Highly educated and experienced medical doctors immigrate to Canada every year with great enthusiasm to work as doctors and help fill the doctor-shortage need that leave more than five million people in Canada with no access to a family doctor.  Quickly they discover that the pathway for a license to practice medicine is bleak and almost non-existent.  While many struggles for years preparing for exams and hoping that they will eventually succeed, others give up and settle for underemployed jobs and never able to return to their professional career or identity. This is sad. It is a huge waste of human resources, talents, education and hard-earned money. It is a social injustice to the sick facing life-threatening illnesses while fully trained doctors are driving taxis, serving coffee and working in other meanial jobs unrelated to the educaion and training. 

In 2015, Dr. Cindy Sinclair, Dr. Rashida Haq and Dr. Njoki Wane founded the Immigrant Medical Doctors (IMD) Forum. The purpose of the Forum was to provide a space for IMDs to gather and learn about the intricacies and challenges of the re-licensure process, learn about the real-life experience of medical residents and practicing physicians, learn about what other non-clinical jobs and education possibilities may be pursued as an alternative to medical practice. but at the professional level. The goal of the IMD Forum was to inspire newcomer IMDs and other internationally educated healthcare professionals (IEHPs) to explore other related career paths with confidence if recertification opportunities for a license is not forthcoming.   

The IMD Forum also provides a space for other Internationally Educated Healthcare Professionals (IEHPs). This includes pharmacists, physiotherapists, dentists, scientists, nurses and healthcare specialists. It provides a space for IEHPs and IMDs to meet with leaders, educators and consultants, to learn about other alternative and second-career options in healthcare fields and connect and network with experienced professionals.

VISION: Re-imagine utilization of international skills, talents and cultural knowledge in the delivery of compassionate and accessible health and well-being care for all people, regardless of race, culture, ethnicity, identity or social status. 

MISSION:  Integrate foreign trained immigrant healthcare professionals in the Canadian healthcare system, society and communities of care.

IMD TEAM includes: Cindy Sinclair, Rashida Haq, Njoki Wane, Rebecca Wong, Umberin Najeeb, Arno Kumagai, other University of Toronto Faculty, community leaders, Amy Wong and two IMDs, Pauline Gulasingam and Mihai Csaki.