Over the past year, the Office of Learner Affairs (OLA) has strengthened its commitment to providing equitable, inclusive, and comprehensive support to learners across the medical education continuum. Grounded in our goal of ensuring access to responsive, high-quality services for all learners, we have made meaningful progress in expanding our reach, deepening our impact, and enhancing the overall learner experience.
A major milestone has been the expansion of OLA services to include learners in the rehabilitation sector, including : Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy (OSOT), Medical Radiation Sciences (MRS), and the Physician Assistant (PA) program. This work continues to evolve as we conduct program-specific needs assessments to better understand and address the unique experiences of each learner group.
Participation in our mentorship programs has also grown significantly. More than 200 individuals engaged in the Diversity Mentorship Program, while over 200 learners took part in the iLEAD peer mentorship initiative. These programs are instrumental in fostering connection, building community, and supporting career development, particularly for learners from minoritized and equity-seeking groups.
At the systems level, we are reviewing the Learner Experience Unit (LEU) escalation pathways to ensure that processes for addressing learner concerns are effective, transparent, and responsive. This work reflects our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and to creating safe, supportive learning environments.
Looking ahead, we aim to build on this momentum. Key priorities include continuing to enhance the Black Learner Career Advising & Preparation (BlackCAP) program, enhancing data collection capabilities, and modernizing our IT infrastructure.
As we continue to grow, OLA will further expand services to support all health professions learners at Temerty Medicine and establish a strong presence at the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH). Our commitment to delivering equitable, inclusive, and supportive services remains central to our work, as we continue to empower learners to become compassionate and accomplished healthcare professionals.
Professor Tony Pignatiello
Associate Dean, Learner Affairs
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
2025-2026 Accomplishments
OLA Expansion to Support Learners in Rehab Sector
Commencing Summer 2025, the Office of Learner Affairs (OLA) expanded its comprehensive services to learners in the following rehab programs: Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy (OSOT), Medical Radiation Sciences (MRS), and the Physician Assistant (PA) program. This support is in addition to learners already receiving full services in the MD, MD/PhD, and PGME programs.
Comprehensive services include personal counselling, career counselling, academic coaching, access to the Learner Experience Unit (LEU)/mistreatment reporting processes, and mentorship support. While OLA previously provided select services to learners in OSOT, MRS, and PA, this expansion represents the implementation of a more coordinated and comprehensive support model for the rehab programs.
This initiative is currently underway, with program-specific needs assessments focused on understanding program structures and learner journeys, identifying existing supports across the University, and ensuring that OLA services are coordinated, complementary, and responsive to each learner population’s specific needs. This initiative is currently a work in progress.
Diversity Mentorship Program (DMP)
Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Learner Affairs diversity mentorship programming includes structured initiatives aimed at connecting minoritized and equity-seeking learners with supportive mentors to help navigate their education and early career development; central among these is the Diversity Mentorship Program (DMP), coordinated through the Office of Learner Affairs, which matches medical and clinical rehab students from groups including Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, first-generation, disabled, or economically disadvantaged backgrounds with clinician mentors to strengthen career planning, professional growth, and a sense of belonging. Additionally, the Learner Affairs office administers the iLEAD Mentorship Program (Inspiring Leadership in Equity, Accessibility, and Diversity), a longitudinal peer mentorship opportunity designed to build community and leadership capacity among equity-deserving students and maintains a mentorship database to connect learners with a broad range of formal and informal mentoring resources across the Faculty.
Since the launch of these mentorship programs, we have seen:
- 200+ unique participants in the Diversity Mentorship Program, open to mentors and mentees across medical and clinical rehab programs
- 200+ unique participants in the iLEAD Mentorship Program, a peer-led offering connecting first year MD students, upper year MD students, and current residents.
BlackCAP Launch
The Black Learner Career Advising & Preparation (BlackCAP) program is a proposed wrap-around, culturally responsive initiative designed to support Black medical learners at U of T through key transitions from entry into the MD program through residency and into practice. The program, expected to be implemented in fall 2026 aims to enhance career success and fulfillment by fostering cognitive gains (career planning knowledge, mentorship skills, awareness of resources) and affective growth (confidence, belonging, and reflection on meaningful career paths). Building on existing supports, BlackCAP introduces structured “Checkpoint” transition events for MD students and postgraduate trainees, peer debrief sessions (“BlackCAP Chats”) following ICE:CAP and during clerkship, a dedicated Elentra communication channel, and targeted faculty development to strengthen mentorship and allyship for Black learners. Additional commitments include increasing Black physician representation in curricular programming and creating a directory of Black physicians for mentorship and elective opportunities, all with the goal of strengthening community, reducing isolation and stereotype threat, and improving long-term career outcomes.
LEU Escalation Pathway Review
An external review of the pathways that the Learner Experience Unit (LEU) uses to escalate reports to institutional leaders will also undergo a formal review to help identify areas for improvement. This will also provide an opportunity to assess the impact of changes made to the anonymous reporting options within LEU.
Looking Ahead
Rollout of Evaluation Strategy
The Office of Learner Affairs is advancing several key initiatives to strengthen operational quality, with a focus on enhancing data collection capabilities and modernizing its IT infrastructure. In collaboration with the Office of Assessment and Evaluation, OLA is reviewing and refining its learner feedback processes, including the LAWS and Just‑In‑Time surveys, to ensure timely and meaningful insight into learner awareness of OLA services and their post-service experience, respectively.
Concurrently, OLA is developing a new IT system that will streamline workflows, increase operational efficiency, and enable more automated, accurate, and comprehensive data collection. To ensure the system meets both operational and accreditation requirements, OLA is currently undergoing an environmental scan with staff and engaging partners across the MD Program and Postgraduate Medical Education. This system represents a significant opportunity to modernize current processes and improve OLA’s ability to effectively support learners and address the needs of the Temerty community