Our assistant writer Amelia Willes had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Haykal to learn more about her career in medicine and her passion for wellness.

Congratulations to Dr. Jean Roy, recipient of the 2022 CAME Certificate of Merit Award, for his dedication and commitment to promoting medical education in Canadian medical schools.

Ireen Savoy, spoke with Dr. Frank Knoefel to learn about how his research on dementia and how innovations in technology are improving the lives of those who have dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Happy New Year to everyone! With the fourth wave of COVID, some of the pre-clerkship activities have been put on hold. This includes the community preceptor program, which has been postponed at this point. The clerkship activities are continuing currently.

Every year, a preceptor is recognized with the Undergraduate Preceptor of the Year Award. Students nominate preceptors who are role models and have wonderful teaching. In December, Dr. Dahl was given the award at his clinic in Moose Factory. Congratulations to

Dr. Dahl!

Medical students have been creative during the pandemic! With support from faculty and the DFM, a virtual learning session regarding the abdominal exam was completed. Students enjoyed seeing the interaction between the practitioner and the patients. Another session will take place this month, given the success of the first one.

Interviews for the upcoming iteration of CaRMS for international medical graduates begin on Friday, February 25. The remaining interviews will take place on Thursday, March 3, at 4, 10 and 11 p.m.

In the summer of 2021, as the new cohort of Family Medicine residents began the next step of their medical education, the Family Medicine department made it clear that the wellness of their residents was a top priority. Under the guidance and unrelenting support of Dr. Tobin and

Dr. Wooltorton, two initiatives were given the green light: the Resident Mentorship Program and the Wellness & Resiliency committee.

The mentorship program started as a pilot, and senior year residents volunteered their time to get trained on how to carry out the unique role of a mentor. Once the PGY1s had settled in, a group of mentees were each assigned to a mentor who they felt was a good fit. The feedback from this program has been encouraging. Mentors have remarked that it is a very fulfilling role. Engaging colleagues through their professional and personal journeys have also facilitated self-reflection and personal growth for many. As for the mentees, having a safe space outside their established social and professional circles allows for openness to freely explore different feelings and experiences. Next year, we hope to have this program available to all incoming family residents.

The Wellness and Resiliency Committee comes at a time when there is starvation for social connection. Unfortunately, the pandemic has taken many community-building opportunities away as residents try to gain traction in residency and, for some, a new city. Waiting for the pandemic to end was not good enough, so a group of residents began pondering creative ways to bring people together and create a collective cultural identity that all family residents could relate to regardless of their background, training site, career goals, etc. Online, the ottawaresiliency.org website has up-to-date information regarding many resident questions, including, but not limited to, PARO guidelines, financial help, tips on using your health benefits, and self-help resources. Our Sports and Recreation leads have been able to organize intramural teams, a golf tournament, and other informal outings like bike rides and hikes. Our Social leads have been able to organize some post-academic day outings such as attending an Ottawa Senators game, going to a pool bar, and a recent Christmas sweater party. The Resiliency leads were even able to host a virtual session with Dr. Kyeremanteng to share some of his resiliency tips and tricks. We hope to get back to some in-person events once the local restrictions allow for it and continue our momentum into the next academic year!

The Department of Family Medicine is seeking candidates for a Family Medicine Enhanced Skills in Maternity and Newborn Care Program Director. The incumbent will report to the Director of Enhanced Skills in Family Medicine. We will keep accepting applications until the position is filled. Submit your CV and cover letter to hrdfm@uOttawa.ca.

The Champlain Region has recently been approved for 4 Family Health Organisation (FHO) physician positions to support the care of unattached cancer patients. If interested, please submit a CV and letter of intent outlining experience and motivation to hrdfm@uOttawa.ca by February 25.