Background
This award is for a project that has ALREADY been completed. The Dr. Yuk Chan Ma and Dr. Yuen Kok Chan Prize in Multicultural and International Medicine is an annual award given by the Faculty of Medicine Scholarship Committee to a medical student who participated in an international or Canadian multicultural elective, research project or community service experience of at least four weeks in the previous year and who best demonstrates an understanding of the contribution of social and cultural factors to health. The finalist is selected by a panel of judges based on their essay submission. The prize value ranges from $500-$1,000.
Key Dates
- August 31, 2023: Launch of call for applications
- October 1, 2023: Application deadline
- October 26, 2023: GHP notifies all applicants of the results
- Late November/Early December 2023: Award paid
- Early November 2024: Award winners deliver poster presentations at GHP's annual Global Health Night event.
Eligibility Criteria
- McGill University MDCM students from any year in good standing are eligible to apply.
- Participation in an elective, research project or community service program in Montreal or elsewhere for at least four weeks between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023.
Evaluation Criteria
- Understanding the Contribution of Social and Cultural Factors to Health: The applicant provides an insightful reflection regarding how this project/activity improved their understanding of the impact of cultural and/or social factors on health. (5 points)
- Degree of Self-Reflection: The applicant demonstrates thoughtfulness regarding what they have learned from their experience. (5 points)
- Completeness and Quality of Writing: The applicant has ensured that the essay addresses each of the elements required in the abstract and has submitted a well-written essay. (2 points)
Application Instructions
Application deadline: October 1, 2023.
For Items 1 to 4, please upload all your answers in one PDF document. Please label each question.
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Please provide a description of your project (max 250 words)
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What did you learn/accomplish? (max 250 words)
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Answer the following scenario: Imagine your professor asks you to present some real-life examples from your experience in a low-resource setting that demonstrate the ways cultural and/or social factors can impact health status. Describe three specific examples from your experience you would share with your colleagues. In what way might they impact your colleagues who will only practice in a Canadian setting? (max 500-1000 words)
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How has this project/activity improved your understanding of the impact of cultural and/or social factors on health? (max 250 words)
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Applicants must also provide at least one photo taken during their project. You may upload up to five photos.
The McGill Global Health Programs office supports ethical photography, meaning the welfare of the subject(s) in question (people, animals, environments, etc.) takes precedence over their photography. Do not harm, bribe, or manipulate the subject or its environment for the sake of creating an image.
Photographers’ decisions about the depiction of their subjects can completely alter viewers’ perceptions. An ethically shared photograph is one that accurately portrays a situation without stigmatizing the subjects. The photograph is taken with the subject's consent and shared in a way that the subject approves.
Written informed consent is mandatory in the following situations:
- A person's face is visible and that person is the focus of the photo
- A person's (or a group of people's) medical or personal information is revealed in the photo (e.g. HIV status).
For instance, consent would be required for group photos of you and your on-site colleagues, or with a study participant but not for photos of you on a busy street or in front of the building where you worked.
You acknowledge and agree that McGill University shall own all right, title, and interest in and to the copyright in any and all photos you upload via this form and that, without limiting the foregoing, McGill has the sole and exclusive right to display, publish, distribute, broadcast, perform, adapt, reproduce, license, advertise, promote, edit, create derivative works from, or otherwise use (collectively, the right to “Use”) any photos you send, including without any further approval from you, in whole or in part, like audio or video, alone or accompanied by other material, throughout the world, in perpetuity, in any and all media now known or hereafter developed.
About the Dr. Yuk Chan Ma and Dr. Yuen Kok Chan Prize in Multicultural and International Medicine
Dr. Alice Chan-Yip, MDCM established the Dr. Yuk Chan Ma and Dr. Yuen Kok Chan Prize in Multicultural and International Medicine in memory of her late parents. Dr. Yuk Chan Ma (1908-1994) was a family physician in China and Hong Kong. Dr. Yuen Kok Chan (1903-1942) graduated from Peking Union Medical College. He was an internist at Ling Nam University in Canton, China.
Dr. Chan-Yip is a graduate of the McGill Faculty of Medicine whose career has been marked by a strong commitment to multicultural and international medicine. Having recognized the importance of cultural factors influencing the practice of medicine, she developed community research and health promotional projects in the Montreal Chinese Community and collaborated with colleagues to develop the Multicultural Program at the Montreal Children’s Hospital which was established in 1986. She was the 2005 recipient of the inaugural Noni MacDonald Award by the Canadian Paediatric Society for her review article: “Health Promotion and Research in the Chinese Community in Montreal: A Model of Culturally Appropriate Health Care”.
Through the endowment of the Chan Prize, it is Dr. Chan-Yip’s wish to promote the teaching of cross-cultural medicine to medical students at McGill University.
Read more about Dr. Chan-Yip's close relationship with McGill University: The foundation of happiness
