Three Years of Innovation: Celebrating the Office of Health System Partnerships

This year marks the third anniversary of the Office of Health System Partnerships (OHSP) at the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM). Since its beginning, OHSP has served as a solutions workshop, bringing together the collective expertise of the DFCM’s 2,000 clinicians, researchers, health system leaders, patients, learners and community partners to improve primary care locally, provincially, nationally and globally.

“We believe that practical, evidence-informed thought leadership, grounded in the expertise of a clinical academic department, can drive improvements in primary care,” says Dr. Danielle Martin, chair of DFCM.

OHSP has embraced the belief that everyone deserves access to a responsive, high-quality primary care team and that these teams must be designed with and for the communities they serve. Through this vision, over the last three years the team has worked on practical, data-driven thought leadership to reform how health systems function and how primary care is delivered.

The following highlights some of the initiatives OHSP has been focusing on:

• Harnessing the power of AI scribe technology to reduce burnout and enhance care. OHSP, in collaboration with health system partners across Toronto and one in Kitchener-Waterloo, has been awarded a $1 million Health Care Unburdened Grant to implement and evaluate AutoScribe, a Canadian AI scribe technology designed to transcribe patient-clinician conversations in real time and improve medical record documentation. To date, over 200 AI Scribe licenses have been deployed, including more than 75 offered exclusively to DFCM faculty, as part of OHSP’s evaluation of the potential for AI scribes to transform clinical practice in Ontario.

• Supporting the evaluation of interprofessional primary care teams (IPCTs) in Ontario. Ontario is facing significant staffing shortages and limited access to primary care, challenges that disproportionately impact equity-deserving populations. To address this, the Ontario government has invested $90 million to establish and expand interprofessional primary care teams (IPCTs), which unite family physicians, nurse practitioners, and other health professionals to deliver team-based care. To ensure this investment drives lasting change, OHSP scientists are leading a province-wide evaluation of IPCTs. Now in its second year, the study explores how high-performing “bright spot” teams have achieved rapid improvements in access, attachment, and equity. These findings will inform future policy and funding decisions, helping scale effective practices and strengthen equitable primary care for all Ontarians.

• Advancing Global knowledge exchange and collaboration in primary care. Building on decades of global collaboration and a long-standing partnership with Addis Ababa University, we proudly hosted the Starfield Summit Toronto 2025 from May 12–15, marking the first time, to our knowledge, this prestigious event was held outside of the United States. The summit highlighted the vital role of family medicine in strengthening primary health care systems worldwide. The summit brought together 92 participants from 23 countries and six WHO regions, uniting leaders and experts across disciplines, including nursing, pharmacy, rehabilitation sciences, and patient advocacy, to explore how family medicine can drive better health system performance globally.

• Supporting New Family Physicians. Strong mentorship is essential for retaining family physicians, fostering growth, reducing burnout, and helping new doctors navigate challenges within a supportive community. Now in its second year, the First Five Years Community of Practice offers free, accredited monthly online sessions for recent U of T graduates and Toronto-based family physicians in their first five years of practice, providing practical guidance and peer support while earning up to 13.5 Mainpro+ credits.

• Supporting Community-Based Family Physicians. Launched in summer 2023, the Family Medicine Community Longitudinal Leadership Enrichment Opportunity (FM CLLEO) gives early medical learners hands-on experience in family medicine while helping physicians address preventative care backlogs using EMR data. The program has boosted student interest in family medicine and supported over 40 physicians across Toronto, strengthening academic-community partnerships and enhancing primary care capacity.

• Leading the first Toronto Region Primary Care Census. This year, OHSP led Toronto’s first-ever primary care census of family doctors and nurse practitioners, an essential step in tackling the health human resources crisis. The census received over 1,000 responses that will provide insights into physician supply, practice characteristics, and recruitment factors. Guided by a governance advisory table, the census has established a foundation for ongoing regional data collection and planning.

OHSP’s strength lies in the people who propel it. Among them is Dr. Noah Ivers, Scientific Lead at DFCM. “OHSP represents some of the most exciting work of my career so far. It brings together the strengths of our department to work together to drive forward policies and processes for better primary care. And we're just getting started,” says Dr. Ivers.

This team aims to drive innovation and leadership in primary care at every level; locally as Toronto’s regional lead, provincially by generating evidence to guide policy and decision-making, nationally by shaping primary care reforms and globally through collaboration with the World Health Organization.

Under the leadership of DFCM faculty and with the expert support of Shantel Walcott, OHSP has grown into a powerful engine for systems change. Their guidance ensures that the office remains deeply rooted in both academic rigor and real-world relevance.

After three years, OHSP isn’t just marking time, it’s setting a foundation built on expertise, empathy and community partnerships. From empowering early-career physicians to hosting international summits and piloting life-changing technology, OHSP is helping to shape a primary care system that’s stronger, fairer and more future-ready.

To learn more about OHSP, visit: www.dfcm.utoronto.ca/ohsp