For internationally trained physicians navigating a new health-care system, connection can be just as important as clinical knowledge. The Welcome Collaborative is finding new ways to support that connection, starting with something simple: dinner.

A recently introduced social dinner is giving participants space to step away from structured sessions and build relationships in a more natural, informal setting.

“We’ve heard this from several cohorts of physicians that they wish they had more time to socialize together,” says Kris Lane, Director of Programs and Allied Health Professionals. “It’s really nice and important for participants to meet people who are in the same situation as them and understand that they are not doing this alone.”

While the program’s sessions are designed to deliver important information, they can also feel fast-paced and structured. The dinner offers a different kind of experience, one where participants can slow down, share stories, and connect as people, not just professionals.

That unstructured time appears to be making a difference. Participants naturally gravitated toward one another, often choosing to sit with those they had connected with earlier in the program.

Lane says she saw people having meaningful moments of connection beyond just the practice of medicine, but about their time in Nova Scotia and their families.

“Everybody was really relaxed, people were talking about their children,” Kris Lane said. “It felt like a safe space.”

Lane says that sense of comfort is key. In a program where participants are often absorbing large amounts of information, informal spaces can help build trust, reduce isolation, and strengthen peer networks.

“It’s about creating opportunities for people to connect and build those relationships,” says Lane.

As the Welcome Collaborative looks ahead, the goal is to continue building in these moments recognizing that strong professional networks often start with simple, shared experiences.