cfms/femc annual review · annual review april 2010 canadian federation of medical students...

Annual Review APRIL 2010

Canadian Federation of Medical StudentsY Y o u r v o i c e

WWW.CFMS.ORG

CFMS/FEMC

A penny saved is a penny earned p. 13

CFMS Lobby Day 2010 p. 18

Canada to host International Medical Students’ General Assembly for the first time p. 31

An interview with Dr. Roberta Bondar p. 39

Edmonton to Oxford — from the Wild West to Hogwarts p. 59

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Contents

CFMS Letters

5 Errata 5 Letter from the editors 7 A letter from your CFMS president

CFMS Activities 9 Education and the CFMS: new milestones for

2009–2010 11 Talk the talk, walk the walk 13 A penny saved is a penny earned 14 The CFMS goes green! 15 Inspiring projects funded by the Student Initiative

Grants 17 News from the CFMS Political Advocacy Committee 18 CFMS Lobby Day 2010 20 Broad differentials — thoughts from an Ontario

regional rep 21 Medical student parents 22 The CFMS Institutional Memory Project 24 CFMS and FMEQ: united for success 25 Healthier medical students, healthier patients 26 CFMS blood drive update – 810 units donated in

2009! 28 Building interprofessional partnerships 29 Behind the scenes @ cfms.org

Global Health

31 Canada to host International Medical Students’General Assembly for the first time

32 Bringing global health learning opportunities to CFMSstudents

34 Healing ourselves through cultural awareness — asweat lodge experience

36 One day for neglected tropical diseases

Featured Interview

39 Featured interview — Dr. Roberta Bondar

Initiatives and Opinions

43 Student-based community outreach initiatives at theUniversity of Toronto

44 Gearing up for and kicking off another year at SHINE 46 Partnership in curriculum renewal — a student’s role

in the education of future physicians 47 Enhancing HIV medical education: a sustainable stu-

dent-run initiative at the University of Toronto 49 New kid on the block: UBC medical journal takes off! 50 Queen’s Medical Review: five issues and counting! 51 Tracking radiation exposure from radiology and related

exams, using “Radiation Passport” for the iPhone 53 Bill C-384 — euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide

in Canada

Articles and Creative Works

55 Epic moments in medicine — airways 56 It was all Greek to me 58 Artwork 59 Edmonton to Oxford — from the Wild West to

Hogwarts 60 Oxford: sunny outlook 61 Shine a light 62 Photography 63 Palliative care in four sentences 63 Midnight call 64 Medicine (and TV bingo) in Baie Verte

Alumni Review

65 From CFMS to CFMS – lessons in leadership 67 Where they are now? 68 CFMS alumni babies

Your CFMS Executive and Representatives

69 CFMS Executive 2009–2010 70 CFMS School Representatives

Cover photo credits: Jupiterimages

The CFMS is very pleased to present the 2010 edition of the CFMS Annual Review —our annual report to members. As this compilation of articles will illustrate, this hasbeen yet another exciting and wonderful year of growth and success for our organiza-tion as well as for our members.

The Annual Review is divided into numerous sections. The first, titled “CFMS activities”contains the latest updates on projects carried out by the CFMS executive and officers, astasked by the general membership. Whether it is issues of political advocacy, the environment,student wellness, member services, interorganizational collaboration, website changes, blooddrives or medical education, our team has been working hard to represent you and bring youthe services you need.

The CFMS is proud to announce that we will be joining the Fédération médicale étudi-ante du Québec (FMEQ) in hosting the 59th General Assembly (in Montréal) and pre-General Assembly (in Ottawa) of the International Federation of Medical Students’Associations (IFMSA) in July–August 2010. The great teamwork between these sister organ-izations guarantees an unforgettable event! You can find out more about this and other globalhealth program updates in the second section.

Our feature interview this year is with Dr. Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman inspace. Despite her busy schedule, she was kind enough to chat with the Annual Review abouther struggles and triumphs as a clinician, researcher, astronaut and educator. We would liketo thank the Canadian Undergraduate Conference on Healthcare executive, especially GaryKo of Queen’s Medicine Class of 2013, for facilitating the interview.

Finally, we would like to share with you the initiatives, opinions, experiences, creativeworks and art of medical students from coast to coast. Join a clerkship student for ICU roundswith Dr. House, learn more about student-driven clinics and journals, travel with students torural areas and abroad or simply enjoy some poetry and art. We hope these will bring youlaughter, inspiration and a few deep thoughts. We were overwhelmed by the number of sub-missions received this year, but, unfortunately, due to space limitations, it is with deep regretthat we were not able to include them all.

Last but not least, the Annual Review concludes with a section featuring CFMS alumni:what they have learned and where they are now. Certainly, a few pearls of wisdom that everymedical student could use!

The Annual Review thanks the Canadian Medical Association publishing staff and ourgenerous advertisers, without whom the Annual Review would not be possible.

We hope that you will enjoy reading this year’s CFMS Annual Review.

Letter from the editors

Meiqi Guo, CFMSAnnual Review Editor,Queen’s University,Class of 2011

Ijab Khanafer, CFMSVP Communications,University of Ottawa,Class of 2011

CFMS Letters

APRIL 2010 CFMS Annual Review 5

Correction: Shawn Mondoux and Mathew Li’s photographs were featured on CFMS AnnualReview’s 2009 cover but their names were accidentally omitted from the photo credits. TheCFMS Annual Review would like to apologize to Shawn and Mathew for the error.

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Welcome to the 2009–2010 CFMS Annual Review! The CFMS is Canada’s nation-al medical student organization, representing over 7200 medical students fromacross the country, and the Annual Review is our opportunity to report on theefforts of our organization and to showcase the work of Canadian medical students. The workplan for the year is set by our membership at our Annual General Meeting. Guided by ourthree pillars — representation, communication and services — the 2009–2010 agenda hasbeen filled with important projects.

As has been the trend for the past few years, the CFMS continues to grow both in thenumber of students participating in our organization and in the diversity of initiatives under-taken. With this increase in size comes the challenge of managing our growth responsibly toensure that the CFMS is as strong an organization as possible. We’ve endeavoured to do justthat with our institutional memory project, our policy paper review, the creation of anappointments and review committee, a thorough review of our financial policies and otherinitiatives. With this work, we’ll ensure that the CFMS is a strong advocate for students anda strong contributor in the medical education community for years to come.

This has been the inaugural year for the CFMS National Leadership Awards program,which recognizes students, residents and faculty who have made a significant positive contri-bution to the lives of medical students. Other new initiatives include travel rewards for CFMSmeetings, a branding project to expose more students to the work of the CFMS, as well as areview of the various issues surrounding professionalism as requested by our membership.

Probably the most exciting news of this year is that the CFMS Global Health Programin partnership with IFMSA–Québec has been chosen to host the 59th International GeneralAssembly (GA) of medical students in Montréal and the pre-GA in Ottawa in July–August2010. Preparations have been underway for well over a year and this promises to be anextraordinary event.

In addition to all of these new initiatives, the CFMS continues to advocate a fairer visit-ing student elective system, to examine distributed medical education from the student per-spective and to optimize our website.

I am happy to report that the Student Initiative Grants, which provides start-up moneyto worthy medical student initiatives; the Political Advocacy Committee; the Global HealthAdvocates and many of our other programs have also enjoyed a highly successful year.

As you can see from the descriptions above, 2009–2010 has been a very busy year for theCFMS in terms of advocating for medical students, giving them a means to communicateacross the country and providing them with services that make their lives a little bit easier.

The articles that follow outline the events of 2009–2010 as seen by our executive, ourrepresentatives, our members and our alumni. We hope that you will find them informativeand enjoyable. Please contact me, any member of the executive or your local representative ifyou want to learn more about your organization.

Yours sincerely,

A letter from your CFMS president

All editorial matter in CFMS Annual Review 2009 represents the opinions of the authors and not necessarilythose of the Can adian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS). The CFMS assumes no responsibility or liabilityfor damages arising from any error or omission or from the use of any information or advice herein.

Tyler Johnston, CFMS President McMaster University,Class of 2010

CFMS Letters


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The VP education role is anincredible one within theCFMS. Not only is this personcharged with something that all med-ical students take to heart, their educa-tion, but they also play an importantrole representing CFMS to outsideorganizations. As I write this article, Iam in Québec City to representCanadian medical students at the annu-al meeting of the Canadian NursingStudents’ Association.

As a medical student in Ottawa,the opportunities to attend meetingshave been many. This year I will haveattended upwards of 20 meetings, viaphone or in person, and will have rep-resented all of you to organizationssuch as the Canadian Medical Asso ci -a tion, the Canadian ResidentMatching Service, the CanadianMedical Forum, the Association ofFaculties of Medi cine of Canada(AFMC), the Federa tion of MedicalRegulatory Authorities of Canada, allprovincial and territorial medicalassociations, as well as many otherstudent groups. At the CFMS, wetake pride in properly and adequatelyrepresenting our members. I amhappy to fulfill part of this importantmandate for the CFMS.

Now to the more important, member-mandated issues. Lookingback to the AGM in Thunder Bay,mem bers tasked this portfolio with fourmajor issues.

The Distributed MedicalEducation report and guideThe DME report is the continuation

of the national survey that was con-ducted last year by then-VP educa-tion, Tyler Johnston, and it willlargely centre around survey find-ings. By surveying a significant pro-portion of our membership, theCFMS has walked away with animportant shopping list of issues thatare important to medical student aswell as a whole ensemble of lessonslearned. With this information, weplan to draft the DME guide, a how-to document for getting medical stu-dent societies involved in the DMEinstallation and quality assuranceprocess. This guide will include theLCME standards that are necessaryfor accreditation and it will alsomake use of lessons learned to sug-gest areas of increased need anddetail to ensure good, healthy DMEprograms.

The professionalism portfolioProfessionalism, in the context of themedical student, is generally limitedto the Hippocratic Oath or somevariation thereof, which is taken atthe beginning of our days as medicalstudents. Although our obligationsto patients remain largely intactsince the days of Hippocrates, otherissues like social media and personalhealth tend not to be adequatelyaddressed. If only Hippocrates hadFacebook!

That said, the CFMS believesthere is a need to draft a national policyfor medical students on professional-ism, on what it represents, on who itbelongs to and into which realms it

extends. The goal is to provide a student-generated document that allmedical societies can lean on. The workis moving along quite well and we lookforward to seeing the fruits of ourlabour at the end of the year.

When it comes towork hours, theCFMS is hearingthat students arebeing kept longerand resting lessin their clerkship

year.

Clerk stipends and work hoursHow much do clerks get paid in theirfourth year? Are there rules and limitsto work hours for clerks?

These are important questionsthat are being asked by our member-ship and ones that we are answering.In early February, the basic paymentstipends for those in their final yearof study were sent out to all membersfor review. Information is power andwe encourage provincial studentgroups to lobby their schools andgovernments for additional stipend

Education and the CFMS:new milestones for 2009–2010Shawn MondouxVP Educa tionUniversity of Ottawa, Class of 2011

CFMS Activities


recognition if theirs is below thenational average.

When it comes to work hours,the CFMS is hearing that studentsare being kept longer and resting lessin their clerkship year. Our request isthat clinical clerks should adhere tothe same provincial contract stan-dards as negotiated by the provincialresident bodies and that these guide-lines be policed by the schools. Wewill be giving students the chance todiscuss the issues surrounding theirclerkship hours and then we will

bring our finding to the AFMC.Together, we hope to improve thecurrent situation.

Collaborate with other CFMSmembers on a variety ofprojectsCollaboration is the cornerstone of theexecutive of the CFMS. It’s difficult tofind a project that doesn’t involvemany members of the executives.From global health to the environmen-tal working groups, we are workingtogether to make each project a reality.

This is a mandate that our member-ship gives us every year and one thatwe are happy to fulfill.

As always, we encourage ourmembership to get in touch to discussthese issues. Students from across thecountry are welcome to help us withour mandates.

Whether you have questions,encouragement or criticism, take theopportunity to get in touch.

Please contact me at shawn .mondoux @cfms.org to make yourviews heard!

CFMS Activities

APRIL 201010 CFMS Annual Review

CFMS Activities


As VP Communications, Ihave had the privilege thisyear of working with a groupof incredibly hard-working and dedi-cated students. As you read throughthe pages of this Review, I hope thatyou are also instilled with a feeling ofpride for what individual studentsand the CFMS have accomplished sofar this year.

My role within the CFMS isdivided into internal and externalcommunications.

Internal Communication

The website — As directed by themembership at the Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM) in Thunder Bay inSeptember 2009, I have tackled thereformatting of the CFMS website.At the end of Phase I in December2009, the layout had been changedto make it more intuitive, accessibleand user-friendly. Most notably, the“News and Events” tab has beendivided into “News”, “Events” and“Documents”. The latter will finallyregroup all our important docu-ments in one area. This includes theAnnual Review, position papers, theResidency Matchbook, Rep commu-niqués, the Green charter and meet-ing minutes. Members can nowaccess CFMS press releases, articlesabout the CFMS and the MediaRapid Response Team’s letters to theeditor under “News”. Informationabout CFMS General meetings,

Lobby Day and conferences can befound under “Events”.

Phase II will see changes to theGlobal Health section, the additionof an Advocacy section to promoteand accommodate the work of thePolitical Advocacy Committee(PAC) and finally, a reorganizationof the Interviews Database.

Communications with members —In order to better inform our mem-bers (from first year through tofourth year) about CFMS services,representation and communicationefforts, I have initiated the“Branding project”. Due to be pre-sented at the Spring GeneralMeeting (SGM), this project hopesto increase the visibility of theCFMS amongst members and to fos-ter conversation about what we do asan organization. A series of CFMS-branded products for students in allyears will complement the clipboardsusually given to first-year medicalstudents.

Bilingualism — During the secondhalf of my mandate, I will be lookingat how to increase the bilingualnature of the CFMS. Becoming anorganization able to fully function inFrench and in English is importantto better serve our members and tobetter represent ourselves nationally.

And everything else — I’ve also con-tinued to do what the VP Com -

muni ca tions does best — assistingthe Publications Editor with theAnnual Review, moderating CFMSlistservs, sending biweekly commu-niqués to CFMS Representatives,recording minutes at meetings andfacilitating overall communicationsbetween reps and exec members.

External Communication

Media Rapid Response Team —This team got off to a start inFebruary 2010 and will continue onpast my mandate as the current VPCommunications until December2010 to ensure continuity. The teamscours through press clippings tofind and respond to issues of impor-tance to the CFMS. Thank you toAlim Nagji (U of A, Class of 2012)and Christine Zadorozny (MUN,Class of 2011) for their hard work!

Press relations — I am very happy

Talk the talk, walk the walk

Ijab KhanaferVP CommunicationsUniversity of Ottawa, Class of 2011

www.cfms.org

CFMS Activities


to report that the CFMS has issuedtwo press releases so far this year. Incoordination with the David SuzukiFoundation, the Canadian MedicalAssociation and the CanadianNurses Association, the CFMS con-tributed to “Prescription forCanada’s Prime Minister: Put globalhealth at the centre of UN climatesummit”. This was released to markthe United Nations Climate ChangeConference held in Copenhagen inDecember 2009.

The second press release was also

preceded by a press alert, and thiswas to promote our Lobby Day inOttawa. Media attention was fantas-tic and greater than expected! ThreeCBC radio interviews and numerouspublications, including Canwestnewspapers across the country,CMAJ and the Epoch Times broughtCFMS’ Lobby Day to the Canadianpublic!

Lobby Day — I had the great pleas-ure of organizing Lobby Day 2010with Harbir S. Gill (PAC Chair) and

Ashley Miller (University of OttawaPAC rep). An article follows aboutour successes this year!

This has been a fantastic yearwith the CFMS and I am excited tosee us continuously grow as an organ-ization.

The CFMS is your Federation,your Voice. Use it to maximize itspotential!

If you have any comments, ques-tions or feedback, please do not hes-itate to contact me at [email protected].

Danielle RodinVP ServicesUniversity of Toronto, Class of 2012

A penny saved is a penny earnedCFMS gives you a hand with your student budget

Many students startingmedical school soon real-ize that their dream ofbecoming a doctor comes with ahefty price tag. The costs of medicalschool and all of its trimmings addup quickly, which is why the CFMShas stepped in to help lighten thispotential debt load.

Textbook discountsAt the start of each school year, wereceive list upon list of “recommend-ed” texts. But how do we know if wewill actually use them? How do weknow whether they will be helpful or ifthey will just be a hit to our pocket-book? The CFMS Textbook ReviewCommittee can help with this dilem-ma. They’ve undertaken textbookreviews, which are posted online andprovide tips on which books to keepon your bookshelf.

The CFMS also offers discounts.This year, we offered 10% off on allbooks published by Elsevier. Lookonline for Elsevier books that havebeen peer-reviewed and endorsed.Starting clerkship? Check out the 20%discount on pocketbooks by DavidHui. If you want to review medicalscenarios for your OSCE, get 15% offthe cost of Case Files: Anatomy andCase Files: Physiology published byMcGraw Hill. If you’re entering 4thyear, check out our 20% discount onEssentials for the Canadian Licensing

Exam, provided to you by LippincottWilliams and Wilkins.

Electronic education softwareAfter a while, carrying all those bookson your back may start to hurt. CFMSand Skyscape are offering an amazingdeal on electronic educational softwarefor all CFMS members. You can get25% off educational resources for yourPDA and Smartphone.

Vision correctionAfter all that reading, your eyesmight be pretty strained. Throwaway those glasses and book anappointment at Lasik MD for visioncorrection with CFMS membercourtesy pricing and discounts.

InsuranceYou’ve worked hard to become aphysician, so it’s important to protectyourself should illness or disabilitybefall you. We are pleased to offerCanada’s best disability insurance formedical students and residents byKirkham and Jack. This offer is avail-able exclusively to CFMS members.

CaRMS assistanceGetting nervous about CaRMS?Worried about how you’re going tofund all of your interview travels? Feellike you need a vacation, when it’s alldone? The CFMS negotiated 10% offall regularly priced flights on WestJet

from 28 Dec. 2009 through 1 April2010. When you arrive at your desti-nation, check into one of the ChoiceHotels partners and receive 20% off.To access and book these discounts,log into the “Member Benefits” section on our website. If the hotel istoo much of a splurge, check out our“billeting” database to see what fellowstudents’ apartment you may be ableto crash at.

We are constantly at work toimprove our services and to help youon your path to the MD mark. Pleasefeel free to offer suggestions and let usknow about other ways that we can beof service. Keep checking our user-friendly website at www.cfms.org forinformation on all our discounts andon new developments.

CFMS Activities


To access these services, go towww .cfms .org and click on

“Member Benefits.” If you don’thave a CFMS account yet, sign-upat www.cfms.org /signup.asp. The

sign-up code for this year isavailable to you through yourCFMS representative. Fill in all

the other fields and make up yourown username and password.

In 2009, the CFMS joined thegrowing environmental sustain-ability movement happeningworldwide by adopting the CFMSGreen Charter at our biannual generalmeeting in Edmonton. The GreenCharter was a major first step both interms of recognizing the responsibilitymedical students have in supporting ahealthy environment and in realizingthis responsibility as an organizationby adopting environmentally responsi-ble practices. Since the unanimousshow of support in adopting the GreenCharter, there has been a growing buzzwithin the CFMS to green our activi-ties and support our member schoolsin their new and ongoing environmen-tal projects.

In December before the UnitedNations climate change conference(COP 15) in Copenhagen, theCFMS sent an open letter to

Environment Minister Jim Prenticeand Canada’s party leaders, urgingCanadian participation in aggressiveglobal action on climate change.Through this letter, the CFMSjoined many other prominent med-ical organizations, such as The RoyalCollege of Physicians and Surgeons,in warning about critical emergingenvironmental health issues.

Organizationally, the GlobalHealth Program’s EnvironmentalWorking Group, now in its secondyear, is continuing to make the CFMSas environmentally responsible as pos-sible. The group undertook an audit ofour progress in implementing theGreen Charter and developed a guidefor member schools interested in tak-ing on environmental projects.Through the guide, we’re hopingmember medical societies will learnfrom successful projects at other

schools and develop them to fit thegreen needs of their own students.

By continuing to build on theGreen Charter, the CFMS will increaseits commitment to environmentalrespon sibility. With the ongoing effortsof the Environmental Working Group,the CFMS and our members, environ-mental considerations will becomefully integrated into our activities as anorganization, as well as a defining partof who we are as medical students andmedical professionals. It’s an excitingtime to “go green,” and we look for-ward to sharing our progress with youat the 2010 spring general meeting inSt. John’s, Newfoundland!

To get involved with the Environ -mental Working Group, please contactCait Champion, Ontario RegionalRepresentative ([email protected]). Also, check out our GreenCharter on the CFMS website!

The CFMS goes green!

Cait ChampionOntario Regional RepresentativeUniversity of Toronto, Class of 2012

CFMS Activities


“When the earth is sick and polluted, human health is impossible. To heal ourselves we must heal our planet, and to heal our planet

we must heal ourselves.”— Bobby McLeod, (Koori activist)

CFMS Activities


Back by popular demand, thisyear’s CFMS Student InitiativeGrants have been a huge successonce again. The CFMS has set asidefunding for projects started by medicalstudents at our 14 member schools.The CFMS is looking to fund creative,sustainable initiatives that align withCFMS priorities, increase CFMS visibility and promote inter-school collaboration.

The ideas and enthusiasm gener-ated by the first round of applicationshas been overwhelming. With a whop-ping 20 applications, we were happy tobe able to fund 10! Below are threeexamples of projects that the CFMSStudent Initiative Grants funded.Read on to be inspired by the work ofyour peers from coast to coast!

Black Medical Students’Association of CanadaMariam Deria, McMaster University

When I started medical school orien-tation back in September 2009, Isaw a sea of future physicians fillingthe lecture hall and noticed that Iwas one of four students ofBlack/African descent in the class of196 students. I am a strong believerthat health care professionals mustbe a microcosm of the communitythat they represent and, in thisrespect, there is much room forimprovement. To contribute to achange, I decided, along with one ofmy fellow classmates, to launch theBlack Medical Students Associationof Canada (BMSAC).

With this organization, we planto establish resources and specificprograms targeted toward increas-ing recruitment and retention ofBlack Canadians, an underrepre-sented minority in medicine. Werecognize the role that we as futurephysicians will play in health care,and we are committed to support-ing and enhancing academic, pro-fessional and networking opportu-nities for Black premedical stu-dents, medical students, residentsand physicians.

We hope that www.bmsa cana-da.ca will be a one-stop shop forinformation and resources. Theorganization is structured to pro-mote interschool collaborationamong the 14 CFMS member med-ical schools in Canada. We plan onhaving one representative from eachschool. This will allow us to spreadthe message of the BMSAC, recruitnew members and ensure the sus-tainability of the program.

“On Exam” — iPod/iPhoneapplicationMatt Strickland and Geeta Yadav,

Northern Ontario School of Medicine

Despite the fact that over 30,000iPod/iPhone applications are avail-able today, none of them provides asystem-by-system reference guidefor clinical skills that every medicalstudent in Canada must learn. Ourproject is to create a free app called“On Exam” that will fill this gap bydisplaying reference information

on how to take a history and con-duct a physical examination forvarious organ systems in a user-friendly format.

The ideas andenthusiasm

generated by thefirst round of

applications hasbeen overwhelming.

This application is gearedtoward junior medical students, butthird- and fourth-year clerks canbenefit from having, at their finger-tips, a reference on how to do aproper exam or obtain a focused his-tory. Having this sort of informationavailable in their pockets would givemedical students a tool they can useon the wards to quickly brush up ontheir skills or even as a study aid forOSCEs.

“First, Do No Harm” — adocumentaryTimothy Holland and Alyson Horne-

Douma, Dalhousie University

We are second-year medical studentswith a passion for and backgroundin global health. After participating

Inspiring projects fundedby the Student Initiative GrantsJanet FergusonWestern Regional RepresentativeUniversity of Saskatchewan, Class of 2011

in projects in developing countries and talkingwith other students, medical professionals at uni-versities across Canada and national organiza-tions, we found ourselves questioning how andwhy we undertake humanitarian and develop-ment work in under-resourced countries.Discussions around the ethical dilemmas of thiskind of work have been taking place quietlyamong some experts in the field, but we want tohelp bring these issues into the mainstream.

Armed with experience in short film-making,we have begun to produce a documentary titled“First, Do No Harm.” The film explores the ethicalchallenges facing health care professionals and stu-dents doing electives, work and volunteer place-ments in developing countries.

The film will highlight the often unexam-ined ethical pitfalls associated with foreignmedical efforts in a developing nation. It willbe a resource for students and professionalsseeking global health experience and facultiesof medicine, hospitals and clinics wanting tostrengthen pre-existing programs or developnew collaborative projects with internationalpartners. We hope that by using film, we willbe able to capture the passion and energy ofthose engaged in global health initiatives andincrease dialogue among professionals and stu-dents in this field.

The deadline for the next round of applicationsfor the CFMS Student Initiative Grants was28 Feb. 2010. Best of luck to those who applied!

CFMS Activities


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CFMS Activities


In recent years, the CFMS has beencommendably increasing its grass-roots involvement in all areas, butthis is especially true for its PoliticalAdvocacy Committee (PAC)! Since itshumble beginning just three years ago,the PAC has morphed into a thinktank, producing numerous positionpapers on a variety of topics, and actsas a feedback mechanism to inform theCFMS on future national advocacydirections. This year, it has trans-formed into a full-fledged lobbyingmachine! Each school’s PAC represen-tative is charged with surveying stu-dent interests, then forming a teamand lobbying on those issues, whetherthey pertain to the government, uni-versity administration or even thecommunity.

One exciting event during thispast year was the 2nd Annual PanAlberta Political Action Day. PAC rep-resentatives from the universities ofAlberta and Calgary collaborated toorganize an event in which 50 medicalstudents met with 45 MPPs in theirlegislature offices in Edmonton (53%of all sitting members!) to convincethem to increase funding of a ruralclerkship program. Before the meet-

ings, students received a full day oftraining on effective lobbying — anamazing achievement — congratula-tions!

Aside from Ontario’s OMSALeadership Initiative and Alberta’sPolitical Action Day, no other provin-cial government lobbying initiativescurrently exist. However, CFMS PACreps in five other provinces are work-ing toward establishing such an eventat their school and it will be very excit-ing to see their achievements.

Other advocacy work comingdown the pipeline is in the areas ofmaking schools more environmentallyfriendly, Aboriginal health, studentfinances and distributed medical edu-cation. At some schools, some PACreps have even taken the initiative toset up partnerships with the GlobalHealth Advocate program.

A number of schools are pursuingthe issue of economic diversity ofmedical school classes. Many PACrepresentatives are focusing on allevi-ating this problem using a multifac-eted approach targeting admissionstandards and outreach programs.These efforts complement the newadvocacy direction of the CFMS with

regard to its annual Lobby Day inOttawa (this year held on 29 March2010), where economic diversity wasthe topic of discussion with MPs.PAC representatives are not only par-ticipating in this event, but are alsotaking ownership of its organizationby undertaking issue research, provid-ing preliminary training for delegatesand issuing MP invitations.Moreover, at the first ever CFMSPAC Conference on 27 March 2010,PAC representatives will be meetingto discuss their schools’ initiatives andreceive advocacy training.

An indirect effect of these excitinginitiatives is that all students involvedwith the PAC are receiving advocacytraining. Despite being one of the keycompetencies in accreditation criteria,advocacy remains largely untaught inCanadian schools. It is something besttaught experientially and this is pre-cisely the kind of thing we are doing inthe PAC. In addition, numerousschools are organizing advocacy train-ing workshops for their students.

We’re all excited about how far wecan go this year — stay tuned! Contactyour local PAC rep if you’re interestedin getting involved!

News from the CFMSPolitical Advocacy CommitteeHarbir S. Gill Chair, CFMS National Political Advocacy Committee and Western Canada Regional Representative University of Alberta, Class of 2011

CFMS Activities


Lobby day is one of the CFMS’signature annual events duringwhich medical students fromacross the nation come to ParliamentHill in Ottawa to speak with policymakers on issues of importance. Thisevent is meant to inspire students tobecome more politically aware andactive in their society. Physicians havea tremendous ability to shape decisionsaround health policy and Lobby Dayprovides students with an opportunityto experience this process early on.

This year’s Lobby Day, held on29 March 2010, was an incredible success! The event was attended by 58delegates from all 14 CFMS memberschools and attracted almost 100meetings with Members of Parliament,Senators and bureaucrats. This is thelargest number of meetings that the

CFMS has had in the event’s history!New this year, the Lobby Day topic

advocated for increased economic andgeographic diversity in our medicalschools. Survey data indicates that med-ical school is not accessible to rural andlow-income students. Our stated posi-tion was that inadequate admission oflow-income and rural students is reduc-ing physician accessibility in underser-viced areas. Delegates explained thatstudents with rural backgrounds are 2.5times more likely to practice in a ruralcommunity, while students with low-income backgrounds are more likely toserve low-income patients. Studentsfrom either of these backgrounds arealso more likely to practice as familyphysicians, a discipline in whichCanada is experiencing significantshortages.

On behalf of the CFMS, studentdelegates asked MPs and Senators to:1. Acknowledge that the lack of

diversity in medicine is an impor-tant health care issue and committo working toward short-term andlong-term solutions.

2. Establish a task force investigatingthe implementation of methods toincrease diversity in our medicalschools, such as those that havebeen initiated in Australia and theUnited States, including: • Offering monetary incentives to

interested medical schools pro-posing strategies for increasingthe enrolment of students fromlow-income and rural back-grounds.

• Establishing applicant grantprograms to assist students in

CFMS Lobby Day 2010Future physicians call on politicians to help broaden the make-up of Canada’smedical schools

Ijab Khanafer VP Communications, University of Ottawa, Class of 2011

Harbir S. GillChair, CFMS Political Advocacy Committee, University of Alberta, Class of 2011

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Medical student population Canadian population

Rural origin

Population income > $120,000

Population income < $40,000

Comparison of average family income and rural origin in medical student and Canadian populations

39.7%

15.4%

4.9%

29.1%

22.4%

10.8%

CFMS ActivitiesRO

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financial need with the significant costs of applying to med-ical school.

The Lobby Day ‘Ask’ was very well received by the majority ofMPs, Senators and bureaucrats. Lobby Day organizers will be following up with a number of them regarding recommendationsthat they have made, including suggestions to work through theStanding Committee on Health.

Before their meetings, student delegates took part in a full dayof training. This was marked by a series of speakers, includingaddresses from Dr. Jeff Turnbull, CMA president-elect; Paul Dewar,MP for Ottawa Centre and Graeme Wilkes, Manager, GovernmentRelations and Advocacy at the CMA.

Also new this year, the CFMS National Political AdvocacyCommit tee (PAC) was heavily involved in the planning of theevent. This consisted of the development of the argumentation, theadvanced preparation of delegates and the invitation to MPs. Wewould especially like to thank Ashley Miller, the U of O PAC rep-resentative, as she deserves special recognition for her role as theResearch Team Leader. Her contributions on the research anddevelopment of this issue was key to the success of this initiative.

Of note, Lobby Day weekend was extended to include a first-ever Political Advocacy Committee Con fer ence Day for PAC repre-sentatives on Satur day, 27 March. On this day, the leaders in politicaladvocacy at each campus congregated in Ottawa and received specialtraining on becoming better advocates, both at their schools and inthe future. High profile speakers included Dr. Robert Conn,Founder of SMARTRISK and PAIRO CEO; Laurel Craib, CMAAssociate Director, Government Relations and Federico Carvajal,Canadian Federa tion of Students (CFS) Ontario field worker.

If you have any comments, questions or feedback about LobbyDay, please contact Ijab Khanafer at vpcommunica [email protected] Harbir S. Gill at [email protected].

Lobby Day in numbers

• # of student delegates: 58

• # of meetings: 96

• # of delegates/meeting: 2

• # of meetings/delegate: 3–4

• # of radio interviews: 4

• # of media articles: 22

• # of MPs who tweeted about

meeting: 4

Did you know?Canadian medical schools are aware ofthis problem:• The accreditation standards haverecently been revised to require thatevery Canadian medical school showproof of initiatives to increase diversity,including economic and geographic.

• The Association of Faculties ofMedicine of Canada (AFMC) recom-mended in a report funded by HealthCanada that every Canadian medicalschool enhance admission processesto foster increased diversity and thecreation of a representative physicianworkforce.

PAC members withDr. Robert Conn,Founder of SMARTRISK,PAIRO CEO and one ofthe founding presidentsof the CFMS.

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Iwaited about eight minutes infront of the closed (and locked)residents’ office door. Now, afterseveral months of experience, I knowbetter than to just stand and wait. “Onthe first day of your neurology rota-tion,” said the administrative email,“please meet the senior resident at0800 in the residents’ room.” Thatseemed easy enough, but we all knowsenior residents are busy people andwon’t necessarily be waiting for you,the fresh, new clinical clerk, to arrive.

A helpful ward nurse solved thedilemma and I quickly found myselfabsorbed into the productive atmos-phere of inpatient medicine. But as abrand new clerk, I felt two tonsils shyof completely useless. That’s when Imet Jill and Wei. Both final-yearmedical students from their respectiveschools, these two immediatelybecame helpful comrades. Jill showedme how to jot down bloodwork ’lytesand the neat trick of folding over thelast third of your patient list to pro-vide more room for notes. Wei care-fully took me through the task of cor-roborating PowerChart meds datawith what the patient was actuallygetting.

Later on in a busy emergencyroom, another clerk, this time fromout west, complemented my meticu-lous (if painstakingly time-consuming)suturing technique and shared fun

facts about cat-scratch disease. Amonth later, a former CFMS executivemember and I found ourselves piggingout on ice cream while drooling overcharacters from “The Tudors.” KellyHynes paid me a visit during her orthoelective and explained what soundedlike a whirlwind across the nation,rotating through ORs, hospital wardsand Tim Horton’s line-ups from coast-to-coast.

This experience, although unique-ly personal, is commonplace for themedical ingenues of Canada. We liveand study in a vast country, but theextent of student reciprocity shows nobounds. This is exactly why I joinedthe CFMS. This organization is led byrepresentatives from each school, but itfunctions best with the collectiveinvolvement of everyone. Taking amoment to blog about an electiveexperience on www.cfms.org makes iteasier for the next person to make deci-sions about signing up. Mailing a letterto your member of parliament aboutmedical education accessibility notonly raises the issue, it also raises theprofile of the CFMS and what westand for. When you’re the clerkadmitting a patient with renal failureto your team and he remarks how“everyone with those black clipboards”has taken good care of him, it’sencouraging to know he’s talkingabout a CFMS medical student.

This year, I have been lucky tosupport some impressive projects atthe CFMS. Our work on interestdeferral put our president and VP edu-cation in front of the Federal StandingCom mittee on Finance, and this year’sLobby Day moved ahead in an impor-tant new direction despite parliamenthitting the prorogation pause button.With the rapid expansion of campusesand incorporation of distributed edu-cation at virtually every Canadianmedical school, the DistributedMedical Education (DME) project haskept CFMS busy. We’re not there yet,but our organization is well positionedto comment on the policies and effectsof the DME pedagogical shift. Last, inkeeping tabs on med student needs,the CFMS continues to look at whatservices would be useful to our mem-bers. Coming down the line? Keepyour orbits open for deals of stetho-scopic proportion.

So the next time you’re memo-rizing carotid branches with dirtymnemonics, screening for mania at 2am or just trying not to contaminateyourself for the third time during aWhipple’s, think of how many otherCFMS students were in your shoes.Think of how many more will cometo be in a similar situation and con-sider adding your expertise to theCFMS.

After all, we need people like you.

Broad differentials —thoughts from an Ontario regional repJohn SnelgroveOntario Regional RepresentativeUniversity of Western Ontario, Class of 2011

CFMS Activities


I’m sure it comes as no surprise thatmany more medical students arechoosing to have families duringtheir undergraduate medical trainingthan in the past. While balancing class-es, studying, extracurricular activities,social obligations and finances is adaunting task for most of us, somehave the added responsibility of being aparent — feeding, clothing, arrangingdaycare, attending doctor’s appoint-ments and I’m sure a plethora of othercommitments that I, as a non-parent,cannot even begin to understand.

Before I became a member of thenational executive of the CFMS, amedical student who had taken sometime off from her education to start afamily approached me and inquiredabout any supports that the CFMS

may have for student parents. I lookedinto her inquiry and noted that stu-dent parenting had not been an issuethat had been explored extensively bythe CFMS. As the CFMS is a mem-ber-driven organization, I decided totake this project on as my primaryresponsibility during my term asAtlantic representative.

So far this year, I’ve been active atthe local level, exploring theresources, policies and supports thatare available for parents at MemorialUniversity and interviewing studentparents to see what other options theywould like to see put in place. Thenext phase of the project will involvedistributing to other CFMS memberschools a functional survey to assessthe current national situation and the

needs that are currently being met ornot elsewhere. I have two goals for this project: 1. Develop a catalogue of policies

and resources available at each ofCanada’s medical school so thatcurrent inadequacies may beresearched and positive changesfor student parents can occur.

2. Create a section on the CFMSwebsite devoted to medical stu-dent parents to allow them toshare resources and experiencesand provide links to pertinent anduseful online resources.

If anyone has any interest in the student parent project or questions,feel free to email me at [email protected].

Medical student parents

Matthew J. SheppardAtlantic Representative Memorial University, Class of 2011

CFMS Activities


Institutional memory is a keycomponent of any well-estab-lished organization. It providesthe framework of common under-standing necessary to build the suc-cessful, cohesive ongoing projectsthat help an organization grow. Italso provides insight to establish newprojects that clearly reflect the visionof a strong organization. This idea isthe inspiration for creating a compre-hensive CFMS Institutional MemoryProject so that we have a clear visionof where we have been as an organi-zation over the past 33 years so wecan esta blish a framework for movingforward.

Being an organization for and bymedical students is both our biggestchallenge and our greatest strength.Our high turnover, seen in any stu-dent organization, is a challenge todeveloping long-term projects thatextend beyond two years. However, aconstant stream of new students alsomeans the development of fresh andcurrent ideas; as an organization theCFMS is certainly never obsolete!

By looking back on the issueswe have faced as an organization aswell as creating an infrastructure to

ensure good project follow-up in thefuture, the Institutional MemoryProject will help us capitalize on ourstrengths without letting our chal-lenges overwhelm or undermine ouractivities. The project consists oftwo components, one to provide ahistorical context of the organiza-tion, the other to provide a frame-work for continuity.

A short history of the CFMS —providing historical contextOne piece of the institutional mem-ory puzzle is collecting and organiz-ing our past history in a way that itcan be used to inform our futureplans and decisions. As students in aconstantly changing profession,emerging issues that affect studentsare always coming up, but at thesame time, many of the issues wecurrently face have also been experi-enced by our predecessors.

One of the major initiatives ofthe Institutional Memory Project iscontacting past CFMS presidentsabout the major achievements andconcerns of the organization over thecourse of their term. The valuableinformation we receive from our

alumni will be used to create aCFMS timeline, which will be post-ed on our website to help orient newmembers to what the CFMS does aswell as provide member school repre-sentatives and the executive withbackground context for approachingcurrent issues.

Tracking past accomplishmentsand challenges will help us build onour previous efforts as an organiza-tion and, as a result, become evenstronger leaders and advocates inthe field of medicine and medicaleducation.

Infrastructure — support forthe futureThe second part of the project is notonly to collect and organize our his -tory, but also to make sure this histo-ry is actually used by the executive,member school representatives andmembers.

For the executive, this means cre-ating a good transition system thatensures continuity of ongoing projectsthat are a priority for the organization.This will include web-based storagespace for file-sharing and a clear, con-sistent method of organizing project

The CFMS Institutional Memory Project

Cait ChampionOntario Regional RepresentativeUniversity of Toronto Class of 2012

“The farther backward you can look, the farther

forward you are likely to see.”

— Sir Winston Churchill

CFMS Activities


files for easy access to project informa-tion by future executive members.

For member school representa-tives and members, this entails usingour website to communicate ourideas as an organization and postingsummaries of key information, suchas motions passed at each AnnualGeneral Meeting and Spring GeneralMeeting.

Overall, we want to create a basefor building good practices in 2009–10 that will be continued through-out the life of the organization.

Institutional memory — anongoing commitment tostudent leadershipAlthough we have made a good start,the Institutional Memory Projectwill require an ongoing commitmentof the organization and its membersto ensure its continued success. Welook forward to sharing our workwith you at the Spring GeneralMeeting 2010 in St. John’s,Newfoundland, and encourage youto get engaged in the strong historyof leadership within the CFMS

established through the commit-ment and contributions of our pre decessors.

Although the Institutional MemoryProject team is beginning with past presi-dents to build our historical timeline, wewelcome any and all input from otherinterested CFMS alumni! We would loveto hear your perspective on the CFMSduring your time as a medical student. Tocontribute, contact Cait Champion,Ontario Regional Representative,[email protected]

CFMS Activities


First, I’d like to take a moment toexpress how happy I am to bepart of the Canadian Federationof Medical Students. For the past fewmonths, I have been working with agroup of highly competent, hard-work-ing and enthusiastic people who wantyou, the CFMS members, to be fullysatisfied with what this federationaccomplishes and represents. As youread this annual review, you will appre-ciate why I am so enthusiastic about theCFMS and, hopefully, it will motivateyou to become an active member of thisfantastic team!

As Quebec regional representative,my major mandate is to be the liaisonbetween the CFMS and the Fédérationmédicale étudiante du Québec(FMEQ). The FMEQ is, to Quebecmedical students, what the CFMS is tomedical students in the rest of Canada

and McGill (note that McGill medicalstudents are members of both theCFMS and FMEQ). Thus, the FMEQprovides services to its members, repre-sents its members’ interests and facili-tates communication among the fourmedical student societies in Quebec.

FMEQ members make up about athird of all medical students in Canada.Given the significant number ofCanadian medical students representedby the FMEQ, dialogue and coopera-tion between the CFMS and FMEQ isessential to ensure that our national fed-eration accurately represents the inter-ests of all Canadian medical students.

Of note is the significant coopera-tion that has existed between theFMEQ and CFMS lately, particularlyin the context of the upcoming 59thGeneral Assembly of the InternationalFederation of Medical Students’

Associa tions. This week-long interna-tional conference will be held inMontréal in July–August 2010, with apre-conference meeting in Ottawa.IFMSA-Quebec, a branch of theFMEQ and the CFMS-Global HealthProgram are equal partners in thisevent’s organization and coordination.Successful cooperation between thesepartners is imperative for this event’ssmooth functioning.

I know that the CFMS and FMEQwill work as a strong, cohesive team tomake this General Assembly a great suc-cess. Let the 2010 IFMSA GeneralAssembly in Montréal be concreteproof of the phenomenal combinedforce of the CFMS and FMEQ.Continuous collaboration, translatinginto greater positive outcomes for allCanadian medical students is what weare striving for.

CFMS and FMEQ: united for successNoura Hassan Quebec Regional Representative McGill University, Class of 2012

CFMS Activities


What is the primary factordetermining patient well-ness in today’s health caresystem? Certainly there are many. Yet,we cannot deny that our system is onlyas good as the health care professionalswho serve in it. Physicians are at theforefront of health care delivery andthey play an integral role in determin-ing patient outcomes.

Undoubtedly, the technicalresources physicians use in the diagnosisand treatment of their patients areessential; however, we often place farmore importance on these resourcesthan those that we use to communicatewith our patients. In terms of overallpatient wellness, counseling on ahealthy lifestyle and providing support-ive resources are just as important as thetests and machines we use to improvepatients’ health.

As key health care information

providers and counselors, physiciansneed to be able to communicatehealth and wellness information, aswell as serve as models of good prac-tice. Yet, knowledge of wellness andhabits of well-being do not becomeactivated when we are licensed.Rather, they must be cultivated farearlier, during medical school years,for example. Individual medicalschools have student affairs offices,some have student wellness days andall have some form of crisis resources.However, wellness as a curricular ele-ment and proactive lifestyle choicehas come to the forefront, only to bewashed aside by the stresses ofupcoming deadlines and exams. Inthe absence of a concerted effort tocentralize and communicate wellnessresources to medical students, shouldwe be surprised that the conditions inour stressed health care system are

compromising the health of ourpatients?

Embracing Wellness: HealthyMedical Students for a HealthyHealthcare System is an importantCFMS initiative that will form thebasis of a new, ongoing wellness cul-ture among medical students. We aimto establish a wellness mindset amongmedical students by providing toolsdesigned and customized to theirneeds. Themes and topics related tostudent wellness, such as stress, sleep,exercise and nutrition, financial well-ness and mental and emotional fitnesswill all be addressed.

As leaders in the front line ofpatient care, we owe it to ourselvesand our patients to embrace, practiseand promote a healthy lifestyle. Weare the Canadian Federation ofMedical Students, and this year weaim to put the education and engage-ment of medical students in wellnessfront and centre. Working in part-nership with provincial and federalmedical organizations, we are chang-ing the focus of wellness from a luxu-ry to a necessity — for the well-beingof both future physicians and theirpatients.

The primary factor determiningpatient health and wellness in ahealthy health care system is thehuman factor — the element of carethat links the health and knowledge ofproviders with that of their patients.Join us as we strive to create a healthierhealth care system.

Healthier medical students, healthier patientsAli OkhowatCFMS Wellness OfficerUniversity of Toronto, Class of 2010

WWW.MEDSTUDENTWELLNESS.CA/

CFMS Activities


CFMS blood drive —810 units donated in 2009!Mike BevilacquaCFMS Blood Drive OfficerUniversity of Calgary, Class of 2010

The CFMS is Canadian BloodServices’ (CBS) longest stand-ing national partner (it’s true,look it up!) and, as a result, we decidedto move forward with that partnershipand become part of the Partners ForLife (PFL) program which will reallyhelp us maximize the donations wemake across the country.

Entering into a PFL partnershipgives us access to CBS’s vastresources and nationwide team ofcoordinators who will help organizeand promote blood donation oppor-tunities to med students at everyCFMS school. Through the PFLprogram, CBS helps us organize ourefforts and makes sure that every stu-dent at every school is aware of thedonation events in their community.I am confident that, through thisprogram, CBS will help us achievedonation numbers that we wouldhave previously thought impossible.

As a PFL member organization,the biggest challenge is setting uplocal partnerships between schoolsand CBS organizers, and I am proud

to say that most CFMS campuseshave at least one amazingly dedicat-ed local PFL champion who willwork with CBS to schedule and pro-mote our donation events (see table).The local champions are your link toCBS, and they are all enthusiasticabout this year’s drive; don’t beafraid to approach them with anyquestions or ideas that you mayhave, as I know they would love totalk to you.

One of the big jobs that the localchampions had was to set a donationtarget for this year, and as the dona-tion numbers come in and we comecloser and closer to those goals, it isvery exciting! Although the numbersare still coming in, in 2009, theCFMS made 810 donations — atotal we can all be proud of! Bybuilding on the success of last year’sblood drive, we can do even betterthis year and continue to contributeto the health care system in thismeaningful way.

Although the donation numbersare exciting, we are all most excited

about the donation events! To kickoff this year, every school held a big,school-wide donation event as a partof CFMS Blood Month in February.The PFL allows for a lot of flexibili-ty, so each school was able to pickthe dates that worked best for theirBlood Month event; as a result, inFebruary alone, we were able toaccumulate approximately 250donations!

For information on yourschool’s donation activities, talk toyour local champion, keep an eyeout around the school and checkyour email for promotional materi-als. Even if you cannot donate blood,you can still be a big part of yourschool’s donation effort by helpingto spread the word and getting yourpeers excited about our donationefforts. I’m sure your local championwould love some help!

The biggest reason we switchedto the PFL program was to get helppromoting donations year-round, soget ready for a fun-filled year ofbloodletting!

A big challenge is identifyingdedicated volunteers at each medicalschool campus. As students, we tendto have busy schedules and it hasbeen difficult to encourage people tocome forward to lead the blooddonation efforts at their school. Toaddress this difficulty, we are work-ing to ensure that within the PFLframework, the amount of time andeffort spent by our CFMS volunteersis kept to a minimum. CBS hasimmense organizational capacity,and they are more than willing tomake donating as easy as possible.

We are also integrating theblood drive champion position intothe election process that takes placeat most medical school campusesearly in the school year. Someschools have already done this, and Ihope to see more campuses take thisstep. By identifying a dedicatedblood drive leader at the beginningof the school year, we can ensure thatwe maximize our donation potentialand help the greatest possible num-ber of people!

Although there will always bemore work to be done, between the

success of last year’s blood drive, thenew programs we have tried thisyear and the challenges that await usin the future, this is a very excitingtime to be a part of the CFMS’sblood drive efforts, and all of theenergy coming back to me fromCFMS schools is absolutely amaz-ing! Keep an eye out for upcomingdonation opportunities; for moreinfo, you can always talk to yourlocal champion and, most impor-tant, remember to roll up yourwhite coat sleeves and give!

CFMS Activities


Volunteer blood drive champions

School Champion(s)

Dalhousie Kyle Jewer

Queen’s Clarissa Moodie and Philip Harvey

University of Toronto Jacqueline Zhai and Soumitra Tole

McMaster Kylie Redekop and Gayathtri Raveendran

University of Western Ontario Charles Ho

Northern Ontario School of Medicine—Thunder Bay Campus Claudine Lanthier

Northern Ontario School of Medicine—Sudbury Campus Caelen Rody

University of Manitoba Rebecca McLean

University of Alberta Serena Cheung and Rene Lee

University of Calgary Anjli Pandya and Gwynivere Davies

CFMS Activities


According to the most recentofficial definition, interpro-fessional education (IPE)occurs when two or more professionslearn with, from and about eachother to improve collaboration andthe quality of care. IPE is being rec-ognized worldwide as a way toincrease the ability of health care stu-dents to practise collaboratively.Given ballooning health care costs,increasing chronic disease anddiminished health human resourcesworldwide, a body of literature hasidentified the need to teach healthcare professionals IPE as a means towork together to help address theseissues.

The CFMS has been very activein examining the role of medicalstudents in IPE activities acrossCanada. In 2008, it released a posi-tion paper highlighting the impor-tance of IPE in the education ofmedical students and has continuedto build on this initiative. CFMShas been represented at variousinterprofessional conferences, mostrecently the National HealthSciences Students’ Associationnational conference at Queen’s

University in Kingston, Ontario inMarch 2009. At this meeting, stu-dent representatives from nearly allthe recognized health professionsacross Canada met through theCanadian Interprofessional StudentNetwork and, spearheaded by theCFMS, adopted guiding principlesby which each health professionalstudent organization would relateto the others. Some highlights of

this agreement include invitingmembers to conferences (and, ifpossible, waiving their registrationfees) as well as sharing commonresources.

The CFMS recognizes theimportance of collaboration with allallied health professions and in effec-tive interprofessional education. Welook forward to building more inter-professional relationships in 2010!

Building interprofessional partnerships

Daniel RosenfieldCFMS Interprofessional Education OfficerUniversity of Toronto, Class of 2011

CFMS Activities


Behind the scenes @ cfms.org

Michael LiCFMS Information Technology OfficerUniversity of Toronto, Class of 2012

As information technology offi-cer, my role is to make sureeverything is runningsmoothly on the CFMS website andlistservs. What I do on a day-to-daybasis can vary greatly, from managingthe events database to phone calls withonline advertisers to make sure whatthey want is compatible with what wecan provide. In addition, occasionallysome new function or service isrequired and it is my job to make sureit gets provided in some feasible way.The most recent example is the onlinesurvey system I implemented so thatwe could do the CFMS-ElsevierRaffle.

Here are some of the highlightsover the last year.

New mailing list serverAny large organization is only as goodas its slowest component, and this isespecially true when that component iscommunication among its staff. Aboutsix months ago, the CFMS listservswere transitioned onto a new platform,which not only provided faster mail-ings but was much more customizable,at both the administrative and userends. This was necessary to launch theCFMS-Global listserv, which is nowvery popular.

More website editorsWe have encouraged executives andofficers to become involved with thewebsite. This has resulted in muchmore frequently updated contentand more accurate information. Itcan be confusing to have inconsis-tent or misinformation on the site,and we aim to minimize that by con-tinuing to encourage more officers toget involved.

Website reorganizationThis process is being spearheaded byIjab Khanafer (VP communications)

and is relying on feedback from otherexecutives. We are making the websitemore intuitive and access to informa-tion easier. By the time this annualreview is published, you should be see-ing some of these exciting changes.

In 2010, there will be more formembers (and me) to look forward toat www.cfms.org, such as the promo-tion of many more useful benefits(courtesy of Danielle Rodin, VP Ser -vices) and the launching of the CFMSWellness website (courtesy of AliOkhowat, Wellness Officer).

I’ll see you there!

WWW.CFMS.ORG

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At the end of July, approximate-ly 800 medical students fromacross the globe will descendon Montréal for an intensive week ofdiscussion, debate and collaboration.This event, the General Assembly ofthe International Federation ofMedical Students’ Associations(IFMSA), known as Montréal AM2010, marks the first time that anIFMSA General Assembly will beheld in Canada.

Montréal AM 2010 is a joint ini-tiative of the CFMS’s Global HealthProgram and its Quebec equivalent,IFMSA-Québec. Through out themeeting, students will develop multi-national projects and build partner-ships in the areas of medical educa-tion, advocacy, public health, humanrights, reproductive health and globalhealth. At night, students will discov-er Montréal’s famous nightlife and cultural offerings.

Why Montréal for this August?“Montréal combines an inspirationalsetting, world-class facilities, profes-sional organization, unforgettablenightlife and a stimulating academicprogram,” explained AlexandreSigouin-Duquette, president of theOrganizing Committee and a third-year student at Université deMontréal.

Canadian medical students havebegun to make a splash on the inter-national stage through IFMSA.CFMS representatives wowed other

delegates at the last GeneralAssembly in Macedonia with theirwork, including a policy statementon indigenous health, a workinggroup on ethical guidelines for inter-national electives and a survey onreproductive health education. Withthe upcoming General Assembly inMontréal, this represents a primeopportunity for more Canadian stu-dents to bring their ideas to interna-tional attention.

The General Assembly will bepreceded by the pre-GA in Ottawa, a3-day series of engaging workshopsand interactive sessions on topicslike global health, peer education,medical education and more.Participants will select one area ofconcentration.

“Hosting the pre-GA in Ottawagives both Canadian and interna-tional attendees the opportunity todiscover these two wonderful, dis-tinct cities,” said Austin Gagné, vice-president of the OrganizingCommittee and a second-year stu-dent at University of Ottawa.

All Canadian medical studentsare part of the IFMSA through theirmembership in CFMS or IFMSA-Québec. IFMSA represents over amillion medical students from over100 countries worldwide, and is theofficial student body of the WorldHealth Organization and the UnitedNations.

The 59th General Assembly of

the International Federation ofMedical Students’ Associations will beheld in Montréal, Quebec, from 31July to 6 August. The pre-GA will beheld in Ottawa, Ontario, 27–31 July.

For more information and registration details, please visitwww.montrealam2010.com. If youare interested in volunteering at themeeting, please email Sarah Fung [email protected].

Canada to host International Medical Students’ General Assembly forthe first timeSarah FungCFMS Representative, Montréal AM 2010University of Alberta, Class of 2011

Global Health


Canada’s got the goods: At the IFMSA2009 August Meeting in Macedonia,Beverly Wudel (CFMS VP Global Health)shows fellow delegates why Montréal isa natural choice for the August 2010.

Mixing business and pleasure: CFMSdelegates kick back and relax afteranother productive day of standingcommittee sessions.

3 global health–06_CFMS new 11.5.10 12:15 PM Page 31

The CFMS’s Global HealthProgram (CMFS-GHP) contin-ues to provide Canadian med-ical students with support to grow asglobal citizens and opportunities to edu-cate themselves and others on health.

The CFMS-GHP is the largestbranch of the CFMS, consisting ofover 80 students from all 14 CFMSschools. Our team includes globalhealth liaison people (GHLs), globalhealth advocates (GHAs), localexchange officers (LEOs) and nation-al officers (NOs). Each of thesegroups makes a valuable contributionto increasing the profile of globalhealth and providing opportunitiesfor medical students to develop skillsthat will be imperative in providingcompetent medical care in an increas-ingly globalized world. This updateprovides only a snapshot of theachievements of this group.

CFMS and IFMSA-Quebecto co-host August 2010meeting of IFMSAThe International Federation ofMedical Students’ Associations(IFMSA) is an independent, non-gov-ernmental, non-political organization.In 2009, the IFMSA represented 1.2million medical students from 89 dif-ferent countries. Delegates to theIFMSA meet biannually to share ideas,collaborate on projects and discuss andvote on policies that affect medical stu-dents world-wide.

At the August 2009 meeting of theIFMSA in Macedonia, delegates from

the CFMS and our sister organization,IFMSA-Quebec, put together animpressive and successful bid to hostthe July–August 2010 GeneralAssembly in Montréal, with a pre-General Assembly to be held in Ottawa.Special thanks to Sarah Fung (U of A),Austin Gagné (U of O), Leslie Martin(U of O), Sana Ghaznavi (U of A) andmany, many others for their hard workand dedication to this project. For moreinformation on the 2010 GeneralAssembly or to find out how you canbecome involved, check out the articlein the CFMS Annual Review, or go towww.montrealam2010.com.

In 2010,93 Canadian

medical studentswill participate in

clinical andresearch exchangesaround the world.

Improving communicationIn fall 2009, the CFMS-GHPlaunched the global health listserv, adistribution list designed to provide

interested students with current infor-mation on opportunities in globalhealth, ranging from international con-ferences to medical electives. Thelaunch was a huge success and the list-serv has grown to a membership of over500 students. A huge thank you toMichael Slatnik (UWO) and LauraChng (UBC) for their work on main-taining the listserv and keepingCanadian medical students updated oncurrent opportunities in global health.

To improve communications withstudents, the CFMS-GHP said good-bye to our website www.healthforall.caand opted to centralize communica-tion by expanding the Global Healthsection of the CFMS website instead.Here, you can find information onwho we are, what we do, currentreports on global health activities atthe CFMS schools and information onthe CFMS exchange program. In2010, we hope to expand the servicesprovided by the website to include adatabase where students can shareinformation on global health electivesin which they have participated.

Pre-departure trainingIn 2008, the CFMS-GHP recognizedthe need for Canadian medical stu-dents participating in internationalelectives to receive pre-departure train-ing. This led a small group of verymotivated students to developresources and support for GHLs andLEOs, so that they could provide suchtraining to students at their universi-ties. The program has been very suc-

Bringing global health learning opportunities to CFMS studentsBeverly WudelVP Global HealthUniversity of Saskatchewan, Class of 2012

Global Health



cessful, with 14 CFMS schools partic-ipating. This year, GHLs will be pro-viding feedback, which will be used torefine the program to better serve stu-dents’ needs. One notable success wasthe inclusion of pre-departure trainingin the Association of Faculties ofMedicine of Canada’s guidelines formedical education. Thanks to MichaelSlatnik (UWO), Kelly Anderson(UWO) and Eileen Cheung (UWO)for their ongoing work in this area!

Advancing sexual andreproductive health inCanada and beyondQueen’s obstetrics and gynecology resi-dents led an engaging reproductive clin-ical skills workshop at the OntarioMedical Student Weekend, hosted byQueen’s University in October.Approximately 90 preclinical studentslearned delivery skills, practised perinealsuturing and studied IUD insertion.

One participant commented,“The facilitators were amazing. I lovedlearning about assisting in vaginalbirth and IUDs.” Another reproduc-tive clinical skills workshop will takeplace at the Dalhousie–MemorialUniversity medical student conferencein the spring.

The CFMS-GHP recognizedWorld AIDS Day across the country bysupporting Give A Day for the secondyear in a row. Give A Day is a Canadianorganization that raises funds for theStephen Lewis Foundation andDignitas International. GHLs’ creativi-ty and campaigns reached both stu-dents and staff, raising over $5000 forcommunity-based HIV/AIDS pro-grams in Africa. Schools also ran anincredible variety of local events tobroaden students’ HIV/AIDS knowl-edge and awareness, including a photoand art auction, collaborations with

like-minded groups, panel discussions,patient presentations, red ribbons, par-ties and more. Many schools alsofundraised for local organizations.

Lobbying for Aboriginal healthIn 2008, the CFMS-GHP developedthe Global Health Advocacy Programto bring students from across Canadatogether to develop local and nation-al advocacy projects centred around atheme chosen by the CFMS-GHP. In2009, the program decided to con-tinue with the previous year’s themeof Aboriginal health. Notable suc-cesses of the group include adoptionof the Policy Statement on IndigenousHealth by the IFMSA and adoptionof the Policy Statement on AboriginalHealth by the CFMS, in addition toachievements seen at individualCFMS schools.

In 2010, GHAs will attend theMontreal World Health Organizationsimulation (MonWHO), where thisyear’s theme will be PandemicPlanning. As pandemics often affectthe health of Aboriginal people dispro-portionately, GHAs will take on therole of representing various Aboriginalgroups at MonWHO, presenting issuesranging from the effects of urbaniza-tion on the health of Aboriginal peopleto the prevalence of infectious diseasessuch as HIV and tuberculosis.

CFMS exchange programOne of the most tangible servicesthat the CFMS-GHP provides tostudents is the CFMS exchange pro-gram. As a member of the IFMSA,the CFMS-GHP negotiates clinicaland research exchanges with othermember organizations. At theIFMSA meeting in Macedonia thisyear, we signed contracts with 24countries, including Greece, Jordan

and Lithuania, to name just a few. In2010, 93 Canadian medical studentswill participate in clinical andresearch exchanges around theworld.

The CFMS and IFMSA areworking to improve the experienceof students participating in theexchange program by developingstandardized guidelines for the aca-demic quality of the exchanges.Michael Slatnik (UWO), the outgo-ing national officer of global healtheducation, is developing guidelinesfor IFMSA clinical exchanges to helpprovide students with a frameworkfor participating in internationalclinical exchanges in a manner that isethically responsible.

Coordinating these exchanges isan enormous amount of work. Weowe national exchange officers, KenMendoza (U of M) and RachelleFindley (U of A), as well as theircapable team of LEOs our sincerestthanks for all the hard work theyhave put in to ensuring the success ofthis program.

Without doubt, 2009 was a suc-cessful and exciting year for theCFMS-GHP and 2010 promises tobe even better! It has been a privilegeto work with such a passionate anddedicated group of people. Specialthanks to Brianne Hudson, past VP-Global Health, for showing me theropes and helping to mentor me inmy new role. I also want to thankthe NOs, GHLs, GHAs, LEOs andeveryone else who has contributed tothe success of these and the manyother projects. Your work helps toensure that Canada’s next generationof physicians will have the skills andtraining necessary to practice confi-dently and competently in the fieldof global health.

Global Health



Medical students recognizethat, to provide the bestpatient-centred care, anunderstanding and appreciation ofthe patient’s beliefs, background andculture is essential. The curriculum atthe University of Calgary providesstudents with an opportunity to hearabout relevant topics in communica-tion and culture as they relate to thecare of Alberta’s aboriginal popula-tions, but a group of students wantedto take their education beyond whatthe curriculum offered. Rather thanhear about the culture, traditionalhealth practices and best communica-tion techniques, they wanted to expe-rience the richness and depth of theculture firsthand by attending a cere-monial sweat lodge. The following isa personal r