We provide trusted data, evidence, and expertise to guide national health workforce and health policy decisions.
Informing Government and Shaping Healthcare Policy
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Shaping Health Policy Through Trusted Data
Ongoing Work to Improve Canada’s Health Workforce
Leading Climate Action in Medical Education
Rethinking Support for Clinician-Scientists in Canada
Shaping Canada’s Health Policy and Funding Priorities
Advancing Health Policy Through HEAL
AFMC manages Canada’s largest and most comprehensive medical education data repository, capturing insights across the entire continuum—from aspiring medical students to postgraduate trainees.
Through annual surveys and national databases, AFMC transforms complex data into clear, evidence-based insights that guide workforce planning, policy development, and strategic decisions.
years of longitudinal data
With over 40 years of longitudinal data, AFMC empowers governments, researchers, faculties, and health organizations to anticipate trends, close gaps, and strengthen Canada’s health system for the future.
AFMC continues to advance critical health workforce priorities through two committees that are actively meeting and moving this work forward:
Climate change is the defining public health crisis of our time, with impacts already evident across Canada—from record-breaking heat waves to devastating wildfires and shifting patterns of infectious disease. These changes threaten community health and place unprecedented demands on health systems.
AFMC is leading the national response by equipping future physicians to meet these challenges head-on. Through the Roadmap for Planetary Health and Sustainable Health Systems
, developed in alignment with the Academic Health Institutions’ Declaration on Planetary Health, AFMC provides faculties with clear, actionable strategies to embed planetary health into education, research, and clinical practice. By setting the standard for sustainability in medical education, AFMC is shaping a physician workforce ready to lead climate action and build healthier, more resilient communities across Canada and beyond.
At ICAM 2025, the AFMC Board of Directors’ Invitational Session convened 85 medical school leaders, research directors, funders, policymakers, trainees, and clinician-scientists to address critical challenges facing Canada’s health research workforce. The discussion focused on strategies to strengthen support systems, sustain the profession, and ensure its attractiveness for future generations. Insights from the session have been synthesized into a report that will guide national advocacy efforts to advance health research and innovation.
health leaders
AFMC actively engaged in shaping federal health policy discussions through timely pre-budget submissions and targeted policy briefs. As the 2025 federal election unfolded, AFMC closely followed developments to ensure its advocacy remained timely and relevant. By bringing evidence and expertise from Canada’s 18 faculties of medicine directly to decision-makers, AFMC helped keep health workforce, health research, and climate-ready healthcare priorities front and centre.
leading health organizations
AFMC is a proud and active member of Organizations for Health Action (HEAL), a coalition of more than 43 leading health organizations. As part of this collaboration, AFMC supports HEAL’s consensus document, aligning with shared priorities that strengthen the health workforce, support health research, and improve health outcomes for Canadians through coordinated, evidence-informed advocacy.
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