An original and daring initiative, thought up by first- and second-year medical students at McGill University, is enjoying such enormous success that it will be officially integrated into the Faculty’s study program in 2010. Community Health Action Partnership (CHAP) plunges medical students into the heart of the most destitute and vulnerable communities through weekly three-hour meetings with community organizations who are in direct contact with them on a daily basis. Supplemented by seminars on the causes of this social and economic disparity and the means for intervening more efficiently, the initiative has led to a better understanding of the situation and the stakes involved and will thus help better prepare the doctors of tomorrow. Dialogue between the Faculty of Medicine and community organizations has never been more concretely focused on finding solutions for meeting the most blatant of needs. The CHAP project has been unanimously applauded by both the teaching staff and community organizations and has paved the way for a medical practice that is better adapted to the population it has chosen to serve… as a vocation.
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At least 85 % of Québécois are in favour of the recognition of alternative and complementary medicine. Nine students from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Université de Sherbrooke, while pursuing their university studies, organized a major event devoted to non-traditional medical options. On 11 March 2006, more than 250 students in the health fields thus took part in the second Congrès d’information sur les médecines alternatives et complémentaires. The future doctors had the opportunity to attend clinical demonstrations as well as lectures given by renowned experts. The highly instructive experience enabled them, among other things, to obtain information on underestimated practices – which are nonetheless based on convincing scientific evidence – such as osteopathy, naturopathy and Chinese medicine. In order to successfully carry out the project, the organizers obtained financial support from reputable investors such as the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon, RBC Financial Group and Sogemec assurances. This remarkable initiative is the first step towards reconciliation between alternative and traditional medicine and will enable the doctors of tomorrow to offer a wider range of medical options.
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The McGill University Journal of Medicine is an initiative of international scope and truly unique in its genre. Launched by students for students in 1994, it is published biannually and distributed free of charge, by subscription or on line. The specialized publication is a conveyor of information between numerous faculties of medicine around the world and has received a number of awards. Among other things, it offers students an opportunity to publish the results of their scientific research in a high-circulation journal. Every year, more than fifty students contribute to the Journal’s editorial process and thus learn the mechanisms of publishing, marketing and project management. In order to obtain the annual $25,000 needed for its publication, they participate in fund-raising activities with prestigious partners such as Pfizer Canada and the National Bank of Canada. In its continuing aim to promote knowledge sharing, the Journal also has a Web site where, every month, the on-line articles published on this true “medical portal” are consulted by thousands of Internet users. Thanks to its far-reaching scope, the Journal encourages future doctors to actively take part in research and is an extraordinary lever for the future of science.
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