Family Medicine Research Symposium: Celebrating the new generation of primary care researchers
On May 30, the Family Medicine Graduate Students’ Society (FMGSS) held the Family Medicine Research Symposium, bringing together faculty, students and community members to share and discuss current advances in research conducted in areas such as family medicine, community health, health technology, and health policy.
As part of the event, students from the Department of Family Medicine and other departments within the Faculty of Medicine presented their research findings, each given a ten-minute window to do so. Though this may be a daunting task for some, others saw the opportunity as enriching.
“Events like these help to refine your presentation intent, as you want your findings to resonate with the attending population and their interests,” explains Anish Arora, a second-year Masters student in Family Medicine. With this being his second year participating in the Symposium, he said he felt more at ease as he was ‘able to show how the results were impactful” in regards to his thesis on the usability, effectiveness and overall satisfaction of blended-learning initiatives.
The following students were rewarded with certificates for the oral presentations and abstracts: Maude Mazanielle-Chezol, Hilah Silver, Chantal Girouard, Elena Guseva and Sophia Escobar.
Following their presentations, students had the pleasure to hear from keynote speaker Sister Monique Bourget (MDCM ’92). For more than twenty years, she has been a leader in establishing primary healthcare in São Paulo, Brazil. Participants also had the opportunity to exchange and discuss with a panel of recent graduates in primary care and health-related research programs, including Professor Kathleen Rice, who recently joined the Department of Family Medicine as an Assistant Professor.
The FMGSS also took the time to honour Indigenous traditions, as many of the students and research work closely with Indigenous communities. Joe Jacobs, Kanien’kehá:ka Elder, was present to offer prayers to open and close the day.
Additionally, FMGSS has collaborated with the McGill Journal of Medicine to publish the top 15 student abstracts in a special June 2019 issue, as another means for students to gain valuable experience presenting their research to faculty, clinicians and community members.
“The Symposium provides an opportunity to highlight the innovative research of graduate students in the Department of Family Medicine and other departments, as well as medical students,” explains Lashanda Skerritt, former Academic Vice-President of the FMGSS and head of the Organizing Committee. Creating a forum that displayed and supported graduate students was the main priority of the Organizing Committee.