The Alberta Medical Association proudly sponsored the second AMA Advocacy Night at the University of Alberta. The goal of the event was to foster student mentorship and support among physician leaders, the AMA and U of A faculty. The event encouraged early engagement in medical leadership and health advocacy projects.
AMA Advocacy Night was very successful, starting with round table discussions between physician leaders from the AMA, faculty and community – including AMA President Dr. Neil Cooper. Students were able to learn more about different journeys to leadership, challenges experienced, and ways to advocate for issues they are passionate about.
The second part of the evening featured 14 student advocacy projects, where students could showcase results to-date and receive feedback to incorporate into their work.
Michael Taylor took home first place. He presented “HIV and STI testing barriers and preferences among Alberta GBTQ men: A representative strategy via community-based research.”
Second place was a tie between Emily Fong and Ines Zuna for “MD AIDE: MD admissions initiative for diversity and equity” and Chu Yang Lin, Aman Gill and Jahaan Ali for “Street sense: A high school program promoting informed decision-making regarding drug use.”
This event would not have been possible without support from the AMA, U of A Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, and the community.
If you are interested in participating as a physician mentor next year, please contact Keon Ma (keon@ualberta.ca) or Zohaib Siddiqi (anwer@ualberta.ca), co-organizers of the AMA Advocacy Night.