McGill welcomed its incoming cohort of medical residents and fellows as part of the annual Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) Orientation, which took place from June 17 to 20 on McGill鈥檚 downtown Montreal campus. This year, 455 new medical trainees are joining McGill鈥檚 75 prestigious residency programs.
The first day was in-person and started with a 鈥淲elcome from the Deans鈥� session, opened by Lesley Fellows, MDCM, DPhil, Vice-President (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Fellows highlighted the sense of community and support within McGill鈥檚 healthcare network, stressing the importance of serving Montreal鈥檚 multicultural community in both English and French.听听
Regina Husa, MD, Associate Dean for PGME, greeted the international cohort of residents and fellows who are joining McGill鈥檚 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. This year, there are 319 residents and 136 fellows from over 60 countries. Marie-Jos茅e Bedard, MD, from the Coll猫ge des M茅decins du Qu茅bec (CMQ) also addressed the new cohort, outlining their professional significance as physicians in the province of Quebec. Of note, PGME will provide residents with French language courses to help ensure they are able to care for Francophone patients while fully benefiting from their training experience.听听
Dr. Husa then introduced Joanne Alfieri, MMEd, MDCM, FRCPC, Assistant Dean (Curricula) and organizer of the week-long Orientation events. Morning sessions included presentations on essential McGill support services such as the Office of Medical Learner Affairs, the Accommodations & Student Accessibility and Achievement Office, and the Office for Respectful Environments.听听
A networking lunch, hosted by the Dean鈥檚 office, facilitated connections among attendees, before concluding with a presentation by the Over the next few days, the virtual orientation sessions focused on topics such as constructive feedback, indigenous health and equity, diversity and inclusion, with a variety of workshops available to introduce trainees to the world of PGME.听
Part of this global cohort are Supinya Sono and Pasin Tangadulrat, a couple from Thailand, each pursuing different medical specialties. 鈥淚t means a lot to us to join this beautiful place together,鈥� Dr. Tangadulrat, who is beginning a fellowship in Pediatric Orthopedics, told Health e-News. Dr. Sono, joining as a PGY3 in Family Medicine, is delighted to be joining the McGill family: 鈥淚t has always been a dream of mine,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 know this experience will change my life.鈥�听
A heartfelt welcome to all our new residents and fellows!听