MedLife Committee

The medical curriculum at the University of Toronto has a long and proud history of providing the best training for the leaders and doctors of tomorrow. The training can be very challenging and students may have apprehensions, concerns, and questions about their profession that are not necessarily addressed by the core curriculum.

With the generous support from the Office of Student Affairs, Medical Alumni Association, and the Medical Society, MedLife was created in 2004 to foster a stronger sense of community within the student body and to address student needs outside of the core curriculum. MedLife offers a comprehensive array of events and resources through four subcommittees:

  • Career Exploration and Development
  • Community Fellowship
  • Diversity in Medicine
  • Interprofessional Development

We welcome volunteers as well as new ideas or suggestions of how we can make MedLife more suited to your needs. Contact your Medical Society VP Faculty Affairs for more information.


Career Exploration and Development
The Career Exploration and Development subcommittee is dedicated to helping students explore and gather information which will enable them to determine professional goals, gain competencies, and make decisions about their career choices.  Presentations are arranged on topics such as:

Financial issues for students
Guess What I Did Last Summer
What’s Clerkship?
USMLE + US residency
MCCQE + CARMS
Financial issues for physicians
 
Community Fellowship
The Community Fellowship subcommittee is devoted to activities and events that encourage the well-being and interaction of all students from the Faculty of Medicine at U of T (Medicine, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Language Pathology, Michener Institute).

Food and Fellowship Cooking Nights (year round in association with the Office of Student Affairs) - Once a month, we gather in the kitchen at the Medical Sciences Building’s cafeteria and prepare a wonderful meal to share together. Past cooking night themes have included Italian Night, Indian Cooking, Sushi, and Gourmet Cooking on a Budget.

Movie Nights (year round) - Imagine sitting in a lecture hall without having to worry about if this will be on the test whether it’s the newest release or a timeless classic, the only goal of our movie nights is to entertain. And of course, we’ll provide the popcorn!

Friendship Day (Feb) - February is Friendship Month, and we’ll be selling candygrams to send to all your buddies and pals. We’ll also be hosting a "Friendship Breakfast" for the 1st and 2nd year medicine classes.

Recognizing Cultural and Religious Diversity (year round) - Students are encouraged to share with colleagues about their cultural and religious history, beliefs, and foods. Learn about Diwali, Ramadan, Lunar New Year, and other traditions.

Cookbook (year round) - Entitled "Eating Well: Favourite Recipes from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine", this collection features over 80 recipes that have been submitted by staff, students, faculty, and alumni of U of T Medicine.
 
Diversity in Medicine
Diversity in Medicine is a collection of students dedicated to addressing social issues that impact health (including sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, refugee/immigrant issues, socioeconomic status) through workshops, panels and curriculum changes. We are an ever-changing group. Our focus reflects the concern of the students involved in that year. Past projects include: Street Medicine, AIDS awareness, Violence Against Women, Adolescent Health Issues, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Health.

The subcommitee is dedicated to addressing diversity issues as they apply to medicine and medical school. It provides educational programming (seminars, workshops, panels), outreach (email postings of different events pertaining to diversity), support (Aboriginals in medicine, LGBTQ in medicine), advocacy, and partnerships with other student and medical organizations. As medical students, we value the opportunity to come together in an environment where all are free to affirm and celebrate their differences, to learn about how our differences impact us as human beings and as future physicians.
 
Interprofessional Development
The Student Interprofessional Education (IPE) committee is a newly formed committee consisting of students of the health care professions trained at the University of Toronto. These currently include medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech language pathology, and medical radiation sciences

The goals of the student IPE committee are to increase interprofessional awareness among the faculties of Healthcare at the University of Toronto, to disseminate knowledge concerning the roles of the healthcare professionals, and to improve student understanding of how different health care professional work collaboratively in patient care.