The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) is proud to have received the prestigious ASPIRE-to-Excellence Award in Social Accountability at the annual conference of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), held in Barcelona on August 26, 2025.

The ASPIRE Award for Social Accountability honors institutions that demonstrate comprehensive commitment to aligning their education, research, and service activities with the health needs of their communities, region, and nation. Recipients must exhibit planned strategies, meaningful actions in education and research, and measurable positive impacts on population health and equity.

This honour highlights AFMC’s impact through national initiatives that are reshaping academic medicine in Canada. These include driving evidence-based health workforce planning and policy, opening doors to medical education through admissions equity programs like MEDPREPP and MCAT fee assistance, advancing Indigenous, Black, and Francophone health leadership, and positioning Canadian medical schools at the forefront of planetary health and sustainable health systems.

This achievement highlights AFMC’s leadership and dedication to social accountability in medical education. It affirms our ongoing efforts to create curricula, learning opportunities, and institutional practices deeply responsive to societal and community health needs. Being recognized in this domain positions AFMC alongside global exemplars who have successfully integrated social accountability into their mission, governance, and daily operations.

AFMC celebrates this distinction as recognition of the collective efforts of our 18 medical schools, members, and partners, whose dedication made the award possible. It also highlights AFMC’s role in positioning Canadian academic medicine as a global leader in responsibility and innovation.

AFMC now joins a dynamic network of educators and institutions that collaborate, share innovation, and advance educational excellence worldwide. This award not only elevates our profile internationally but also reinforces our commitment to embedding social accountability as a core value in all facets of medical education across Canada.

Learn more about AFMC’s initiatives in social accountability here.