Speakers | ICPH | International Conference on Physician Health™

Keynote Speakers

Dr Amrita Sen Mukherjee, Founder, Your Wellbeing Doctor

Dr Amrita Sen Mukherjee, BSc (Hons), MBBS, DRCOG, DOccMed, FRCGP, MAcadMEd, MSc (Dist), GMBPsS, is a TEDx speaker, published researcher, and GP by background with an MSc (Distinction) in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology. Her work explores the intersection of physician wellbeing, identity, adversity and post-traumatic growth.

Amrita’s research, published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, examines the lived experiences of doctors with acquired invisible disability and the complex journey from identity disruption to growth and meaning-making.

Alongside her academic work, she is the Founder of Your Wellbeing Doctor, where she translates evidence from positive psychology and behavioural science into practical strategies that help high-performing professionals sustain wellbeing and performance in demanding environments.

Amrita has delivered keynote talks, leadership sessions and educational programmes across healthcare and professional sectors. Her TEDx talk on invisible disability and bias has resonated widely for its insight into how unseen challenges shape identity, belonging and professional life.

Professor Jeremy Howick, Professor of Empathic Healthcare, Director of the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare, University of Leicester, UK

Professor Jeremy Howick, PhD, is the inaugural director of the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare, where his mission is to ensure that all healthcare consultations include a dose of empathy. Previously, he worked in the University of Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, where he co-founded the Oxford Empathy Programme. He holds a degree in Engineering from Dartmouth College, and graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford. He is currently a member of the Sigma Xi honours society and the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) for the East Midlands.

He recently co-founded the Global Network for Empathy in Healthcare, aiming to infuse empathy into every healthcare consultation. With over 250 peer-reviewed publications and three books, including the Amazon #1 bestseller Doctor You, he is a recognised authority in evidence-based healthcare. His work has earned awards from the British Medical Association, European Society for Person-Centered Care, and the University of Oxford.

Professor Howick has appeared on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and NPR, and his research was featured in a BBC Horizon documentary that had 2 million viewers. He regularly speaks at high-profile events, delivering keynote lectures and workshops for corporations, NGOs, and academic audiences, inspiring change in healthcare practices worldwide.

He is an international rowing champion and holds a Commonwealth Games Silver Medal.

From metrics to meaning: Tackling burnout and driving system change in medicine

Dr Colin West, Professor of Medicine, Medical Education, and Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, USA

Originally from Seattle where his English parents arrived in the 1970s, Dr Colin West received his MD and PhD in Biostatistics from the University of Iowa in 1999. He completed residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Mayo Clinic and joined the faculty in General Internal Medicine in 2004. He is currently Professor of Medicine, Medical Education, and Biostatistics at Mayo.

Dr West developed and directs the evidence-based medicine curriculum for the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, was an Associate Program Director for the internal medicine residency for many years and remains core teaching faculty, and created and teaches courses on systematic reviews and diagnostic testing strategies in the Mayo Graduate School. He is the inaugural Assistant Dean for GME Scholarship at Mayo. He received the Mayo Clinic Distinguished Educator Award in 2020.

Dr West is Director of the Mayo Clinic Program on Physician Well-Being and was named the first Medical Director of Employee Well-Being for Mayo Clinic in 2022. Dr West's research has focused on medical education and physician wellbeing and has been widely published in prominent journals including Lancet, JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, and JAMA Internal Medicine with >50,000 citations to date.

Dr Jane Lemaire, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and Co-Founder and Co-Director, The Well Doc Initiative, Canada

Dr Jane Lemaire is a Clinical Professor of General Internal Medicine in the Department of Medicine, and the Director of Wellness and Wellness Lead at the W21C Research and Innovation Center, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Since 2004, Dr Lemaire and colleagues have contributed to the scientific knowledge in the field of physician wellness and strive to enhance literacy and translate knowledge into practical applications around this important topic.

Dr Lemaire is Co-Founder and Co-Director of The Well Doc Initiative (WDI), a non-profit organisation embedded within the University of Calgary. WDI helps physicians, physician groups, and healthcare system leaders embed policies, practices, and programs in their healthcare systems that proactively enhance the wellness of physicians across Canada.

Dr Claire Ashley, GP and author of The Burnout Doctor, UK

Claire is a GP specialising in stress, burnout, and the science of what chronic pressure does to the medical mind. She is the author of the award-winning The Burnout Doctor (Bloomsbury, 2025) and has delivered keynote talks and workshops for organisations including Aramco, Headspace, and NHS trusts across the UK. She is a former Health Inequalities Fellow, and effective consulting tutor at the University of Bristol.

In her current role at Doctors Training, Claire primarily teaches on burnout prevention, wellbeing and psychological safety, bringing both scientific rigour and the lived experience of medicine to her sessions. She also leads on growth and brand strategy, supporting the organisation’s mission to reach more doctors, trainers, and NHS leaders nationwide.

Claire is passionate about making professional development for doctors as evidence-based and impactful as their clinical training.

Dr Heather Farley, Vice President of Professional Satisfaction, American Medical Association

Dr Heather Farley MD, MHCDS, FACEP, is an innovative and systems-focused physician executive with over two decades of experience leading bold, enterprise-level change across healthcare. She currently serves as Vice President of Professional Satisfaction at the American Medical Association, where she guides national strategy for initiatives like the Joy in Medicine® Recognition Program and the Organizational Biopsy®, with the goal of radically improving professional satisfaction for physicians and care teams across the country.

A pioneer in the field of workforce wellbeing, Dr Farley served as the inaugural Chief Well-Being Officer at both ChristianaCare and the Medical University of South Carolina. In these roles, she built and operationalised enterprise-wide wellbeing infrastructures, launched one of the nation’s earliest and most impactful peer support programs, and led culture transformation efforts that embedded wellbeing into the core of organisational strategy.

Nationally recognised as a thought leader in professional satisfaction, Dr Farley is a frequent speaker, published researcher, and trusted advisor to health systems working to build environments where care teams can thrive. Her work centres on eliminating the structural barriers that prevent people from doing their best work and restoring meaning, connection, and joy to the practice of medicine.

Breaking silos, building bridges: Harnessing EDI for sustainable physician wellbeing

Dr Khadija Owusu, GP trainee and Founder/CEO AKAYA Foundation, UK

Dr Khadija Owusu MBBS, BSc, MPH, is an award-winning medical doctor, global health advocate, and international speaker dedicated to advancing equity, leadership, and wellbeing in medicine. She currently works within the NHS while also leading initiatives that champion inclusive leadership, health equity, and sustainable careers for the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Dr Owusu is the Founder of the AKAYA Foundation, a nonprofit organisation working across the UK and Ghana to empower young women through health education, leadership development, and mentorship. She is also a Founding Member and Trustee of Melanin Medics, a national organisation supporting Black medical students and doctors in the UK. Through her work, Dr Owusu has reached thousands of young people and healthcare professionals, advocating for systems that better support diversity, belonging, and wellbeing within medicine and beyond.

A proud British-Ghanaian, Dr Owusu is passionate about breaking silos between medicine, global health, and social impact. She was named a Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 honouree (2025), is a recipient of the Princess Diana Award, and has been recognised by HRH The Princess Royal for her contributions to STEM. Dr Owusu holds a Global Master of Public Health from Imperial College London and regularly speaks internationally on leadership, equity, and creating sustainable pathways for physicians to thrive while driving meaningful change.

Professor Lisa Meeks, Professor of Medical Education, The University of Illinois, College of Medicine, at Chicago, USA

Dr Lisa Meeks PhD, MA, is a Professor of Medical Education at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Founder and Co-Director of the Docs With Disabilities Initiative, and Editor of the 2025 Academic Medicine Supplement on Disability Inclusion in Medical Education. A nationally recognised leader, Dr Meeks has been instrumental in transforming medical education to be more accessible for learners and physicians with disabilities and more responsive to the structural factors that impact their wellbeing.

With a focus on dismantling systemic barriers that contribute to burnout, exclusion, and mental health disparities, Dr Meeks has advanced access for learners with disabilities through research, policy, and education. Her studies have revealed higher rates of burnout and lower satisfaction with the learning environment among learners with disabilities, especially those with multiple marginalised identities, helping to shift the conversation from individual resilience to institutional responsibility and structural reform.

Her scholarship has been featured in leading medical journals, including JAMA, The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Academic Medicine, and Medical Education. In 2022, she was spotlighted in Time magazine for her national impact on accessibility and inclusion in health professions education. And in 2025, Dr Meeks and the Docs With Disabilities organisation were named to Forbes Magazine’s inaugural Accessibility 100 list, honouring leaders advancing access and innovation.

She partners closely with national associations and accrediting bodies to embed accessibility and wellbeing into medical education standards and practices. A dedicated mentor and advocate, Dr Meeks supports a national network of scholars, trainees, and institutional leaders committed to advancing disability inclusion. Her work continues to reshape the culture of medical education and strengthen the path toward a more inclusive, compassionate, and sustainable physician workforce.

Dr Alika Lafontaine, Past President, Canadian Medical Association

Dr Alika Lafontaine MD, FRCPC, is an award-winning physician, social innovator, and the first Indigenous physician listed by the Medical Post as one of Canada's 50 Most Powerful Doctors. A practicing anesthesiologist in Northern Alberta, he is grounded in a mixed Indigenous ancestry of Metis, Oji-Cree and Pacific Islander, and has been at the epicentre of Canadian health transformation for more than 20 years. He is a Canada's Top 40 Under 40 recipient, Maclean's Top Health Care Innovator for 2023, and the youngest recipient of an Indspire award.

From 2013–2018, Dr Lafontaine co-led the Indigenous Health Alliance, one of the most ambitious Indigenous health transformation projects in Canadian history. At its peak, it represented more than 150 First Nations and successfully advocated for $68 million in funding for health transformation across the traditional territories of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations.

In 2022, Dr Lafontaine became the first Indigenous and youngest physician to lead the Canadian Medical Association in its 154-year history. That year, the CMA played the lead advocacy role in securing the largest nominal Federal investment in healthcare since 2004, breakthrough advances in physician credential recognition, and renewed commitments to national collaboration in managing health data and health human resources. He also led the internal reconciliation process for the CMA, apologizing for its role and the role of the medical profession in past and ongoing harms to First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples in the health system. On September 18 2024, the CMA delivered this apology in an event which received national and international recognition.

His first book, The Outrage Cure (HarperCollins Canada, 2026), examines the emotional progression of anger, outrage and indifference shaping health systems today — and what it takes to move physicians and institutions back toward purpose. Dr Lafontaine continues to write and speak on the politics of healthcare, physician wellbeing, implementing and scaling equity, and redesigning health systems. He supports the CMA in its Indigenous Reconciliation plan as its Indigenous Advisor in Residence.

Dr Mary Doherty, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Dublin, Ireland

Dr Mary Doherty is an autistic Consultant Anaesthetist and Clinical Associate Professor at University College Dublin School of Medicine.

As founder of Autistic Doctors International, Mary has brought together a vibrant community of autistic doctors and medical students from across the world, with a focus on peer support, advocacy, research, and training.

Her research interests include healthcare for autistic people as well as experiences and support needs of autistic medical students and doctors. Current projects include the experiences of autistic psychiatrists and reasonable accommodations for autistic clinicians.

She developed the Autistic SPACE framework for meeting the needs of autistic people in healthcare and other settings, including education.

As a mother of two neurodivergent young people, Mary is passionate about optimising mental and physical health for autistic people, and she believes that moving from traditional deficit framing of autism to a neurodiversity affirmative approach is the way forwards.

Dr Bolu Ogunyemi, President-Elect, Canadian Medical Association

Dr Boluwaji (Bolu) Ogunyemi is a Clinical Associate Professor (Medicine) at Memorial University. He practises dermatology in St. John's and has maintained a visiting specialist clinic in Labrador City since 2018. He served on the NLMA Board of Directors, Assistant Dean of Social Accountability, Faculty of Medicine Strategic Plan Implementation Committee, MUNMED Senior Management Committee and Pathways NL Steering Committee. A sought-after and well-known voice nationally, he serves on the CMA Governance Committee and on the Canadian Doctors for Medicare Board of Directors and has advised the federal government as a member of the Public Health Agency of Canada Ethics Consultative Group.

Dr Ogunyemi obtained his MD at Memorial where he was Medical Student Society president, and completed his dermatology residency at UBC, serving as Royal College convocation speaker. He completed the Director Education Program at Rotman School of Management (Toronto), Physician Leadership Program (MUN), and a Fellowship in Health Systems Improvement (Alberta School of Public Health). A thought leader and trailblazer, he has been named a Globe and Mail Changemaker, honoured with the CMA Award for Young Leaders and Alumni Excellence Awards from MUN and Western. His advocacy was recognised by the Canadian Senate and as an NL Human Rights Award nominee.

Grateful for opportunities afforded to him as an immigrant from Nigeria, Dr Ogunyemi takes pride in serving the province that welcomed his family. A proud MUNMED graduate with undergraduate majors in sociology and medical sciences, he has always valued diversity of thought. His perspective as a racialised Newfoundland and Labradorian has informed his trailblazing advocacy, research, communications, diverse clinical practice and administrative leadership including being just the second Assistant Dean of Social Accountability in Canada. A very active father balancing parenthood and professional responsibilities, his favourite activity is spending summers exploring different communities in Newfoundland and Labrador with his daughters.

Global perspectives on physician health: From policy to practice

Dr Willie Underwood, President Elect, American Medical Association

Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH, is a board-certified urologist with more than 25 years of urologic surgery experience, including more than 15 years focused on robotic urologic surgery. He was voted president-elect of the American Medical Association in June 2025.

An expert in health care disparities and health care policy, Dr Underwood was first elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in June 2019 and later as its chair in June 2023. He is a TEDx speaker and active presenter whose appearances include grand rounds, webinars, and TV and radio interviews. He has served on several national and regional health care policy committees, including as a board member of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western and Northeastern New York and the Board of Commissioners of the Joint Commission.

He has also served as a board member and medical advisor to the Love Canal Medical Fund Inc, a past president of the Erie County Medical Society of New York, a member of the AMA and National Medical Association Commission to End Health Care Disparities, and a member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Urology Residency Review Committee. Dr Underwood has also chaired the AMA Council on Legislation, the Erie County Medical Society Legislative Affairs Committee, and the Medical Society of the State of New York Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Committee.

Raised in Gary, Indiana, Dr Underwood earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Morehouse College, and his Doctor of Medicine and Master of Science in anatomy and cellular biology degrees from the State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York. He received his general surgery and urologic surgery training at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut.

After his residency, he became the fifth urologist admitted into the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, which he completed in 2002 at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. While in Ann Arbor, he also earned a Master of Public Health degree in health management and policy from University of Michigan, School of Public Health in 2004.

In addition to co-authoring more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and published abstracts, he has received millions in research funding from the National Institute of Health and holds patents in the US and Japan for co-developing a biomarker for prostate cancer. He is the co-founder of KAPS Biotechnology LLC, which is currently conducting a larger validation study of its new and novel prostate cancer biomarker.

Dr Jeff Blackmer, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice-President Professional Practice, Canadian Medical Association

Dr Jeff Blackmer MD MHSc MBA FRCPC CCPE ICD.D currently serves as the Executive Vice-President, Professional Practice and Chief Medical Officer at the Canadian Medical Association. He holds a Master’s degree in Medical Ethics from the University of Toronto and an Executive MBA degree from INSEAD University in France.

At the CMA, Dr Blackmer has led the work of the association on issues such as pandemic planning and response, end of life care and assisted dying, opioid prescribing, medical system funding and the legalisation of cannabis. He is currently responsible for the work of the organisation in areas such as medical ethics, physician safety and wellness, physician leadership, global health, member-facing products and services and the publication of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Dr Amit Kochhar, Chair of Representative Body, British Medical Association

Amit Kochhar is an ENT surgeon at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust and was elected Chair of the BMA Representative Body in June 2025, one of the four Chief Officers of the BMA. He is the first International Medical Graduate to hold this position. He has been actively involved in the BMA since 2005 in various roles. He was Chair of the BMA SAS (Specialist, Associate Specialist and Specialty doctors) committee from 2014 to 2019, and before that, Chair of the SAS conference from 2008 to 2014. He was instrumental in getting the SAS Charter signed and worked to promote the autonomous practice of SAS doctors, and was also a member of the team that negotiated the new SAS contract. He has been actively involved in the Northwest region as Chair of the Regional SAS committee and also represented on the NW regional council. Locally, he is the Vice Chair of the Local Negotiating Committee and the SAS Tutor at University Hospitals Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

He is a member of BMA Council and was elected the Deputy Chair of the Representative Body from 2022 to 2025. He has received many awards, including the Association medal of the BMA. He completed the Ready Now Leadership Programme and believes passionately in the NHS as a publicly funded, equitable service.

His focus is to passionately represent all doctors with external and internal stakeholders. He believes in giving all members a voice in the BMA and believes in the values of the NHS, completely opposing any bullying and harassment. He lives in Lancaster and has two children who are resident doctors.

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