Dear Members of the Canadian Ophthalmology Community,
Thank you for your interest in serving as a mentor in the Canadian Ophthalmological Society Equity-Focused Mentorship Program (COS-EFMP), which will run from October 2026 to July 2027.
The COS-EFMP provides equity-focused and academic mentorship to first- and second-year Canadian medical students from backgrounds that are under-represented in medicine.
Practising ophthalmologists, ophthalmology fellows and ophthalmology residents in Canada who are interested in providing mentorship and allyship are encouraged to apply.
The program involves one-on-one mentor–mentee relationships alongside optional group activities and events. Mentorship may take place virtually, by telephone, in person or through a hybrid format. There is no requirement for in-person mentorship.
Mentors are asked to:
- Commit to a minimum of three hours of mentorship during the program;
- Work with their mentee to establish goals and determine a meeting schedule;
- Provide guidance, encouragement and constructive feedback;
- Maintain professionalism and confidentiality;
- Sign a mentor–mentee agreement; and
- Complete required program evaluations.
Participation in year-round group programming is optional. The formal mentorship commitment is for the 2026–2027 program period; however, mentors and mentees may continue their relationship informally after the program concludes.
After applications close, selected information from your registration may be used to create an anonymized mentor profile. These profiles may be shared with mentee applicants to support the matching process. Your name, contact information and institution will not be shared until a match has been confirmed.
The following information may be included in your anonymized mentor profile:
Province of practice;
- Career stage and practice environment;
- Subspecialty training;
- Clinical, academic, educational and research interests;
- Self-disclosed social identity or experience as an ally;
- Topics on which you can provide mentorship; and
- Hobbies or interests outside medicine.
Information collected in the demographic section will not be shared with mentees unless you choose to include it in your self-disclosed biography. It will be used to support matching, program evaluation and quality improvement.
Applications close August 28, 2026.
Mentors who complete the minimum mentorship commitment and required program evaluations may be eligible for Section 3 Maintenance of Certification credits, subject to COS verification and applicable Royal College requirements.
Questions may be directed to Katy Eades at keades@cos-sco.ca.