Creating Space 16: The Impact of Identities on Health and Wellbeing
April 19-21, 2026
50 Sussex, Ottawa, Ontario
Sponsorship opportunities are available, learn more!
The Call for Abstracts for Creating Space 16 is now closed.
Medical Student & Resident Creative Writing and Visual Art Contest closes on January 15, 2026 at 11:59PM Eastern. For more information or to submit your artwork, please visit the contest website.
Professional identity formation is complex: Navigating our various identities affects our personal health, wellbeing, and our relationships with colleagues and those we care for. The arts and humanities (including indigenous ways of knowing, history, literature, poetry, theater, the performing arts, audio and video recordings and the visual arts) are often woven into the teaching, learning, development and practice of health professions. These holistic, integrated approaches deliver better outcomes for patients and their communities. They help clinicians develop insight, reduce burnout and compassion fatigue by making sense of their experiences not only as clinicians but also as learners and members of inter-disciplinary teams.
This exploration of identity and lived experience engenders culturally responsive, safe, healthcare settings, lowers barriers to care, and promotes empathy, communication skills and perspective-taking. Sharing voices and perspectives through the arts and humanities leads to advocacy for social and cultural change.
“Identity”, the theme of this year’s conference of the Canadian Association of Health Humanities, is foundational to health and wellbeing. This conference is the opportunity to creatively share how the arts and humanities improve healthcare and health professional education. And it will highlight opportunities to explore how notions of personal, professional or team identities can facilitate growth or change.
Please note: this conference is IN PERSON with no virtual options for presentation or participation.
OBJECTIVES
- Explore the impact of arts and humanities in health professions education and practice, including their role in fostering better outcomes.
- Engage with the arts’ and humanities’ contribution to health professional wellness and create opportunities for growth and development
- Elevate the voices of people with lived experience and build bridges between patients, the health care system and different cultures
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions or require assistance with your abstract submission, please contact cpd@uottawa.ca.
Additional details about Creating Space 16 are also available on the Canadian Association for Health Humanities’ website. Visit us on X and Instagram
Inclusivity, diversity, equity, accessibility, and social justice statement:
The conference organizers are committed to fostering and celebrating a culture of inclusivity, diversity, equity, accessibility, and social justice, as well as reconciliation, action and indigenous health.
Conference contributions are encouraged to support these unifying priorities.
