Research in Family Medicine: A Bright Future for the Next Generation
The weather is warmer than ever and people are now enjoying the sunny days that Montreal have to offer. Despite the temptation to lay in the sun all day, large numbers of students, residents and members of the Department of Family Medicine turned out for a week of learning and research-based conversations. As such, the 4th Annual Family Medicine Research Division and Graduate Student Society Symposium and the Isaac Tannenbaum Family Medicine Resident Research Day were held respectively on May 30th and June 1st, 2018.
At both events, graduate students and residents were invited to share their research findings in front of their peers and mentors.
Sharing is caring
The Research Symposium, held in Thompson House, gave the opportunity for graduate students to present their research findings with their peers, all whilst getting constructive feedback.
Anish Arora, a first year master’s student in family medicine, got a chance to show what exactly he had been working on for the past year – a tool to measure the usability, effectiveness and overall satisfaction of blended-learning initiatives.
Although he says the experience can be a bit nerve-racking, he thinks that events such as the Research Symposium are a necessity for students in order to improve the approach they are using for their thesis.
“Of course, it’s great to be able to share what you are doing with others, considering how large the department is […] overall, it simply helps you to get a better sense of what you are doing, or maybe of what you could be doing differently with your research”, he explains.
In the case of Sophia Siedlikowski, who is now finishing her master’s degree, the feedback she has received over the years helped her become a much more concise researcher.
“I first received feedback on the type of methods I was using, and I can now focus on a different kind of feedback, especially as to what potential roads I could take with my research interest in mind’, says the student, who is specializing in the bioethics stream.
Special words from a special guest
Both events had more than one thing in common: the Department had the honor of welcoming Dr. Mark Clarfield from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, as the guest speaker.
He is no stranger to the Department of Family Medicine - he was with the Faculty of Medicine from 1978 to 1992, where he was Chief of Geriatrics at the Sir Mortimer B. Davis – Jewish General Hospital, as well as the head of the McGill University Division of Geriatric Medicine.
Whilst making his last remarks, Dr. Clarfield encouraged students not to be afraid to strive for knowledge and experience. He considers himself lucky, as many opportunities have been presented to him throughout his career.
“You have to train well and train broadly, because learning will not hurt you [....] hard work does pay off”, he concludes.
These words resonated with the Chair of the Department, Dr. Howard Bergman.
“Most of the things that happened to me throughout my career have not been planned and that is why it’s important to be flexible with your path”, he explains. One thing is certain, he sees both the present and future of family medicine when looking around the room and he “hopes to see these faces involved for the years to come”.
As such, multiple students received prizes for their contribution to the Research Symposium. Ivan Sarmiento, Claire Godard-Sebillotte, Matthew Hacker Teper and Catherine Ji all received awards for their oral presentation of their research findings.
Residents come together
Two days later, members of the Department of Family Medicine were invited to have a look at the clinical side of primary care through the presentations of research projects by the residents of the multiple family medicine teaching units.
With topics ranging from burnout among medical students to proper care for young people living with chronic pain, it was a chance for the residents to share their knowledge on a variety of issues present in their working environment and elsewhere.
“I found it so interesting and gratifying to see that there was a clear interest in the topic [of literacy in medical school] I was presenting, which only makes me want to continue in that direction”, says Dr. Catherine Courteau from Jardins Roussillon Family Medicine Unit in Châteauguay.
At the end of the day, residents received their diploma. They will officially finish their residency in family medicine on June 30th, 2018.
The following residents also received awards after presenting of their research findings:
2018 Best Resident Research Project
Drs. Yun Gao and Mia Hecht (Queen Elizabeth), A systematic review on advance care planning in non-palliative patients in the outpatient setting
2018 Dr Terry-Nan Tannenbaum Resident Choice Award
Drs. Isabel Gonzales Carranza, Divya Markandey, Alda Rroshaj and Paolo Roy (Gatineau), Hypertension artérielle : suivons-nous les nouvelles lignes directrices?
2018 PBRN Réseau-1 Québec Award
Drs. Eric Chétrit and Philippe Pépin (CLSC Métro), Urinary tract infections: Are We Following Guidelines?