Date: Monday, October 6th

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: Hexagon Board Game Cafe (10750 82 Ave NW)

Cost: Hourly Board Game Rate will be covered, drinks and food are up to you! (Please note that depending on interest, we may not be able to cover the costs for your plus ones. We will let you know in advance if that is the case)

Hey board gamers! 🎲

I hope you've all been settling into the swing of things well. Both first and second year's just finished some exams, and what better way to celebrate passing the foundations midterm and the GI final than with some boardgames. Bring a group of your med pals and go play Catan together, or mingle with some other folks and laugh together with some party games. All in all just plan for a good night. Partners and non-med friends welcome!

Link to sign up: https://forms.gle/CSVZ72wcgcsNiPi3A

Date: Friday, October 10th

Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Location: Katz-Atrium

October 10th is World Mental Health Day - join us for a post-exam, pre-Thanksgiving event hosted by the UofA Baking Club and Mental Health Advocates. Come and enjoy home-baked goodies, write an encouraging note for your classmates, and reset before the holiday weekend! 🎂🥮

Contact: Kelsey O'Rourke at klorourk@ualberta.ca 

As a mentor, you will have the opportunity to guide graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the department; you will have the chance to enhance your mentee’s experience as an early-career researcher in pediatrics in areas including, but not limited to: academics, lifestyle, career development, and planning.

Mentor applications for this program are now open! Please take a look at this google form to be included in our list of mentors for this year’s iteration of the mentorship program by November 1st if you would like to apply to be a mentor within our department.

Contact: sliu@ualberta.ca or khodaboc@ualberta.ca 

We’re thrilled to launch a brand-new elective this year: Vision Loss Community Support!

This elective offers hands-on workshops, patient panels, and volunteering with Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada (VLRC) and the CNIB. You’ll gain practical skills, meet patients with lived experience, and learn how community supports - like assistive devices, orientation/mobility training, and workplace accommodations - play a crucial role in patient care.

Highlights include:

• Introductory panel with an ophthalmologist, community provider, and patient speaker

• Sighted guide training & simulated vision loss exercises

• Volunteering with CNIB/VLRC programs

• Lived experience panel & assistive tech demo

Mailing List Sign-Up: https://forms.gle/88uDVa3k6Q4ZST7D9 

(Note: This is NOT a commitment to the elective - please feel free to add your name even if you’re only exploring elective options or want to stay informed about future workshop sessions.)

We can’t wait to see you join this exciting new opportunity!

Contacts: wqiu@ualberta.ca, bosston@ualberta.ca, alodha@ualberta.ca

Date: Thursday, October 16

Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: Online (Canada-wide)

The Canadian Queer Medical Students Association (CQMSA) invites medical students and residents across Canada to join the 2025 Pan-Canadian Trans Health Bootcamp, a free, nationwide virtual event.

This student-led initiative brings together community voices and clinical expertise to build confidence and competence in caring for trans patients. The program will feature:

• A community-led discussion offering insights into the lived experiences of trans people within the healthcare system

• A multi-disciplinary physician panel with experts in OB/GYN, Plastic Surgery, and Endocrinology

By blending clinical knowledge with lived experience, the Bootcamp prepares participants to deliver affirming, informed, and compassionate care for trans patients.

Registration is free but required: https://forms.gle/eX8exPTtrTRSsVcV6

The impact of a community-based rehabilitation intervention on the disability experienced by Mayan adults living with chronic diseases:

A syndemic-based evaluation

with Dr. Adalberto Loyola-Sanchez

Date: Tuesday, October 21
Time: 12:00pm - 12:50pm

Location: Zoom and ECHA 4-036 (hybrid)

Information & Registration: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/medicine/about/social-accountability/globalhealth/rounds/loyola-sanchez.html 

Date: Sunday, October 26
Time: 11:30am - 2:00pm

Location: Ronald McDonald House Edmonton - 7726 107 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 4K3

Come join us at Ronald McDonald House Edmonton to bake treats for families staying at the house! No prior baking experience is required; recipes will be determined closer to the date.

Sign up (first come, first serve!): https://forms.gle/o5RA8f9Pvtu5WqSD8

Contact: aclark@ualberta.ca 

The impacts of the drop in official development assistance for health and its implications for public health work in LMIC

with Dr. Stephen Hodgins, MD, MSc, DrPH

Date: Tuesday, November 18
Time: 12 - 12:50 pm

Location:  Zoom and ECHA 4-001 (hybrid)

Information & Registration: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/medicine/about/social-accountability/globalhealth/rounds/hodgins.html 

Date: January 21st - 23rd, 2026

Location: United Nations Conference Center, Bangkok, Thailand

More information is available via UN Relief Web

Contact: sakura.armstrong@humanitarianaffairs.asia

🎧 Intro episode is out now — check it out here: https://youtu.be/xOtYnm2gpBY

📺 Subscribe to the channel for future episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7OwIv8PNRNNSpvX8XdVNg

The AMA Medical Student Advocacy Committee is a student-led initiative dedicated to promoting advocacy efforts and spotlighting advocacy-worthy causes across Alberta’s medical student population. To date, our work has primarily taken shape through social media (Instagram) and article publications on our website. These posts highlight pressing issues in medicine from a student lens, outline areas that may benefit from further advocacy, and share existing efforts while offering ways for peers to get involved. We believe this type of engagement is essential in raising awareness and fostering a culture of positive change among trainees—one that will persist into future clinical practice.

However, as impactful as these efforts have been, we’ve encountered a challenge that limits reach: time. Many students—and even physicians—don’t always have the bandwidth to read through full articles or scroll through lengthy posts on social media. Recognizing this gap and inspired by successful models from both the University of Alberta and University of Calgary medical schools, we decided to expand our platform by launching a podcast.

This podcast is a collaboration led by Kaiden Jobin, Adam Bubelenyi, Abdullahi Mohammed, Sana Samadi and — medical students from the University of Calgary and Alberta. Sana Samadi and Abdullahi Mohammed will serve as the primary hosts, also contributing to the editing and development of episode scripts. Kaiden Jobin and Adam Bubelenyi will assist in writing and preparing scripts for the podcast with occasional hosting. This effort highlights an important spirit of inter-university collaboration and reflects the diverse perspectives within Alberta’s medical student community.

Episodes will feature topics that mirror the themes explored in our past articles and social media posts, such as the primary care crisis, accessibility in medicine, rural and Indigenous health, social accountability in admissions, and structural inequities in medical training. But we won’t stop there. The podcast will also create space for new conversations that go beyond written formats, bringing in guest speakers, experts, policymakers, and physicians to add nuance and broaden perspectives.

Crucially, this format allows listeners to hear voices they might not otherwise encounter—those of students sharing their lived experiences, preceptors unpacking the historical roots of today’s issues, and leaders offering insight into how change is made at policy and system levels. This kind of dialogue is often lost in written media but is essential for humanizing healthcare challenges and creating meaningful engagement.

We are medical students entering the profession during a pivotal moment in Alberta’s healthcare landscape. As we witness shifts in team-based care, physician workforce planning, and evolving patient needs, we also recognize that early-stage trainees can sometimes feel distanced from the ability to influence these systems. Our podcast aims to bridge that gap by showing students—and anyone interested in the next generation of doctors—how we think, what we value, and where we believe healthcare should be headed.

This is not just a podcast for medical students. It’s also for physicians curious about how today’s learners are approaching the future of medicine. It’s for policy leaders who want to understand the emerging priorities of tomorrow’s physicians. And it’s for fellow students who may not yet see themselves as “advocates” but are ready to take their first step toward action.

Ultimately, our vision is to help cultivate a generation of physicians who view advocacy not as an optional add-on, but as a fundamental aspect of what it means to practice medicine. Through this podcast, we hope to not only inform but inspire—giving listeners the context, confidence, and motivation to engage with healthcare issues that affect us all.

By expanding our committee’s work from Instagram and written articles into the podcast space, we are embracing a format that resonates with how people connect and learn today. The podcast will be published on our official student advocacy website www.amamedicalstudents.ca and shared through the Alberta Medical Association’s main site at www.albertadoctors.org, helping us reach a broader audience across the province and beyond.

Contact: ssamadi2@ualberta.ca 

The Coda Foundation (codafoundation.ca), a national student-led cancer charity, is launching its first Alberta “Coda Seed.” We’re seeking motivated 1st & 2nd year students to take on founding leadership roles at UofA or UCalgary. Apply now to help shape Coda’s future. The Coda Foundation is a national, student-led, CRA-registered charity dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer through education, patient support, and community engagement.

Since our relaunch in 2021, we have:

Built a network across 20 post-secondary institutions with 200+ members and 350+ volunteers.

Raised over $250,000 for cancer initiatives.

Delivered nearly 900 hours of monthly psychosocial support through our Comfort Crew program.

We are now inviting motivated 1st and 2nd year students to apply for founding leadership positions in Alberta (University of Alberta or University of Calgary). As a founding member, you will:

Establish a Coda Seed at your institution.

Lead two events per semester.

Access national financial and organizational infrastructure.

Develop your own initiatives and contribute to Coda’s divisions.

Play a central role in building our West Coast division.

Be considered for a seat on our national managing board.

👉 Apply now to be one of four founding leaders. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

Contact: fdanna@ualberta.ca 

A research study has received approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board (Approval ID: Pro00151609). This qualitative study aims to amplify the voices and lived experiences of Muslim individuals in Canada, particularly in the context of rising Islamophobia and hate crimes. I am seeking to connect with participants willing to share their perspectives through confidential one-on-one interviews via Zoom (approximately 60–90 minutes). 

Contact: marefin1@ualberta.ca 

Towards Affirmative Intersex Health Communication in Canada, accessible for free download and distribution here.

We would be grateful if you could forward this announcement to any staff, students, and colleagues whom you think might be interested in this guide. The guide is a primer for healthcare providers interested in learning about accessible, supportive, and inclusive health communication with intersex patients. It is the first specifically written for the Canadian context. Content was shaped by original interviews with intersex adults and healthcare providers from diverse areas of care, as well as a comprehensive literature review. Towards Affirmative Intersex Health Communication in Canada is the final component of a multi-year SSHRC-funded project. The heart of this research initiative was to help work towards improving health communication practices with intersex people in Canada via interdisciplinary research and community engagement. While there have been important inroads in medical reforms in recent years, people with intersex variations continue to face stigma, discrimination, and pathologization in healthcare, as well as significant disparities in access and outcomes. Health communication forms a crucial component of positive health outcomes and wellbeing.This project contributes to a small but vital and growing body of work that centers intersex voices regarding the Canadian context for intersex healthcare. It is also the first to include perspectives both from intersex adults experiencing health communication in Canada and people trained and working in the Canadian healthcare system on what is needed towards affirmative health communication as the status quo. This work was carried out by members of Professor Joly’s research team at McGill University’s Centre of Genomics and Policy, containing people from various disciplines, academic and applied, with experience in intersex advocacy. The guide was peer reviewed by interested interviewees, a BC-based intersex advisory group, and

Intersex Canada is a co-author. The guide discusses four key aspects of affirmative communication between patients and providers: patient-centered care, shared decision-making, culturally responsive trauma-informed care, and accessible and relevant medical information. Further, the guide provides notes on terminology and concepts, highlights needs for different life stages, and offers suggestions for welcoming healthcare environments, and addresses structural barriers to access. Towards Affirmative Intersex Health Communication in Canada also has two companion articles: a qualitative paper centered-on interviewee insights, perspectives, and experiences, and a comparative legal paper arguing for a more proactive approach to legal and medical reforms and protections in Canada. 

We are currently conducting a study designed to inform curriculum design principles that will help prepare learners to effectively navigate the novelty, uncertainty, and complexity of today’s evolving healthcare landscape. Given the critical role that medical student associations play in supporting trainees, we respectfully reach out to your organization for assistance in sharing information about our study with your members. 

By participating, students will have the opportunity to test their knowledge while contributing to a growing body of evidence that aims to inform more effective training, guide institutional policy changes, and ultimately enhance the learning environment for future physicians.

Key Details:

• Eligibility: Current medical students at any Canadian university in year 1 and year 2 of training.

• Participation: 

  • Completion of knowledge acquisition and diagnostic tasks, online - using their own computer, remotely.

  • Dedicating 3.5- 4 hours in total to complete the cases (the total amount of time to answer the cases can be broken down into separate blocks of time)

• Confidentiality: Responses will remain confidential, and no identifying information will be shared outside the research team. Participation in the study will have no bearing on academic status or grades.

• Potential Student Benefits: Students will learn about eight neurology conditions, knowledge acquisition and diagnostic abilities will be assessed, and you will receive immediate feedback on the screen indicating whether the response is correct or incorrect. 

• Potential Societal Benefits: Insights gained from this research may guide improvements in medical education, contribute to improved training approaches, and inspire supportive educational policies.

• Token of Appreciation: Participants will earn $50 for taking part in the study and will receive a gift card of their choice (either Amazon or Uber One).

You can learn more about our team and research goals at: https://www.theexcellab.com/research

Contact: ellena.andoniou@uhn.ca