Now that we have gotten through the hustle and bustle of the first few months of the school year, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back for another exciting academic year.  I have been in my role as Regional Associate Dean, Vancouver Fraser for 9 months now, and I have to say I have been overwhelmed and impressed by the amount of talent and the quality of work that is done within the Faculty of Medicine by our faculty, staff and students.  What everyone here accomplishes is amazing and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

As you may know, part of my role is to lead the current Curriculum Renewal process.   Recently, I announced that we would be easing up on our initial timeline for rolling out the new curriculum.  We are steadily incorporating changes, but are taking a little more time to ensure engagement and communication around the many issues coming through.  As we move toward a truly innovative “best practice” curriculum, I know the talent and drive on all fronts will help us doing some truly exciting things over the next few years.

Also of note this fall is the 150^th Anniversary of Royal Columbian Hospital, one of our Clinical Academic Campuses.  Warmest congratulations to RCH on years of providing health services to the citizens in the Fraser Region as well as providing our students with an engaging and stimulating learning environment.  We are excited about the Royal Columbian “Academic Learning Community” pilot, which we hope will begin the evolution of the VFMP program into a more student-faculty/continuity-centered experience.

I hope you are looking forward to the coming year as much as I am.  Vancouver is starting to feel like home, I’m enjoying getting to know so many of you, and as the rain comes and we all hunker down for the dark, I look forward to finding the intellectual fun and collegiality that will lighten the days.  Best wishes to you and yours for the upcoming Holiday Season.

Warmest regards,

Dawn E. DeWitt, BA, MSc, MD, FACP, FRACP

Regional Associate Dean, Vancouver Fraser

Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

Tara Dawn, VFMP 2014

For the month of July, I was privileged to complete my rural rotation in Vanderhoof. Having never travelled north of my native Okanagan valley, I enjoyed exploring the neighboring towns and scenery in the Nechako Valley. Yet, my interest peaked when conversation turned to the First Nation communities in the surrounding areas. As a member of UBC’s Aboriginal Health Initiative group for the past two years, a chance to serve and learn about this population was a priority throughout my time up North. So when an opportunity arose to travel to four of these neighboring First Nations communities over the course of the week, I was quick to volunteer.

I joined a team led by family physician, Dr. John Pawlovich. Monday took us to Yekooche, a community north of Vanderhoof on the end of Stuart Lake, via a 5 hour drive by 4×4. This community of 220 members is in the early days of receiving any medical care on Reserve.  The next day, and a 6 hour drive through the mountains later, we were stationed at Takla Landing. Three days later we concluded the week by helicoptering over the mountains westward to work for a day at a clinic in Fort Babine and then Tachet, both north of Burns Lake. At each of these communities, a team of Community Health Reps and the Nurse Practitioners (which work either continually at the community or weekly), would have prepared the community members for our visit. Thus, our days were physically full and emotionally satisfying. The poverty and remoteness of the communities was striking. I found it hard to believe that in British Columbia, individuals live in such isolation and travel such long distances to obtain their basic necessities.

Dr. Pawlovich was a phenomenal mentor and teacher, who knew when to prioritize either the physical medical concern or the urgent social issue as the key lesson. We were working in remote areas, yet, I remained very encouraged to see the relationships that Dr. Pawlovich has built with the members of the various communities. Although he has visited these communities only a handful of times in the past, he has maintained the relationships as he has introduced Telemedicine into his practice. I saw first-hand how this technology is being used to strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and at the same time provide primary care.

Clinically, my eyes were opened daily to the challenges of the individuals on these reserves. In one community, we were met with a woman in her 30^th week of pregnancy who had not yet received any prenatal care. Although we attempted to connect her up with the local NP and provide her with appropriate swabs, screens and exams, it was humbling to think about how her physical remoteness had translated into her hesitation to seek care. In another community, two elders struggling with constant dyspnea, due to long term COPD, desperately required at-home oxygen yet without a voice to advocate for them, their breathlessness remained. Additionally, the evidence of substance dependence and the wake of colonization touched nearly everyone we saw.

I can say without hesitation, that this week-long trip not only enriched my experience in Vanderhoof, but it has broadened my perspective and understanding of Family Medicine and Rural Practice. I would fully recommend that any future students or residents who express an interest in First Nations health be allowed to seek out an experience like this one. I am grateful for the UBC Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Family Medicine for allowing me to do so.

Tara Dawn is a third year VFMP Student. Born and Raised in the Okanagan Valley, Tara graduated with her BSc. in Biology from Trinity Western University before moving to Vancouver with her husband Andrew.  At UBC, Tara is a member of the Aboriginal Health Initiative and UBC’s Chapter of the Christian Medical and Dental Society.

Street Soccer is effective in helping people affected by homelessness in Vancouver and provides opportunity for medical trainees to work with this population in a non-clinical setting.  A Q & A with Sari Rabar (VFMP) about her experience with this exciting SSRP, which for her, has become much, much more.

Please briefly describe SSR Project you were involved in?

This summer I was involved with the Vancouver Street Soccer League. This Vancouver league started around four years ago and today is made up of ten teams. The idea is to use soccer and teamwork as a way for people, who have been affected by homelessness or marginalized in any way, to make positive changes in their lives. I took part in this ongoing study that is looking to qualify and quantify these changes. So far we have found many positive correlations including people involved with Street Soccer have decreased their substance use, decreased their interactions with the police, increased their number of friends and increased interactions with health care professionals.

What, specifically, about the research topic interested you?

I feel very fortunate for the decision my parents made to put me on a soccer team when I was in Grade 2. I have played on numerous teams, including the Canadian National team, and through all of the ups and down, wins and losses, I have learned invaluable lessons that have helped shape me into the person I am today. I am passionate about giving back to the community by sharing my love for soccer and experiences I have learned about the power of teamwork and community. I believe I have experienced numerous positive benefits  from playing soccer and being part of a soccer team and I think it is extremely exciting work to study the benefits of soccer and sport and the power they have to impact peoples lives, especially within a community like the DTES.

What did you learn both (a) academically and (b) clinically?

I have learned academically about the logistics and approach to doing a community based research project such as this one. I had hands on experience in areas such as data collection, participant recruitment and assessment environment. Clinically, I have gained experience in patient interactions by the way of interacting with numerous different people of different backgrounds. At the start of the project this summer I also spent three days working with the President/head coach of the street soccer program in clinic. He is a fifth year psychiatry resident and at the time was doing a rotation at the Portland Hotel Society. This was a very interesting experience for me as it was my first taste of psychiatry in the DTES community and also a chance for me to hear some of the stories and actually see the homes of people I would be working with. This really helped give me a context and put things in perspective.

What do you feel participating in this project will have contributed to your medical education?

In terms of medical education it is difficult to list all that I have actually learned this summer or put my experience into words. I think one of the most powerful moments for me was when I went with three of the street soccer women to the DTES Women’s Shelter. During lunch we stood up to introduce ourselves to all of the women in the room, tell them about our team and encourage them to come out and join us. I knew it would be more powerful if I just supported the street soccer players and let them tell their story but still I was flabbergasted as I sat and listened. “ Hi everyone, some of you may recognize me as I used to work these couple allies back here….I quit smoking and my lung function improved…I then joined street soccer and my lung function improved even further…I quit smoking crack and I even got off methadone…because of street soccer and my teammates” “You ladies are so strong, I know you are because you are living through this crap…when you play soccer that strength comes out on the field. If you have ever played soccer in the past that muscle memory just comes back and it is so exciting to realize what your body will just react to on the field. I need this street soccer now, it is what helps me get though each week.”

I learned what a powerful impact something can have on one’s health, and that this something does not need to be a medication or an interaction that occurs in a doctor’s office, in fact mostly this healing that I have seen is nothing like what we have learned about in medical school. I have developed a much larger definition of health and illness. I have a broader scope when looking to solve a problem. I learned about being open minded; the importance of finding a way to relate to each patient as we are all more similar and more different that initially assumed; the role of research in a medical field; the importance of collaboration, multi-disciplinary approaches and using teamwork in the healthcare setting. I believe that as  I continue on my medical education and reflect back on this summer’s experience I will begin to truly realize the impact this experience has had for me and how it will shape my future career.

I am so grateful for this SSRP opportunity and the grant I received from the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada. Furthermore I am so grateful for the people I have met this summer, for their enthusiasm and determination and for welcoming me so warmly into their team and their lives. My summer project may be finished but you will definitely still see me around the soccer pitch with the Vancouver Street Soccer league.

I am at present organizing a monthly exhibition game of Street Soccer vs a UBC Medicine team. The Med team is a collection of students from all four years, residents from various programs as well as doctors and UBC faculty. If you would like more information please contact me join our Facebook group UBC Medicine – Street Soccer.

Jackie Smith, Peace Arch Hospital and Community Health Foundation

Members of the Hogg family on-hand to welcome Dr. Harriman to the community. From L – R, Gordon, Joan, LaVerne, John, Linda, Alan, Dr. Kasandra Harriman, Tracy and Jackson.

Dr. Kasandra Harriman will be making the rounds in the George Street Family Practice this winter during her residency with UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. She will be taking shifts with preceptors Drs. Rachel Bright and Kim Veldhuis, with an eye to gaining additional experience in obstetrics and group practice, and getting to know the community.  Dr. Harriman was recruited to the community through a novel recruitment program – the Dr. Al Hogg Family Practice Legacy Bursary

Members of the Hogg family presented the bursary during an afternoon tea reception held in the Hogg Pavilion at Peace Arch Hospital last week. All four of Al Hogg’s children were on hand to share stories about their “Papa’s” medical practice and legacy and to welcome Dr. Harriman to the community. Dr. Harriman noted that she and her husband have “been students for a long time” and they were grateful for the bursary funding to help establish themselves in the community.

The Dr. Al Hogg Family Practice Legacy Fund provides an annual bursary to a second year Family Practice Resident in a Canadian Medical School. This bursary introduces a new physician to our community through a rotation in one of the Family Practices located within our community, and it helps to recruit family physicians to White Rock and South Surrey. Information about the bursary program and an application for the 2013/2014 funds can be found on the website of Peace Arch Hospital and Community Health Foundation at www.pahfoundation.ca under “How we Help”.

Lawrance Chow, VFMP 2014

Admission to medical school has always been an extremely competitive and daunting task, perhaps more now than ever. Incoming medical students all remember what it was like being a pre-medical student in their undergrad – the pressure of the competition often driving us to do whatever it takes to get here. There are also prevailing attitudes on what kind of background a medical school candidate ought to look like – a young urban student who went straight to a large academic university after high school, worked in a lab, volunteered internationally, and exceled straight on to medical school without ever a doubt in his/her mind of the career choice.

What if you didn’t fit these molds? What if you came from a low-income family and weren’t able to volunteer internationally? Or you came from a rural area and weren’t always on the straight and narrow to medical school? Would you not be a good doctor? Would you even still bother applying?

UBC has for a long time had a broad admissions policy – that is, the process has valued diverse life experiences and backgrounds in the selection of our future doctors. Even still, these widespread myths of the “traditional applicant” often cause medical applicants to be self-selecting and ends up hurting the diversity of our applicant pool. As a class, we thrive on learning from the diversity of our classmates and as physicians, our diversity will only help us to serve our diverse patient population.

Last year, 3 medical students from the VFMP and NMP ran an inter-site project through our DPAS curriculum to debunk some of these admission myths. The website encourages students from a wide background of underrepresented populations to educate themselves on the reality of the admission process and to seriously consider medicine as a career. While debunking myths, the website also highlights videos of real student success stories who went through similar ordeals.

Working with faculty, the goal of the project would be to recalibrate the reality of UBC’s broad-based admissions policies to assist those underrepresented populations who are already experiencing significant barriers to a medical career.

http://admissionmyths.med.ubc.ca/

Vivian Leung, VFMP 2015

After a whole semester of learning how to speak to patients, we were finally learning how to perform physical exams. We were learning the fundamentals of the four pillars of physical examination: inspect, palpate, percuss and auscultate. Those four words themselves sounded esoteric. I say “I’m going to auscultate” in my most confident voice. What I mean is “I’m going to hold this stethoscope against your chest for an uncomfortably long time and try not to appear too puzzled.

We were recently introduced to respiratory exams. Our tutor demonstrated how to properly evaluate symmetric expansion; her motions looked straight forward and manageable. Her hands moved in opposite directions, as expected.

I think I can handle that.

“Mr. ________, will you please take a deep breath for me?”

My hands didn’t move a single centimeter. Not one. I suppose one could still consider that symmetrical. Our tutor placed my hands back on the volunteer patient’s back. She said, you just have to let your hands go and sail. You need to just let them sail.

“Mr. ________, will you please take a deep breath for me, again?”

And just like that, they sailed. Starboard and port side, steadily and equally.

Dr. Niloofer Baria, Director of Foundations of Medicine, MD Undergraduate Education, VFMP, November 1, 2012 – October 31, 2014.

Dr. Jason Ford, Associate Director of Curriculum, MD Undergraduate Education, Vancouver Fraser Medical Program. November 1, 2012 – October 31, 2015

Dr. Karen Joughin, Director of Assessment, MD Undergraduate Education, Faculty of Medicine, September 1, 2012 – August 30, 2015

Dr. Dan Beegan, Academic Lead – Clinical Education in Fraser, MD Undergraduate Education, VFMP October 29, 2012 – October 28, 2015

Dr. Sandra Jarvis-Selinger, Director of Curriculum, MD Undergraduate Education, VFMP, November 1, 2012 – October 31, 2015

Dr. Jill McEwen, Assistant Dean, MD Undergraduate Education, Fraser, November 1, 2012 – October 31, 2015

Melissa Carr, Communications Coordinator – Vancouver Fraser Medical Program.

Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH), the oldest operating hospital in British Columbia.  It opened in 1862 with 30 beds for men only. Today, Royal Columbian serves one in three British Columbians and receives more patients by air ambulance than any other hospital in the province.

On October 7 2012, RCH celebrated 150 years of excellence!

RCH is a Fraser Health provincial centre and regional referral hospital providing specialized care for trauma, cardiac services, neurosciences and neonatal intensive care for 1.6 million seriously ill and injured people from across the province. RCH is also a UBC teaching hospital and Clinical Academic Campus with a well-established culture of medical education. It has been a teaching hospital for decades and a designated Clinical Academic Campus since 2004. RCH already offers Year 2 clinical skills experiences, eight core clerkships, numerous Year 4 electives, a PGY1 program, a Family Practice Residency program as well as a variety of experiences for senior residents.

By working in teaching hospitals, like RCH, students receive valuable medical training, and greater familiarity with the patients and communities they will one day serve.  Dr. Dale Stogryn, a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Practice and the education lead at RCH, states “…the rich experience that students and residents obtain at RCH has been invaluable when it comes to the recruitment of many of our highly regarded medical staff and teaching faculty.”

The official affiliation between RCH and UBC began in 1988, when it was mandated by federal regulatory authorities and accrediting agencies that all medical internships be affiliated with a faculty of medicine.  Prior to this this, hospitals provided rotating internships.  RCH took on its first intern in 1951. Until the Provincial medical licensing requirements changed to a mandatory minimum of 2 years of postgraduate training in 1994, RCH provided a traditional 1-year rotating internship.  This year, the hospital saw its 1000^th intern rotate through the hospital.

Beginning in January, 2012, the Faculty of Medicine will be running an Academic Learning Community (ACL) pilot at Royal Columbian Hospital.  The purpose of the ALC prototypical semester is to test and validate some of the concepts, roles and organizing structures that the MD Undergraduate Program plans to implement as part of curriculum renewal.  Primarily, the focus will be on how UBC can optimize student continuity with preceptors, patients, curriculum and the learning environment, as well as aspects of professional identify formation, and the benefits of early, ongoing mentorship.

Also, in order to address varying degrees of wireless access in clinical education sites (with some sites well covered and others not covered at all) the UBC FOM is undertaking the Wireless Access to Educational Resources (WATER) project.  Royal Columbian Hospital will be one of the pilot sites for this initiative, which will define and document a means by which Health Authority (HA) wireless infrastructure in clinical sites can meet both Faculty of Medicine and HA needs.

Facts about Royal Columbian Hospital:

• 68,000 Emergency Department visits a year
• 10,000 trauma patients treated each year. RCH is one of only two major trauma centres in the province and receives more trauma patients by B.C. Air Ambulance than any other hospital in B.C.
• 30,000 admissions; 8,300 operations; 800 open heart surgeries; 800 neurosurgeries
• 400 beds
• 3,000 infant deliveries and 800 babies admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
• One of the busiest interventional cardiology programs in Canada performing 4,800 heart catheterizations per year
• 22,400 CT Scans and 5,600 MRIs
• Undergrad electives offered include: emergency medicine, anesthesia, subspecialty medicine, pediatrics, cardiology, trauma, ICU, interprofessional student clinic, among others
• Number of residents completing PG training at RCH each year: 29 – 30 PGY-1 residents spend a full year at RCH each year. In addition, roughly 800 – 1000 R1 – R6 residents from many different UBC residency programs rotate through a variety of clinical services at RCH.

This fall, the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s Aboriginal Admissions program will celebrate its 10 year anniversary. Over the last decade, the Aboriginal Admissions program’s pre-admissions, admissions and support initiatives for Aboriginal medical students has increased enrollment and graduation, and is now recognized as a model for other Canadian faculties of medicine.

“The 10 year anniversary of our Aboriginal Admissions Program is certain proof of our commitment to improving health and educational opportunities for Aboriginal peoples and communities in British Columbia.”
- Dr. David Snadden, Executive Associate Dean, Education

The program was designed to increase the number of Aboriginal medical students and physicians in British Columbia. Academic success of Aboriginal students is contingent upon early educational engagement. Programs such as the Summer Science Program and the Pre-Admissions Workshop (conducted by the Division of Aboriginal People’s Health) introduce science and medical career role models to young Aboriginal students and foster academic success by early engagement and recruitment. Aboriginal MD students also serve as mentors to applicants in the pre-admissions stage, forging strong relationships and systems of peer support.

In May 2012, 12 Aboriginal physicians graduated from the MD Undergraduate Program, bringing the total number of graduates to 35. UBC is on track to graduate 50 Aboriginal MDs by 2014.

To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Aboriginal Admissions program, the Faculty hosted a traditional celebration feast at the UBC Longhouse on November 8th, 2012. The evening included distinguished guest speakers, Coast Salish dancers, Metis performers and a salmon feast.

Dean Gavin Stuart’s video address regarding the program is below:

Dawn DeWitt, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education will be holding a Town Hall on the topic of Undergraduate Medical  Curriculum Renewal on Tuesday December 11th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

This session is one facet of our curriculum renewal communications plan, aimed at communicating in an open forum where we will:

• provide you with information on the future direction of our MD Undergraduate curriculum renewal project and progress to date,
• answer your questions, and
• solicit your feedback.

Six Faculty members  who have been closely involved in our curriculum renewal initiative to sit on a panel to address questions on the renewal of our undergraduate curriculum.  The panel session will be approximately 90 minutes in duration.   Here are the particulars:

Venue:  The Diamond Health Care Centre Lecture Theatre DHCC 1020, 2775 Laurel Street

Facilitator:  Dr. Graydon Meneilly, Head, Department of Medicine, UBC FoM

Presenter: Dr. Paul Clarkson, Year 3 Program Director, Orthopaedics

Panelists:

Dr. David Snadden, Executive Association Dean Education

Dr. Dawn DeWitt, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education

Dr. M. Clifford Fabian, Faculty Lead Accreditation, Chair of the Implementation Task Force

Dr. Karen Joughin, Director of Assessment

Dr. Sandra Jarvis-Selinger, Director of Curriculum

Dr. Jason Ford, Associate Director of Curriculum

Dr. Ian Scott, Chair, Phase 2 Curriculum Design & Continuity

Date:  Tuesday December 11, 2012

Time:  5:30pm – 7:30 pm

Before and during the town hall,  attendees are urged to submit any questions they would like answered about curriculum renewal or this townhall to the email address crtownhall2012@yahoo.ca

Panelists Bios can be found on the curriculum renewal website at  http://cr.med.ubc.ca/ , to access this information and other documents select the CR Town Hall tab on the site, type in the password “peaches” and follow the links.

Please distribute this email to others in your Divisions and Departments, and at your sites.

Meet UBC MD students from varied backgrounds who are featured in a student-led project, aimed at debunking medical school admission myths.

The UBC Medical and Dental Spring Gala is a student-directed, non-profit production that showcases exceptional student talents in the visual and performing arts, while fundraising for a local BC charity.

Enjoy the scenic waterfront route along Jericho/Spanish Banks beaches in Vancouver while supporting health care in rural communities!

Students and faculty gather in the UBC Life Sciences Centre

On the morning of February 19th, the UBC Life Sciences Centre was abuzz with activity as students and faculty gathered for the annual UBC Medicine Undergraduate Research Forum. A diverse range of projects being conducted by UBC students involved in biomedical heath research were showcased.  Through poster and oral presentations, students enthusiastically shared their findings with colleagues and faculty judges. 

The winners of this year’s research forum were:

Poster Presentation Awardees

Iran Tavakoli
Jane Anholt
Jessica Harris McCallum
Kali Yue Kwong
Mike Kerr
Rebecca Pinca

Poster Presentation Honourable Mention

Alvin Ip
Clara Westwell-Roper
Erica Tsang
Eva Gusnowski
Jackson Chu
Thomas Luo

Oral Presentation Awardees

Clara Westwell-Roper
Connor Forbes
Wei Ning Jiang

Rebecca Gordon

L-R: Ryan Li-Yun Fong, Tae Won Yi, Isabel Chen, McKyla McIntyre

As in previous years, the research forum included a presentation from the UBC Medical Journal (UBCMJ). The UBCMJ is a student-run academic journal with a goal to engage students in dialogue in medicine. The journal’s scope ranges from original research and review articles in medicine to medical trends, clinical reports, elective reports and commentaries in the principles and practice of medicine.  The focus of this issue is clinical genomics.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the event and congratulations to all the students on their hard work and research!

Michiko Maruyama is a student at UBC’s Northern Medical Program. Prior to starting medical school, Michiko completed an Industrial Design degree at the University of Alberta. Due to a health problem during her undergraduate studies, Michiko became very interested in healthcare and medicine.

At first, her background in art and design felt like a disadvantage. Michiko recalls feeling like she “…wasn’t fitting into the traditional medical student mold.”  However, through a strong belief in herself and great persistence, Michiko realized that there is, in fact, no medical student “mold” and that her creativity and artistry are not a disadvantage.  She now uses her art to help herself and others learn though her Daily Doodles series. 

In addition to studying medicine, Michiko is continuing to explore art and design by taking courses as a Continuing Studies student at Emily Carr University during the summer.

You can visit Michiko’s website, which highlights the artwork she has completed during the course of her undergraduate medical education.

If doctors are taught about art and culture…will their patients get better treatment? 

Dr. Sarah DeLeeuw is an Assistant professor at UBC’s Northern Medical Program and the Michael Smith scholar in creative arts and health.  She was recently interviewed on CBC’s Daybreak North, where she discussed how the creative arts can aid medical practitioners.

Skip to 41:20 to hear Dr. DeLeeuw’s interview.

Melissa Carr, Communications Coordinator – VFMP

While grabbing a quick bite to eat, Jessica McCallum and her colleagues discuss the life cycle of HIV, which they learned about in a recent lecture.  The group banters back and forth enthusiastically.  They share experiences they have had with preceptors and patients, as well as topics covered in their clinical skills labs.  The sense of camaraderie amongst the group is apparent.  In an intimidating and demanding hospital environment, these first year medical students are very much at home.

Since January, 2013, the UBC Faculty of Medicine MD Undergraduate Program has been piloting an Academic Learning Community (ALC) in New Westminster at Royal Columbian Hospital.  An ALC is a place for students to connect with patients, preceptors and the surrounding community in a contextualized learning environment.

Currently, seven first year medical students are participating in the pilot, with two clinician advisors overseeing the group.  All aspects of their learning (i.e. lectures, problem-based learning, and clinical skills) are covered on-site at Royal Columbian Hospital.  Experiential learning takes place at various Family Practice offices in the community.

ALCs provide great benefit to both students and communities, says Dr. Jill McEwen, assistant dean, undergraduate education, Fraser.   Students are exposed to patients early in their studies.   This hands-on, tangible experience allows for deeper understanding of the academic materials by giving clinical context to foundational science learning.  Further, working with the same group for an extended period of time fosters strong connections amongst students and preceptors.  Students also benefit from working in small, collaborative groups.

“So far we are extremely pleased with the outcomes of the pilot ALC at Royal Columbian Hospital,” says Dr. McEwen.  “The participating students are very happy with their experience, telling us they enjoy the small peer group and the connections they have made with their clinician supervisors, hospital staff and the New Westminster community.”

Jessica agrees. 

“Being part of an ALC has provided me with the opportunity to learn how to work with a smaller team and how to problem solve and support each other.  ALCs allow for integration into a hospital community that I would not otherwise experience…we have received more clinical exposure, which puts our theoretical knowledge into perspective.”

The Fraser region also stands to gain from having the ALC at Royal Columbian.  Medical student integration into the community will result in a greater understanding of the health challenges and needs faced by the region’s diverse population.  It has also been shown that doctors are more likely to practice in communities they train in.  The hope is that these students will eventually become the physicians who serve New Westminster and beyond.  There are plans underway to continue the Royal Columbian Hospital pilot ALC for second year students, and to have similar pilot ALCs implemented throughout the Vancouver-Fraser region in 2014, including a cohort based at Surrey Memorial Hospital.  Eventually, as part of the renewed MD curriculum, the aim is for province-wide Academic Learning Communities.

Jessica and her fellow students are excited to continue their undergraduate learning as part of the ALC. 

“The experiences I’ve had observing physicians and surgeons are helping me decide what fields of medicine I am interested in.  It has been wonderful.”

As the days grow longer and the rain eases up, I am enjoying my cycle commute in daylight and am anticipating the cherry blossoms.  In my first year here, I have been delighted with the many things that Vancouver and our distributed program sites have to offer, including music and theatre, the outdoors and (too many) fabulous restaurants!

The past few months have been full steam ahead with work on the renewed curriculum and our pilot Academic Learning Community (ALC) for VFMP students at Royal Columbian Hospital.  Dr. Jill McEwen is a great asset in her new role as Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education, Fraser.  She and Dr. Dan Beegan (Academic Lead, Clinical Education, Fraser) have been working diligently with new clinician advisors, family doctors and staff at RCH, to launch and manage this initiative.

The ALC Pilot has been successful and we have interest from students in continuing the pilot, and in recruiting their friends to join them.   This edition’s feature story gives more information about the benefits to both students and the community. We are eager to move to the next phase in the project, which will see more of these ”Academic Learning Community” groups of students and mentors established across the Vancouver-Fraser region.  I am very grateful for the amazing team we have and their unwavering commitment to providing a rich experience for the students who will hopefully stay to become part of the future physician workforce in Fraser and beyond. 

As the UBC MD program strives to respond to the healthcare needs of the British Columbians, we hope to have you join us in any way you can.  Meanwhile, watch for me cycling to sample more of the outdoors while trying to role model personal-professional balance.

Warmest regards,

Dawn E. DeWitt, BA, MSc, MD, FACP, FRACP

Regional Associate Dean, Vancouver Fraser

Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

Mike Bergunder (VFMP, 2016)

I remember first wanting to go into medicine when I was eight years old.  I watched as my mom underwent numerous surgeries and hospital visits. I saw how medicine could completely change someone’s life and the positive impact a physician could have on another human being.

There were times when I felt like I would never get into medicine. I remember my first organic chemistry midterm – it scared me quite a bit and I thought I’d never make it through.   I remember when my wife was diagnosed with Leukemia and I had to delay my med school application. I’ve had other challenges and moments of self-doubt, but I did my best to push through and eventually got to where I needed to be.

Other people in my life always believed me when I said I was going to become a doctor.  They saw a driven young man who would get what he wanted if he stayed focused. My opinion was often dampened when I saw how amazing other applicants were. I had moments where I had to remind myself that I was good enough.

I feel very supported by James Andrew, the Aboriginal Admissions Manager for the UBC Faculty of Medicine.  He does a good job of ensuring we are all aware of the supports available to us.

Giving back to my community is important to me.   When I am finished my studies, I plan on returning to the Tri Cities area, where I grew up, to set up a family practice. I would also like to offer services to the urban Aboriginal population of Vancouver and also spend time each year visiting rural reserves that don’t have access to health care.

Mike Bergunder is a first year VFMP student.  His family originates from Red River, Saskatchewan and he is part of the Métis nation of B.C.

Isabel Chen is a second year VFMP student who received quite a bit of media attention when she launched her project, the Keep Safe Initiative.  Keep Safe’s goal is to arm Vancouver sex trade workers with panic devices, which would allow them to call for help in a time of danger.  We asked Isabel to share more about her project with us here.

Keep Safe: arming sex workers with a call for help.

Isabel Chen, VFMP (2015)

Prostitution is the world’s most dangerous female profession, with a homicide rate of 204 per 100,000. Sex workers are over 50 times more likely to be murdered than women in any other profession¹. In some brothels, panic buttons allow women to call for help in the event of violence, providing a measure of safety.  A recent Vancouver study showed that brothel sex workers, equipped with such safety measures, are significantly safer than street sex workers.

The Keep Safe Initiative is working to create a mobile panic button system for street sex workers. Existing devices with embedded GPS and cellular technology will be provided to sex workers, allowing them to call for help at the push of a button. These devices generate a SOS text message , which would be delivered to a pre-specified number with GPS coordinate and a link to the woman’s position on Google maps. At this time, it is undecided who calls for help will go to; ideas range from friends or local sex worker advocacy organizations, to 911dispatch or possibly a combination of several parties with the functionality to choose between them.

Vancouver is an ideal city to pilot The Keep Safe Initiative as the safety of sex workers is high on the public’s agenda, particularly with the Missing Women’s Commission of Inquiry. Sex workers and sex worker advocates in Vancouver have also proposed the implementation of GPS-based safety devices. In a 2012 survey, published in the Downtown Eastside Consultation Report, sex workers said they believed GPS emergency devices would improve their safety.

The Keep Safe Initiative believes that any attempt to improve the safety of sex workers should be driven by sex workers themselves. It was not until we were approached by Vanessa Forro, a long time sex worker advocate, that things began to move forward with our project.  Vanessa encouraged us to connect with the sex worker community We presented our idea to Vanessa’s colleagues for feedback.. After lots of consultation with sex worker advocates, The Keep Safe Initiative is now in a fundraising phase.  Our next steps are to run focus groups with sex workers on the Downtown Eastside a pilot the concept with them. How The Keep Safe Initiative develops from there will really be determined by whether the participating street sex workers find that the devices truly do improve their safety.

(1) Potterat JJ, Brewer DD, Muth SQ, et al. (April 2004). “Mortality in a long-term open cohort of prostitute women”. Am. J. Epidemiol. 159 (8): 778–85. doi:10.1093/aje/kwh110.PMID 15051587.