Speaker

Dr. Paula Cashin is a Mi’kmaq physician and Canadian health system leader. She is nationally recognized for her unwavering commitment to equity, accountability and justice in Canadian healthcare. Her expertise encompasses clinical medicine, health law, restorative justice and the advancement of Indigenous rights.
Dr. Cashin is recognized as the first Indigenous radiologist and nuclear medicine physician in Canada. Her clinical training includes dual certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) with subspecialty training in nuclear medicine at the University of British Columbia and interventional radiology at the University of Toronto. In addition to her medical expertise, she holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from Osgoode Hall Law School, further grounding her work in restorative justice and health law.
A trailblazer in medical governance, Dr. Cashin served as the first Indigenous board director and vice chair of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the first Indigenous board director of the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) and the first Indigenous board director of the CMA Foundation. She is also the first Indigenous physician to receive the Canadian Certified Physician Executive (CCPE) designation from the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders.
Notably, Dr. Cashin was the board lead for the CMA’s apology to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, a defining moment in the advancement of reconciliation in Canadian healthcare. She continues to lead transformative initiatives at the intersection of medicine, law and Indigenous health. In recognition of her leadership and remarkable contributions, the Canadian Medical Association established a scholarship in her name to support future Indigenous physicians.