Hello Meds! My name is Monty (he/him) and here is what I promise to do as your President. —REPRESENTATION— CFMS Rep Involvement: Selection, AGM/SGM/NDoA, Accountability… Selection: “Meet people where they are” Advertising, Videos, Open Houses, Overview Booklet, Recommended2Apply, Screening, Inclusionary Assessment, Open Application… Roundtable Restructuring: Transparency Strategy Coordinated Dates, West/East Cognizant Timing, Finance/Communication RTs, Inter-Portfolio RTs, Incentivized FGs, Regional THs, Portfolio’s rotate hosting EDIRT, Identity Organizations… Electoral Reform: Elections Accessibility Package (Position Videos, CFMS Fluency Materials, Consulting/Build Platform), Recommended2Run, Tailored Outreach, Nomination/Format… —ENGAGEMENT— “Year of Engagement”: Hybrid Events, Increased In-Person Spots… MedSoc Meetings: RD Attendance, President/PDs Semesterly, Financial Transparency… Transparency Strategy: Monthly Multimedia Updates, MedSoc Updates, Class Council Outreach… “CFMS Launch:” Year Overview, Opportunities, Portfolio Breakdowns, “Benefits" Campaign, Discounts, TheRounds, CFMS Fluency… French Translation: Mandated, Staff/External Service, Expand BC… —ADVOCACY— Priority #1: Travelling Electives The Match: uCMG (Consulting, Post-Unmatched Year, Pre-Match Notification), CaRMS Translations, Application Prep Time-Off, Structured Reference Letters, Supplementary Exams, Applicant Socials… Leadership Development: Funding, Skill Building Workshops… Additional Priorities: Parents in Medical School, Remediation, Student mistreatment, Combined Degree Equity, Satellite Campuses, Wellness Policy, Accreditation, Curriculum, Admissions… HHRDoA: Inter-Portfolio Political Advocacy - Residency Spots —ORGANIZATION— Systematic Onboarding: CFMS History, Board/Portfolio/Teams/RTs/MedSocs, Consolidated Transition-Reports, Coordinated Transition Schedule, Issue Summaries… Accountability Framework: Work Plans (Board/Portfolio/Team/RTs, Trackable S.M.A.R.T. Goals, GM Updates/Consultation), Organizational Slack… Staff: Executive Director, Communications Staffer… For more information: [email protected] 

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Dear CFMS Members,

My name is Victor Kang and I am a second-year medical student at McGill University. I am grateful to be running for Vice-President Finance of the CFMS. I am someone who possesses a large amount of experience in finances and have been heavily involved in the CFMS for the past two years through attendings SGMs and AGMs. I have also been involved in the Finance, Audit, and Human Resources committee since the fall and have worked on several CFMS policies.

My platform is centered around three pillars:

Experience: I have been the McGill Student Society (MSS) VP Finance for the past two years. When I first started, the MSS was behind on several audits which I have managed to almost fully complete. I have ran predicted deficit budgets and made them surpluses.

Reliable: While being the VP finance of many clubs and the MSS, I have been able to keep up with refunding MSS members and funding clubs and conferences while constantly updating the budget. This is vital for the CFMS as I want to be held accountable for my responsibilities and assist my team.

Communication: I plan to have open communication with both the CFMS board members and the rest of the CFMS. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, sponsors need to be well informed on how the CFMS will continue to uphold their contracts. The upcoming year may have a tight budget; however, I am used to working under these circumstances. Being hard working and communicating plans well will lead to our success.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely,

Victor Kang

I am Anson Lee and I am seeking for re-election as the Vice-President Finance of the CFMS. Prior to pivoting to medicine, I pursued a career in investigative and forensic accounting at Ernst & Young. I conducted fraud investigations, dispute resolutions, and audits. I have also acted as a consultant for not-for-profit organizations where I advised boards on the development and execution of their strategic and operational priorities. This involved assessing the organization’s operational workflow, evaluating internal controls over financial reporting, and properly mapping the organization’s financial resources to its strategic and operational objectives.

In obtaining my Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation, I have met a high bar of required competence in the management of financial matters of organizations. Having been involved with the FAHR and Governance committees in the past, I am well-informed of the strategic and operational objectives of the CFMS. This re-election will engender continuity and preserve memory at the board level. I am confident that I can continue to bring my expertise to CFMS and be an asset on the Board in its stewardship of the organization.

My vision for the role during my mandate involves:

(a) furthering our human resources agenda through engaging our membership and having adequate office support for our work;

(b) building on strong relationships with sponsors and external partner organizations;

(c) strengthening the participative budgeting process to better enable directors, officers, and chairs to achieve their goals; and

(d) being a reliable resource to the organization in board-level decision-making processes.

Hi everyone!

I am a third-year medical student from Queen’s. This past year, I had the joy of working on CFMS as Ontario Regional Director and Education Attaché. The pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to medical education, but also an unprecedented opportunity for change. During this time, I ask for the privilege to serve as your next Director of Education.

My goals are three-fold.

1. Continue advocating for medical students with input from Roundtables, prioritizing the following issues:

• Ensure solutions for COVID-19 disruptions respect equity and maximize support for all Canadian medical students.

• Improve the AFMC Student Portal following recommendations from the 2019 position paper, focusing on refund policies and application response times.

• Create a national strategy in collaboration with Government Affairs to increase residency positions for Canadian medical graduates, including facilitating local advocacy.

2. Advance projects to benefit students:

• Refine the National Survey for future years. Summarize inaugural results in a format that can be used by students for advocacy and outlines action items for CFMS portfolios.

• Establish process for updating the 2019 MatchStats publication, aiming to release the second edition in 2022/2023.

3. Improve membership outreach:

• Work with Communications to reorganize Education resources on our website, aiming to increase accessibility and reduce redundancy.

• Develop roles for Regional Directors to share select opportunities and resources with schools.

If elected, I will work tirelessly to be a strong voice for Canadian medical students, protect our interests, and run a productive Education portfolio. Please email me at [email protected] with any questions.

My name is Kathleen MacMillan and I’m running for Director of Education. I currently serve as co-Interprofessional Education (IPE) File Lead for the CFMS. I am fulfilling the responsibilities of this position and have volunteered to work on many other Education Portfolio projects outside of IPE.

If elected, I will advocate for more access to virtual education platforms for students. For example, I have been working with the AFMC on a virtual opioid education module that will be released to students soon. I will work to give us the best education possible despite COVID and will advocate for the needs of students in these unprecedented times. I will also prioritize advocacy around unmatched Canadian Medical Graduates, research, and other important areas that the current Director of Education is focusing on.

I am a pharmacist, and during pharmacy school I served on the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI) Board. This association is similar to the CFMS. During this time I advocated for student education to stakeholders, and completed projects that enhanced student education nationally. I also served on the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) Board, where I wrote policies that affected pharmacists’ education and practice.

My experience advocating on behalf of CAPSI, CSHP, and working as a CFMS co-IPE lead have prepared me for this role. If selected, I will work with our stakeholders to bring more opportunities to the CFMS. I will be open to everyone’s ideas as to what they’d like this position to accomplish.

Kathy is currently a first-year medical student at McMaster University. She previously graduated from McMaster with a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree, specializing in global health. Kathy deeply cares about health equity, poverty alleviation and community engagement. These key interests encouraged her to pursue the Global Health Liaison position on McMaster’s Medical Student Council for the 2019-2020 term.

In her role, Kathy took initiative to work closely with global health faculty to provide feedback for relevant curriculum sessions, developed a partnership with medical students at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and spearheaded the collaboration with the MSc Global Health program to organize a global health conference.

Previously, Kathy was one of eight selected Queen Elizabeth Scholars in Health Systems Strengthening 2018 from the McMaster Health Forum. Her work with the Africa Centre for Evidence in Johannesburg supported national government departments to make evidence-informed policy decisions. Kathy’s time in South Africa further instilled in her the importance of humility, curiosity and compassion in undertaking any global health work.

As Director of Global Health, Kathy would be excited to continue our past directors’ work in strengthening CFMS’ involvement within the IFMSA, increase Indigenous representation (Local Officers of Indigenous Health) across Canadian medical schools and increase communication within the global health portfolio to further encourage collaboration.

Kathy is grateful to possibly have the opportunity of using her previous experiences to make meaningful contributions to the exceptional work that the global health portfolio has already been doing to date.

My strong understanding and passion for the Global Health portfolio has stemmed from my extensive CFMS involvement, including my role as your current National Officer of Global Health Education (NOGHE). This has led me to run to serve as your next Director of Global Health.

As a CFMS Human Rights & Peace Representative at the 2018 IFMSA August Meeting, and as an IFMSA Human Rights & Peace Liaison Officer, I have represented Canadian medical students at a national and international level. I also serve as a Translator on the CFMS Bilingualism Committee.

Through working directly with vulnerable groups including refugees, the elderly, youth, and individuals with disabilities, I am committed to advocating strongly for health equity within Canada and internationally. Fluent in English, French, and Farsi, and having taken courses in German, Russian, and Swedish, I am able to communicate professionally with a larger demographic.

If elected, I would:

1. Increase student involvement in global health initiatives. As NOGHE, I spearheaded the MDs of Global Health project, featuring interviews from Canadian physicians providing guidance on global health involvement.

2. Promote the global health portfolio and resources on the CFMS website, social media, and newsletters.

3. Increase collaboration among National Officers to allow for larger national initiatives.

4. Continue to work towards implementing innovative global health programs at each school through collaboration with National and Local Officers.

It would be a great honour to continue to represent this portfolio, and if elected, I would endeavour every day to uphold this commitment.

I am a Chinese-Canadian born to immigrant parents and later raised by a loving single-mother. I am a health advocate, lifelong learner, and ally to the vulnerable and disenfranchised. I completed my master’s degree in public health with a specialized focus in epidemiology and I practiced within that field prior to pursuing a career in medicine. Over the years I recognized the impact of health care, the determinants of health, and the importance of global health on local community health. We live in a connected world, and our community is derived globally; the issues we see at home are issues prevalent worldwide. To best maintain population health, global health becomes an imperative operator.

This passion and perspective inspired me to pursue avenues to understand more about Canada’s diaspora and Indigenous communities. Over the last several years I supported First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and immigrant populations through public health efforts to address equity and diversity in program planning and decision-making. Many accomplishments were achieved from this work and I hope to bring the mentality of collaboration and inclusion into the role of Director of Global Health.

As the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) national representative to the CFMS over the past 2 years, I have witnessed the passion of CFMS members for working with our global community. If elected, my vision is to expand collaborative efforts across provinces, territories and the globe to support future medical leaders towards achieving a more equitable and healthy global community.

My name is Tracy Pham and I am a third year medical student at the University of Alberta. At my home university, I’ve created educational content as the sessions lead for the Alberta Medical Student Conference and Retreat (AMSCAR), gained experienced in public speaking as the lead for MD Ambassadors and worked to improve learner culture as part of the Professionalism Working Group. I am the current National Officer of Reproductive and Sexual Health (NORSH) under the Global Health Program where I have spear headed the CFMS SCORA X-Change, the 2020 Canadian Symposium and lead the Local Officers of Reproductive and Sexual Health (LORSH).

My platform for the role of Director of Global Health is focused on three key issues: administration, programming and representation.

1) Administration: I want to improve communication between national officers and other stakeholders to increase efficiency and promote collaboration.

2) Programming: I want to continue the strives we made in 2019 in producing quality educational content and ensure that the projects that were underway prior to COVID-19 will still go forward.

3) Representation: Having heard members concerns at the Annual General Meeting, I want to ensure that their questions are addressed, increase opportunities for Canadian students and navigate a post-COVID-19 world with our international partners.

It was an honour getting to know you all over this last year, I hope to see you around! Thank you for your consideration!

My name is Aishwi Roshan – I’m a settler on the ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm peoples, and an incoming third-year medical student at the University of British Columbia. It is my honour to be running to serve as your Director of Global Health!

Apart from school, I practice and teach Indian Classical dance, organize environmental initiatives on campus, and research ways to promote gender equity in medical education. As a member of the CFMS HEART committee, I spearhead the national planetary health curriculum survey in addition to organizing campaigns in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. I also work as an Intern at the World Health Organization in Geneva preparing international guidelines on climate change and health.

One of my aims as Director of Global Health is to strengthen the existing international exchange program. I hope to streamline feedback operations and ensure optimum pre-departure host-student communication all while increasing CFMS communication with the IFMSA and its national member organizations. Secondly, I will continue to make Indigenous health a priority in finding ways to leverage Indigenous representation within the CFMS and ensuring the continuation of CFMS Indigenous Week of Advocacy (IoWA). Thirdly, I hope to increase the number and variety of global health opportunities for medical students by expanding our partnership with international organizations and agencies. Finally, I will continue the phenomenal work set out by past Directors in increasing general member engagement, promoting National Officer collaboration, and leveraging Global Health within other CFMS portfolios.

As a first-generation Chinese-Canadian with hemophilia in the multicultural city of Montreal, I have been exposed to the health challenges and disparities faced by marginalized populations at an early age. As I discovered my passion for the art of medicine, that passion naturally progressed towards global health and the belief of achieving health equity for all. It inspired me to become actively involved with the global health and advocacy portfolios of the CFMS, my MedSoc and the IFMSA-Quebec yielding remarkable impacts within the past two years.

Every year, extraordinary student leaders combine their efforts to bring positive change through the Global Health portfolio. It would a tremendous honour and privilege for me to serve as your Director of Global Health and lead the next wave of innovations by:

• 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 between the CFMS and the IFMSA-Quebec’s Global Health portfolios and between National Officers with the goal of creating opportunities and resources accessible to more students.

• 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 on planetary-health, indigenous-health, global-health education and advocacy initiatives while maintaining the excellent working standard of the current portfolio and shifting the focus to local initiatives.

• 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and feedback collections between the national team and CFMS members to evaluate and improve the CFMS’ involvement in the IFMSA.

As we are all aware, the COVID-19 pandemic brings a new set of challenges to Canadian medical students. With my experience serving in student and community organizations, I am readily prepared to overcome the tasks ahead of us and represent the best of your interests as a member of the CFMS Board.

Hi everyone! My name is Sehjal Bhargava, a second-year medical at the University of Saskatchewan, and I am extremely excited for the opportunity to run for this position. I have had experience working in the federal government as an intern at a Ministers Regional Office, and over the past two years have had the privilege of serving as the U of S GAAC Representative. Through these and other roles, I have gained interest and experience in coordinating teams and advocacy projects at various jurisdictional levels. I am passionate about public, upstream, and planetary health.

The CFMS provides an incredible platform to have our voices heard as medical students and advocates. If elected I will use this role to focus on the following three areas:

• SUPPORT: Support GAACs in building and maintaining relationships with local members of government (municipally, provincially, and federally) to increase communication, comfort, and familiarity. The principles of early and frequent communication should also extend to other key stakeholders in the GAAC and CFMS portfolios.

• STRATEGIZE: Ensure that our advocacy efforts are pragmatic, relevant, timely, and have comprehensive follow-up strategies to support sustainable and long-term change.

• ENGAGE: Empower medical students outside of GAAC and global health portfolios to engage in advocacy efforts by supporting local GAACs to increase advocacy based learning opportunities at individual schools.

Thank you, and please don’t hesitate to reach out with any thoughts or questions!

Dear CFMS Members,

Thank you for taking the time to read this. My name is Joseph, and I’m currently a student here at the University of Manitoba. I’d looked forward to joining you all in person at this AGM, which would have been my first. In any event, I’d like to be your Director of Government affairs- hopefully this will become the first of many goals we share. For context: I’m a third-year student here at the U of M, having grown up in Winnipeg’s francophone St. Boniface community. I have been very involved in my community here for the past few years, advocating extensively at both the federal and local levels.

I’ve greatly enjoyed my advocacy experience here at the U of M as class president, and I feel it has equipped me with a deep understanding of student concerns. Equipped with this, I hope to return to federal advocacy as the CFMS’ Director of Government Affairs. This would not be my first venture into federal advocacy, having served for two years previously as a member of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council. I believe that I would bring to the Directorship a unique perspective and approach to student advocacy, as well as a strong network of pre-existing relationships in Ottawa.

I have a strong background of leadership and organizational skills, as well as experience coordinating teams remotely. This experience comes from training in the reserves, as well as my previous work co-chairing the PM’s youth council.

Thank you.

It is both a blessing and a curse that we, as medical students, have a front row seat to history. As learners, what we see today, we create tomorrow.

In the light of all these uncertainties - lockdown duration, upheaval of our academic timelines, and more - I believe it should be our priority in Government Affairs to ensure that medical students always have a vocal seat at the policy table, that our unique talents in creativity, rapid learning, and connectedness are not squandered.

For the role of Director of Government Affairs, I will bring the policy experience necessary to make an impact - I have advocated in both municipal and national Days of Action, served in CFMS as member of the Health Human Resources Task Force and the Health Policy subcommittees, and have worked as a campaign volunteer for MP Leona Alleslev and former Ontario Minister of Health Helena Jaczek, where I learned behind-the-scenes insights about the Canadian political system. MP-MD Apprenticeship, a health policy initiative I founded borne from these behind-the scenes experiences, recently also earned a CFMS Student Initiative Grant.

Currently, I am a constituency council advisor for Canada's Minister of Labour Filomena Tassi, where I've advocated on policy proposals for proaction on PPE procurement and the future of work and health delivery.

Regarding CFMS proaction, it's time we use this transformative period to advocate for big-picture policies and recognize our ability to spur change as future physicians in the radically changed post-COVID19 world.

Hello, my name is Justin, I’m a medical student at UBC and I’m excited to be running for the position of Director of Government Affairs.

Born in India, raised in Vancouver, I completed my undergraduate degree at UBC, during which time I was heavily involved in student government, especially as a VP for the Science Undergraduate Society. I went on to complete my Master of Public Administration degree at Queen’s University in beautiful Kingston, Ontario. After this, I worked as a policy advisor for the Ontario provincial government for almost two years, and after starting medical school have been heavily involved with various government advocacy efforts.

Through these experiences I had the opportunity to:

• Co-author a position paper for the CFMS on an emerging health issue;

• Lead the policy development for UBC’s 2019 Day of Action on unmatched CMGs, including discussing this issue with BC’s Minister of Health;

• Craft provincial strategies for the Government of Ontario.

My experiences have helped me develop an intimate familiarity with how effective lobbying from key stakeholders influence government decision-making, and I am excited by the opportunity to bring my knowledge and skills to enhance the efforts of the CFMS.

I have lots of ideas for this position I hope you will find interesting, including orchestrating more coordination of advocacy efforts between the provinces. I have additional ideas I look forward to sharing with you during my speech. I would greatly appreciate your support on election day – thank you for reading!

Dear members of the CFMS, My name is Rafael Zaki and I am running for Director of Government Affairs. I am particularly passionate about political advocacy, and will help ensure that your voices and concerns are heard throughout all levels of government and administrative institutions. My plan for this term is extensive, since I believe there is much work to get done. I am very hard working and highly motivated, and will make sure to accomplish these things. My plan will follow two phases, as follows:

Phase 1:

• Advocacy to the Ministers of Health for student safety (e.g. supplies, policies, etc.).

• More masks for Canadians, and more factories for mask production, partially inspired by Taiwan’s model (which reduced deaths to a total of 6).

• Improved contact tracing.

• Bringing mental health support to the forefront throughout our worst recession.

• Statistical and economic models regarding returning Canadians to work.

• Partial tuition refunds.

• + More areas of advocacy.

Phase 2:

• Reformed voting for our elections.

• National Officer of Provincial Endeavors (NOPE) dedicated to supporting Provincial advocacy efforts.

• Continuity of Political Day of Action advocacy.

• Increased transparency to our medical students regarding our Political Day of Action.

• Campus freedom of expression motion.

We will collaborate with other CFMS branches. Our advocacy will be informed by the challenges faced by medical students. It will act primarily to support local efforts.

Integrity, transparency, hard work, creative/multidisciplinary solutions, standing up for you, and self-giving: these characteristics shall define my term.

Thank you for your consideration, Rafael Zaki

We stand today at an important crossroad and over the coming year a lot is going to change inside and outside of the medical community. As I mentioned in my speech earlier, I am not going to run when things get difficult, particularly not at such an important moment in time. We need to band together and ensure that student needs and wellness are being prioritized every step of the way. Since entering medical school, learner wellness has been a priority of mine leading me to serve for 2-years on our local Wellness Committee in addition to my CFMS work with uCMG’s, the Wellness Curriculum Task Force, Leadership Development, and Professionalism within the Student Affairs portfolio. My vision has not changed, but I have developed a set of objectives specific to this role.

Mission: To serve, empower, and represent CFMS members throughout medical school.

Vision: Every student graduates happy and healthy with clear career prospects and the ability to shape the future of healthcare in Canada.

Values: Collaboration, Compassion, Forward-Thinking, Social Accountability

Objectives:

1) Build Health Promoting Communities

a) National Wellness Challenge Fine-Tuning

b) Grow Culture Changers Campaign, Perspectives in Medicine, SafeSpaces

2) Portfolio Strategic Plan Development

a) Annual Survey Refinement

3) Provide Resources to Support Membership Needs

a)Elective and Interview Database Expansion

b) STRIVE and Longitudinal Wellness Initiative Promotion

4) Systems Level Advocacy and Relationship Development

a) Empower Task Forces

b) Leadership Absences and Education

Thank you for the consideration! I am excited to speak with you soon!

Dear CFMS delegates,

I am a University of Calgary MD/PhD. student (clerkship begun; currently mid-PhD). I’ve been involved with CFMS for several years, including as a past National Officer of Wellness, Western Regional Representative, and Wellness Committee member. If selected as your 2020-21 Director Student Affairs, I would pursue two priority areas:

1) Connection and Communication

-Reconsider a protected/private, moderated online space for students across the country to engage and share with each other.

-Improve Canada-wide mentorship opportunities for students (student-student/resident/physician), in diverse areas of similarity (e.g. parenthood, illness/disability, specialty interest, etc.).

-Restructure Student Affairs component of the CFMS website, for easier navigation and longevity.

2) Support and Resource Provision

-Continue working to build partnerships (e.g. AFMC, CMA, FMEQ, RDoC, etc.) and improve existing services (e.g. interview/electives databases).

-Pursue discounts for time burden-reducing services (e.g. meal prep, cleaning, etc.).

-Work with the AFMC and schools to develop national and local policies for response to student deaths (regardless of cause), alongside a CFMS-specific response policy.

COVID-19 has emphasized many things, including everyone’s interconnectedness and the need for flexibility and responsiveness. What the coming year will bring and how medical education will look isn’t yet fully known, but what is certain is that students will need ongoing support and strong advocacy to support their wellbeing and their capacity to succeed in pre-clerkship, clerkship, and CaRMS. I would be honoured to work as part of the CFMS team to make this a reality for students.

Thank you for your time and consideration.