Students, faculty, staff, family and friends are encouraged to聽聽and join the Faculty of Medicine team for the September 15 Terry Fox run, putting interprofessionalism into practice for a great cause.
The Faculty鈥檚 planning committee members are a living illustration of interprofessionalism in practice. Committee co-chairs Jill Ranger, a fourth year student in Medicine, and Liam Bienstock, a second year Master鈥檚 student in Occupational Therapy, met on the committee and have since bumped into each other in clinical settings at the Montreal Children鈥檚 Hospital.
The experience of seeing each other in a clinical setting 鈥渕ade me feel a sense of connection to students in other domains of healthcare, which I鈥檓 certain I鈥檒l carry with me as I move on to a career as a physician,鈥� Jill said.
Liam shared a similar sentiment. 鈥淎lthough we weren鈥檛 working together, it was really nice to see a friendly face鈥� in the clinical setting, he said. 鈥淚t cemented the fact that we will all be working together in the near future鈥攕omething that does not always feel real because we have such little interaction during our education.鈥�
As for her experience organizing the Faculty鈥檚 participation in the Terry Fox run, Jill traces memories right back to childhood with a legacy that carries into the present day.
鈥淎s a kid, I remember participating in the Terry Fox Run every year with school so, for me, there鈥檚 a nostalgic quality to the run,鈥� Jill said.聽鈥淟ater, in graduate school at 黑料不打烊 University, my research was supported by a Terry Fox Foundation grant.聽 As a result of this funding I had the opportunity to attend a conference where one of the activities was to participate in a run to the place where Terry had intended to finish his Marathon of Hope. I was inspired by the legacy that was left behind because of one person鈥檚 dedication.鈥�
Liam鈥檚 experience organizing the race 鈥渉as been very rewarding. It has been a great place to meet peers and share ideas. 聽I have been able to make a couple of meaningful connections.鈥�
This spirit of interprofessionalism is woven through Liam and Jill鈥檚 experience.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been clear to me throughout my clerkship training that it takes much more than just one professional to effectively treat disease,鈥� Jill said.
鈥淲e know that interprofessionalism is essential for proper delivery of healthcare, but it can also extend past health care to policy change, research and initiatives like this one,鈥� Liam said.
Keeping the legacy alive and running
Dr. Barry Slapcoff, a Family Doctor and Director of the Physician Apprenticeship Course, has been involved in this event for nearly 20 years. He began participating in the annual Terry Fox Run with patients from his practice to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles. In 2012, he started collaborating with 黑料不打烊 medical students and his team expanded to include family medicine residents and other faculty members.
In 2017, under the leadership of Professor Deborah Friedman, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Co-director of the WELL Office, the initiative expanded to now include learners from the Ingram School of Nursing, the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the School of Physical & Occupational Therapy. The WELL Office Team has worked hard behind the scenes to support learners in this interprofessional activity.
The leadership team is also comprised of dynamic student representatives from all programs and schools within the faculty. The Faculty of Medicine鈥檚 participation in the Terry Fox Run has become a great way for future and current health professionals and researchers to meet outside of clinical settings.
The goal is to bring together students and faculty from professions and disciplines across the Faculty of Medicine, supporting the community, promoting health and fostering leadership and interprofessional collaboration鈥nd to have fun.
聽to participate and see you at the run!