Being nominated for an award – and having every Alberta Medical Association president since 2001 support you – is surely an accolade in itself. Mr. Mike Gormley, the AMA’s executive director, now also has the honor of being the second recipient of the newly named Owen Adams Award of Honour.
Having held leadership positions at the AMA for almost 24 years, with the last 15 as their executive director, Mr. Gormley has dedicated his entire career to advocating for physicians and for improvements to the health care system.
He played a key role in the development of Alberta’s primary care networks, which have transformed the way physicians work with other health professionals to deliver primary care services. He has also supported Alberta physicians in adopting electronic medical records and in successfully working through rounds of complex fee negotiations with the provincial government.
Mr. Gormley has a broad range of experience that covers several jurisdictions. This has included working for the provincial governments of Saskatchewan and Alberta; the provincial medical associations of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta; and private consulting in Manitoba and New Brunswick.
Having worked closely with Mr. Owen Adams for many years, Mr. Gormley says while it is particularly gratifying to receive this year’s award, he acknowledges the work of the AMA presidents who supported his nomination, as well as the other AMA and CMA staff he has collaborated with over the years.
“There are lots of things that go into an effective [health care] system and it’s necessary to have physicians play a leadership role,” Mr. Gormley says. “You need physician leadership, but it does have to be organized – and they have to organize it themselves – through provincial and territorial medical associations, and the CMA.”