Date: Wednesday, April 15th

Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: Katz 1080

Join us for a free hands-on clinical skills seminar led by dermatology residents! This session offers an introduction to skin biopsy techniques, with the chance to practice on simulation materials in a supportive environment. Food will be provided!

Whether you're new to procedural skills or looking to refine your technique, this is a great opportunity to build confidence and ask questions. An introductory presentation will be given to help build foundational knowledge before you can try some biopsies on skin simulators!

For more info: https://forms.gle/dzaK5YapABzMXUZ68 

Contact: vvrao@ualberta.ca

Date: Thursday, April 16th

Time: 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Location: Online - https://albertahealthservices.zoom.us/meeting/register/hsw1Ynr4QZ6nMJEODE5jUA

We are excited to announce our fourth session of Season 6: Caring is Virtually Everywhere! On April 16th, 2026 (5 PM MST) we will be hosting "Practical Play and Impactful Imagination – Arts Integration in Settlement and Healthcare" with Christen Kong. This session will be virtual only.

Led by Registered Social Worker Christen Kong, we will discover how the arts can transform health promotion for newcomer communities. This webinar explores the integration of arts within healthcare and settlement services as an innovative model for supporting well-being, connection, and cultural expression. Through practical examples and emerging insights from Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, we examine how cross-sector collaboration between arts, health, and settlement organizations can create more inclusive and responsive approaches to care.

Christen Kong is a Registered Social Worker with a Master of Social Work specializing in Human Service Management and Leadership. As a Health Promoter at Access Alliance, she uses art-based practices to improve health outcomes for newcomer populations in Toronto. She coordinates the Hubs of Expressive Arts for Life (HEAL) Project, a Community-Based research initiative supporting newcomer women survivors of domestic violence. She believes that arts is a health behaviour and advocates for artists to be part of the interprofessional healthcare team. Christen is actively involved in several working groups and advisory committees focused on addressing gender-based violence and newcomer health.

Contact: kbeekman@ualberta.ca 

Enjoy working with cute kids? Want free lunch everyday for an entire week in August? Rockin’ Docs Summer Camp is looking volunteers to support elementary students of lower socioeconomic status to explore careers and concepts in healthcare at the University of Alberta.

We engage students in grades 1-6 in a variety of fun, educational activities designed to introduce the healthcare field and emphasize the importance of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

This year, Rockin’ Docs will be running from August 15–22, 2026 from 8:30AM-4PM, for children grades 1-6. As always, volunteers will be supported throughout the camp, and free lunch will be provided each day. We’ve also expanded the program this year, and volunteers will receive free Rockin’ Docs merch.

We will also be running a Rural Camp in Red Deer, Alberta, for one day on Aug 22nd, 2026 8:30AM-4PM. Travel and accommodations will be subsidized.

You do not need to be available for all days to participate. If you're still unsure of your availability this summer, no worries! We're flexible and there's no pressure to commit right away.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please fill out this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeq39URFI9v_UKbQ8eYQQbRvfPTsbMfbl_hjQdD4YrGS7jPsw/viewform?usp=header. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions! 

Contact: eliu3@ualberta.ca 

Medical students and residents in Canada are invited to submit reflective essays, prose, poetry, plays, or graphic novellas exploring the intersection of mental health and the humanities to the Dalhousie Department of Psychiatry Annual Student Writing Competition.

Submission Deadline: May 31, 2026

Entries can be sent as PDF attachments to the Department of Psychiatry Medical Humanities Coordinator, Dr. Abdulmohsen Alhumoud, at Psych.Education@dal.ca. Please indicate in your email whether you are a medical student or a resident/fellow.

Contact: Psych.Education@dal.ca 

Build your resume with the VAW Global Team Leader Fellowship! This leadership opportunity is generally an 8-10 month intensive fellowship — valuable to future nurses, physicians, physicians assistants, dentists, dental hygienists, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, as well as other future healthcare providers and anyone interested in gaining skills in public health while supporting healthcare systems around the world.

This pre-professional internship entails around 3-5 hours per week and is a truly enriching experience that will provide you with great skills for professional life such as learning about healthcare in a global context, gaining effective leadership and communication skills, acquiring international and public health work experience, and attending several orientations and workshops focused on personal development and cultural sensitivity. 

Applications are open to any students, regardless of experience, class level, or major. This fellowship takes place as a hybrid role - partly on campus and partly remote.

To register for an Info Session using registration code : THRIVE

https://calendly.com/chelseavaw/team-leader-info-session

Medical students in clerkship (Years 3–4) are invited to complete a 10-minute anonymous survey on nutrition education. Your input will help improve undergraduate medical training and inform future curriculum development. Scan the QR code to participate!

Medical students currently in their clerkship years (typically Years 3 and 4) are invited to participate in a brief, anonymous survey exploring current knowledge and perspectives on nutrition education. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

This study aims to better understand how nutrition is taught and applied during undergraduate medical training. Your responses will help identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement in current nutrition education and will inform future curriculum development.

Participation is voluntary, and all responses are anonymous. The study has received Research Ethics Board approval. If you have any questions about the study, please contact the research team using the information provided on the poster.

Contact: msavpext@ualberta.ca 

Date: Monday, April 20th

Time: 5:00 - 6:30pm

Location: Zoom

Virtual panel of female medical physicians discussing their experience as a woman in the field of medicine. Students will have the opportunity to ask the panelists questions, including work-life balance, unique challenges experienced, and starting a family as a female in their field.

✨ Meet Our Guest Speakers

Allison Kirkham - Emergency Medicine Physician

Kerry Wong - Pediatric Gastroenterologist

Michelle Graham - Interventional Cardiologist

Isha Gill - Respirologist

Juliet Maina - Radiation Oncologist

Contact: arbnora@ualberta.ca 

Date: Tuesday, April 21st

Time: 12:00pm - 12:50pm

Location: KHRA 4-036 and Zoom

Food insecurity is a racialized inequity issue that disproportionately affects immigrants and Indigenous communities. However, existing food security interventions and policies do not reflect the unique food needs of the at-risk communities. 

Engagement of these populations in the design and implementation of food security policies and interventions is limited in most countries, including Canada.  Furthermore, such initiatives must go beyond addressing hunger to also combat systemic factors associated with intergenerational poverty, discrimination, and criminalization of food across borders. In my presentation, I will discuss the shifting definitions of food at and across borders and the geographies of engagement of immigrants in community-led and government initiatives for food secure ethno-cultural communities in Canada. I will highlight the temporal, place, and systemic factors that influence such definitions and the participation of immigrants in the decision-making processes on food security initiatives including their engagement in food importation policies. I link these experiences to the increasing risk of non-communicable diseases in the immigrant population soon after resettlement in Canada. 

Elizabeth Onyango, PhD, is an assistant professor in the School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Canada. She is a health geographer and a social epidemiologist whose research work focuses on migration and food security, intersections of gender, gender-based violence, and the associated health outcomes in minority populations. In her current research program, Dr. Onyango is exploring barriers and facilitators of migrant community engagement in social support services including access to food security initiatives and in building alternative masculinities for gender-equal migrant communities. She has extensive experience in working with vulnerable populations. Dr. Onyango is passionate about community service and is a member of Rotary International.

For more information and to register go to:  https://www.ualberta.ca/en/medicine/about/social-accountability/globalhealth/rounds/elizabeth-onyango.html

Contact: ghfomd@ualberta.ca 

Date: Wednesday, April 22th

Time: 5:00 - 7:00pm

Location: Zoom

Virtual panel of female surgeons discussing their experience as a women in their field. Students will have the opportunity to ask the panelists questions, including work-life balance, unique challenges experienced, and starting a family as a woman in surgery.

✨ Meet Our Guest Speakers

Dr. Judith Eversley - Obstetrician & Gynecologist

Dr. Kristin Hinton - Orthopedic Surgeon

Emilie Robertson - Plastic Surgeon

Sabrina Pattar - Urology Resident (PGY-3)

Trina Rosaasen - Pediatric Otolaryngologist (ENT)

Regan Guilfoyle - Pediatric Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon

Dr. Darcie Kiddoo - Pediatric Urologist

Contact: arbnora@ualberta.ca 

Date: Wednesday, April 29th

Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: HSERC, "ECHA" (Diane and Irving Kipnes Health Research Academy Leasing)

Join certified financial professionals for a practical webinar on budgeting, debt management, disability insurance, and investing basics—tailored for medical students. Gain essential financial skills for your future career in medicine.

You’re invited to a practical and informative session tailored specifically for University of Alberta medical students!

Join certified financial professionals Shivani Oberoi and Shiv Oberoi for a webinar focused on helping you navigate the financial side of a career in medicine.

In this session, we’ll cover:

✔ Debt Management & Budgeting

✔ The Importance of Disability Insurance

✔ Introduction to Investing: Where to Start

✔ Oberoi’s Top Financial Tips

This session is designed to be educational, practical, and directly relevant to the financial decisions you’ll face throughout medical school and beyond.

📅 Date: April 29, 2026

🕕 Time: 6:00 PM (MT)

💻 Location: Online via Microsoft Teams

🎁 Bonus: Uber Eats vouchers will be provided to attendees as a thank-you for participating!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Online, register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/edb348ca-3504-476f-9232-d852faa83296@6c50403d-fda9-44a0-91db-c125d297d5f8 

Contact: https://calendly.com/book-an-advisor-meeting 

Date: July 20th - 21st, 2026

Time: 9:00am - 6:00pm

Location: Paris, France

Dear Esteemed Colleagues, Researchers and Innovators!

It is with great honor and anticipation that we welcome you to the 2nd International Conference on Diabetes and Endocrinology, to be held in the historic and inspiring city of Paris, France, on July 20–21, 2026.

This event brings together over 300 experts to share insights, research and innovations in endocrine and diabetes under the theme “Global Perspectives on Endocrine Health and Diabetes."

We are delighted to cordially invite professionals from around the world to participate in the International Conference on Diabetes and Endocrinology 2026, hosted by Intelli Meetings. This prestigious event offers a unique platform for Endocrinologists, healthcare professionals, academics and researchers to connect, share insights and collaborate across global boundaries.

More about us: https://diabetesconferences.org/ 

Register: https://diabetesconferences.org/registration

Contact: Raja Nandivada, endocrinology@intellimeetings.org

If you are willing to take part, please follow the link below:

https://redcap.ualberta.ca/surveys/?s=YELKDX3XC48KKAWR 

Canada’s population is getting older faster than ever before. More people are living longer, and fewer young people are entering the country, which means that the number of seniors is growing every year. At the same time, there are not enough doctors who specialize in caring for older adults (geriatricians) to meet this increasing demand. Interest in geriatric medicine among medical students is very low, and many training positions go unfilled. This mismatch between the growing senior population and the limited number of future specialists highlights the need to understand why students are not choosing this field.

This study aims to explore what medical students at the University of Alberta think about geriatric medicine and what factors influence their decision to choose—or not choose—this specialty. By understanding students’ perceptions, their exposure to geriatrics, and barriers such as misconceptions about the field or lack of mentorship, the study hopes to identify what might encourage more students to consider caring for older adults. The main goal is to figure out what helps or prevents students from pursuing a career in geriatrics.

The study is expected to provide insights that can help medical schools improve training and exposure to geriatric care. This could lead to more students developing interest in the specialty and, over time, help increase the number of geriatricians in Canada. Ultimately, the findings can contribute to better healthcare for seniors by ensuring there are enough doctors with the right skills to meet the needs of an aging population.

Contact: tajelkha@ualberta.ca 

We’ve officially launched a Partners for Life team with Canadian Blood Services (CBS)!

Every time you donate blood under our team, you help us save lives and boost our chances of winning Peace Collective and Patagonia merch for all pre-clerks. Learn how to sign up here.

Using the CBS app, join these teams under the "Partners" tabs: 

UNIV0128472 → University of Alberta – Medical Students

 (new team — the med school with the most donations wins Peace Collective hoodies)

CANA008957 → Canadian Federation of Medical Students – Edmonton

 (This counts toward the CFMS Phlebotomy Bowl for Patagonia sweaters)

We also have group donation opportunities that you can access through our Partners for Life tab on the CBS app. We will be booking more group donations, so fill out the form (linked below) to choose dates that work for you.

If you prefer to donate alone, that's okay too! Just make sure you register under our Partners for Life teams so your donations count towards our totals.  

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KC4EUFN729-Skwj259XC1aPhNmAnZQ8llcnZimJm8nE/edit 

Contact: hdean@ualberta.ca, poeze@ualberta.ca 

Applications are now open for the Canadian VIGOUR Centre (CVC) Scholar Program, a unique training initiative dedicated to enhancing the research expertise and academic careers of early-stage investigators focused on cardiovascular disease.

The Scholar Program offers trainees supportive mentorship, research opportunities, and a collaborative environment to advance their skills and career goals. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis from those planning to pursue or currently enrolled in Master's/PhD, Fellowship, or Residency programs. The program runs for a 1 or 2-year term, with flexible start dates. Additional program information, including the application link, is available here: https://thecvc.ca/programs-and-development/cvc-scholar-program/ 

Contact: cvcschlr@ualberta.ca

🎧 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 

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