The Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario (BPAO) was founded in 2007 following an influx of Black physicians in the province coming into practice at the time and incorporated as a not-for-profit in 2015. The organization was created to focus on medicine and continue advocacy for improving the health of people in Black communities in Ontario. We worked to implement initiatives that would encourage and facilitate Black youth to pursue a career in medicine.

The Association for the Advancement of Blacks in Health Sciences (AABHS) was created to bring Black health care professionals together to unite in advocacy for the Black community, and to encourage Black youth to pursue a career in health sciences. AABHS was successful in creating two long standing programs; University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine Summer Mentorship Program for Black and Indigenous Students and Camp Jumoke. These programs helped lead to the influx of Black physicians that created the need for BPAO.