide informal peer support to their physician colleagues and be there to offer a helping hand, to have a coffee, to just chat about clinical issues that they may be having in the workplace.”
Dr. Nicole Green: “What's interesting about my role, too, because we're small, is that I know a lot of our physicians and so I can match people when they get referred in, so that these interactions between physicians and their peer supporters are rewarding.”
Title card/Super: A strong peer network can help doctors to improve their wellness and benefit the entire health care system.
Sheila Kerry: “Working at MSPEI with such a small team, we're really proud of the programs that we're able to offer to physicians…we know that small changes can create big impact.”
Split screen/Super: Small changes can create big impact.
Dr. Nicole Green: “It's a complicated and complex national and international issue. Culture change and system change is slow, but we need it to happen. We have seen that just that short intervention where they have had someone reach out and know that they care can actually be a transformative experience for them that affects them longer term.”
Sheila Kerry: “So physicians know that they're not alone.”
Outro: We proudly support Canada’s physicians
Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management, and Scotiabank. (Tri brand logos)
MD Financial Management provides financial products and services, the MD Family of Funds and investment counselling services through the MD Group of Companies and Scotia Wealth Insurance Services Inc. For a detailed list of these companies, visit md.ca and visit scotiawealthmanagement.com for more information on Scotia Wealth Insurance Services Inc. The trademarks of the Canadian Medical Association are registered and used under licence. The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank®) provides banking and credit products and services. Visit scotiabank.com. ® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence.
Small changes, big impact with MSPEI
The Medical Society of Prince Edward Island (MSPEI) puts physicians first by emphasizing peer support initiatives, ultimately improving physician wellness.
Supporting the unique needs of physicians
The Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management Inc. and Scotiabank are committed to supporting the unique needs of physicians. Explore how our Affinity Partners' offerings help achieve this.
Learn more about MD’s in-depth understanding of the needs of physicians and their families.
Learn more about Scotiabank’s banking solutions and the Scotiabank Healthcare+ Physician Banking Program.