Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• The Curious Mind: A Doctor’s Prescription to 21st Century Leadership and Innovation

  True human ingenuity and innovation occur at the intersection of creative and critical thinking. Yet, too often, we silo ourselves — we’re either logical (left brain) or creative (right brain) thinkers. By harnessing the power of a connected mind, we can unlock our true genius and transform our organizations, communities, and lives.

  Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa, a resident doctor in psychiatry, is the bridge between traditional modes of thinking. As a nationally ranked performance poet, she credits her creative pursuits for fueling her academic and professional success.

  In this dynamic presentation, Oriuwa breaks down the mindset needed to unlock whole-brain ingenuity — the merging of creative and critical thinking — through adopting an insatiably curious mindset. She’ll illustrate how curiosity is the key to building stronger relationships, both at home and work, and to becoming a leader for the 21st century workplace — one grounded in compassion, connection, and vulnerability.

  With a master’s degree in Health Systems Leadership and Innovation, Oriuwa draws on real-world examples and experiences to leave audiences empowered to unleash their full potential — as individuals and as leaders — and become the drivers of connection, innovation, and growth within their organizations and beyond.

  Key learning outcomes include:

   

  • How to harness the power of creative and critical thinking.
  • How to cultivate curiosity within yourself and others to drive continuous growth and creativity.
  • How to lead with compassion, and why compassionate leadership is the foundation to a connected, inspired, and productive workplace.
  • How to foster meaningful and lasting human connection.

• Authentic Leadership: The Key to Success in the Future of Work

  Through embracing the principles of authentic leadership, Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa has driven transformative change within Canada’s healthcare system and beyond.

  By sharing her journey to becoming a medical trailblazer, Oriuwa outlines what it takes to manage and lead change within large and entrenched institutions and become a leader that people actually want to follow.

  Oriuwa leaves audiences with a prescription for leadership to thrive in the future of work; one that is grounded in authenticity and vulnerability to engage and retain today’s workforce and build inclusive environments that drive results, embrace change, and remain adaptable in an ever-shifting business landscape.

• Organizational Wellness

  Mental health and wellness is no longer just a conversation for home. Evidence shows that the workplace is both an opportunity and risk for mental health, with positive environments seeing increased team performance and productivity and toxic environments being a source of excessive stress, low morale, and high turnover. Investing in your organization’s wellness is not just the right thing to do, but a smart business decision.

  Currently a resident doctor in psychiatry, Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa dives deep into the mechanics of wellness and what it looks like on an organizational level. She answers the question of what it means to be well amongst a diverse group of people, while exploring the neurobiological factors of wellness, including the neuroscience behind burnout.

  Oriuwa equips leaders with tools and strategies to meet the needs of their team on a collective and individual level, and implement an organization-wide policy that promotes and protects mental health for transformational results.

• DEI: The Building Blocks of Equitable Workplaces

  Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa arrived at the University of Toronto as an incoming medical student to find she was the only Black student in her entire cohort. She channeled this disappointment into action, becoming a vocal advocate for improving disparities in Black health and confronting institutional discrimination.

  Through her advocacy efforts, Oriuwa catalyzed a movement that rippled throughout the University and led to a more equitable admissions process. In 2020, as an ambassador for the University of Toronto’s Black Student Application Program, she saw the University admit the largest group of Black medical students in Canadian history.

  Oriuwa draws on her experiences spearheading DEI initiatives to leave audiences with a prescription for advocacy that outlines actionable strategies for building equitable workplaces. She’ll explore how to spot and stop subtle discrimination, enact effective anti-racist policies, and become better allies for the BIPOC community within the workplace and beyond.

• Dare to Occupy Powerful Spaces: Women in Leadership

  As the only Black woman (and student) in her cohort at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa questioned if she belonged there. She knew she was walking into a boy’s club, as well as an institution riddled with systemic racism.

  At that moment, Oriuwa decided if she was going to dare to occupy powerful spaces, she was going to do so unapologetically. She learned how to lean into authenticity to enable her to not only exist but lead in spaces that initially terrified her.

  Currently a resident doctor in psychiatry, Oriuwa has since been named one of Time magazine’s “2021 Next Generational Leaders” and to Maclean’s 2022 Power 50 List. She walks audiences through her journey to becoming a medical trailblazer to share lessons learned on leadership, navigating personal and professional risk, and finding courage through adversity.

• Diversity in Medicine: The Evolution of a Black Female Doctor and Advocate

  There is a disparity in healthcare, one that Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa experienced firsthand as the only Black medical student in her cohort at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine. She became an ambassador and educator for the University’s Black Student Application Program, but in accepting this role, she was warned of the risks this posed to her career and was quick to learn and experience the darker side of advocacy.

  In this eye-opening keynote, Oriuwa shares her evolution as an advocate for diversity and inclusion in medicine. She will explore how she navigated personal and professional risk to challenge the status quo and enact positive change; the historic barriers she went head-to-head with; the important role diversity plays in healthcare and beyond; and how we can all become effective allies for the Black community.