Upcoming Event
2026 CAHSD Annual Conference
Join academic leaders from across Canada to shape the future of health sciences education at our premier national forum.
The Venue
Hosted at Laurentian University
We are thrilled to bring the 2026 conference to Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. Situated on a beautiful 765-acre campus nestled among five lakes and adjacent to a conservation area, it provides an inspiring backdrop for our national dialogue.
Official communications regarding accommodations, travel arrangements, and campus maps will be provided by the Laurentian University communications team in the coming months.
Campus imagery
Provided by Laurentian University
Health Sciences in Motion: Leading Through Disruption and Transformation
Canadian health science faculties are navigating overlapping disruptions, AI, workforce shortages, Indigenous reconciliation, mental health crises, rural and northern inequities, and shifting funding models. This theme positions CAHSD not just as stewards of programs, but as system leaders shaping the future of health education, research, and service.
The Program
Conference Agenda
Day 01 • Tuesday May 26, 2026 – Living with Lakes Centre
Evening Reception
5:00 PM — 7:00 PM
Day 02 • Wednesday May 27, 2026 – Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre (ISLC)
Welcome & Opening Remarks, Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Host welcome (Laurentian University)
Land acknowledgment with a focus on Indigenous knowledge systems in health leadership
Opening Discussions
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
From Institutions to Impact: How Health Science Faculties Shape Canada’s Health Futures
- Moving beyond program delivery to system influence
- Deans as policy shapers, regional partners, and innovation brokers
- Reframing the Role of the Health Sciences Faculty
- Over-enrolment without placement or employment pathways
- Provincial–institutional misalignment
Equity That Changes Outcomes
- Northern & Indigenous Focus
- Admissions, curriculum, hiring, promotion, and leadership pipelines
- Francophone minority contexts
- Indigenous-led evaluation frameworks
- Equity Beyond Statements: Measuring What Actually Changes
- Moving from EDI commitments to accountability metrics
- Data sovereignty and respectful Indigenous partnerships
Networking Break
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM
Discussion
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
Faculty Workforce Crisis
- Aging faculty, burnout, and succession planning
- New academic career pathways (teaching-stream, clinical scholars, hybrid roles
- Recruiting clinicians, field placement supervisors to academia in various contexts including underserved regions
- Hybrid academic–clinical roles
- Turnover in small faculties
Discussion
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Clinical Placement Models: What Comes Next?
- Alternative placement models
- Simulation, community-based, and interprofessional solutions
- From Transactional to Transformational Partnerships
- Shared appointments and joint accountability
- Data sharing, co-funded research, and innovation hubs
- What deans need from hospital and health authority partners
Lunch
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Roundtable Discussion
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
A. Research in a Constrained Funding Environment
- Strategic prioritization
- Supporting early-career researchers 2
- Leveraging cross-faculty and cross-institutional collaborations
B. Hard Conversations
- Program viability and sunsetting
- Institutional pressures vs. professional accreditation
- Navigating politically sensitive health topics
C. Micro-Credentials, Stackable Learning, and Lifelong Education
- Opportunities and risks for health professions
- Quality assurance and brand integrity
- Lifelong Learning for a Distributed Workforce
- Micro-credentials for upskilling without relocation
- Risks to credential integrity
Networking Dinner
Time to be Determined Evening
Day 03 • Thursday May 28, 2026 – Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre (ISLC)
Building What Comes Next
Roundtable Discussions
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
The Health Human Resources Crisis: What Universities Can and Can’t Fix
- Aligning education with workforce realities
- Tensions between enrolment growth and system capacity
- Collaborating with governments and regulators without mission drift
Break
9:30 AM – 9:45 AM
Roundtable Discussions
9:50 AM – 11:30 AM
Curriculum for an Uncertain Future
- Embedding adaptability, leadership, and systems thinking
- Interprofessional education that actually works
Community-Engaged Health Education
- Co-designing programs with communities (Indigenous, Francophone, and northern communities)
- Evaluating impact beyond student satisfaction
- Evaluating community impact, not just student outcomes
Artificial Intelligence, Data, and Ethics
- AI literacy as a core graduate competency
- Academic integrity, assessment, and AI governance
- Faculty readiness and risk management
- Ethical frameworks for clinical and community-based programs
Closing Reflections & Next Steps
11:30 AM
- Collective priorities for CAHSD 2026–27
- Identifying opportunities for joint action and national voice
Attendance
Secure Your Registration
Registration for the 2026 CAHSD Annual Conference will be managed securely through Western University’s payment portal.
Payments will be processed via Purple Pay (Western University).
Registration Portal
Please complete registration by May 8, 2026