A message from the 2023 public members of CPSA Council

CPSA Council is fortunate to have a diverse composition of physician and public members, who bring their unique experiences and backgrounds to the Council table. While Council’s physician members share their medical training and healthcare expertise, we as public members have the privilege of highlighting the patient perspective, while bringing expertise from our diverse backgrounds in other sectors, such as healthcare leadership, education, business and governance. Both the physician and public member perspectives provide key insights as we work together towards the common goal of protecting patients in Alberta.

One of Council’s responsibilities is outlining the organization’s strategic plan to ensure CPSA is meeting its mandate to serve and protect the public under the Health Professions Act. CPSA’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan is comprised of five strategic directions that intersect to guide our work, one of which is our commitment to anti-racism and anti-discrimination. Throughout 2023, Council and CPSA’s team worked with partners across the province to promote access to equitable, high-quality care in safe and respectful spaces.

CPSA was proud to partner with the Alberta Medical Association and Alberta Health Services to launch an online micro-aggression training course for all regulated members. Upon completion, regulated members will better understand what micro-aggressions are, how to recognize them, why they are harmful to both physicians and patients, and how to respond. CPSA also signed a memorandum of understanding with Siksika Nation as a step towards improving relationships with Indigenous communities in our province. Racism has no place in health care, and these initiatives, among others, demonstrate Council’s commitment to ensuring patients have access to care that is free from discrimination and bias.

We are grateful for the opportunity to serve and protect fellow members of the public through our roles on CPSA Council. We appreciate the work our fellow Councillors and the CPSA team do to ensure CPSA continues to act in the public interest, creating a positive and meaningful impact on patient care in Alberta. We look forward to continuing this work in 2024.