Memorial University’s faculty of medicine has five million reasons to celebrate.
The school has achieved a new milestone, announcing at an event held on Wednesday evening that its Healthy Tomorrow Campaign has raised $5 million for student support, simulation and educational technology, and research.
The campaign is focused on improving the lives of people and their communities through medical education and research.
“This milestone is good news for the people and communities we serve,” Dr. Margaret Steele, dean of the faculty of medicine, stated in a news release Thursday.
“Thanks to the many donors, our learners, faculty and researchers will have access to the tools and support they need to be the best they can be. Their generosity will help us with our vision to improve the health of the people and communities we serve through excellence, integrated education, research and social accountability.”
Second-year medical student Jessica Dobson knows firsthand how important student support is.
“Many of us in medical school struggle to find who we are within the program. We ask ourselves if we really deserve to have the privilege to be here,” Dobson stated in the release.
“Having been accepted off the waitlist, I was certainly no exception to this. Receiving the Dr. Kevin Keough medical entrance bursary a few months into my first year did more than relieve some of the financial strain arising from the high costs of medical school. It also helped me navigate and overcome this self-doubt.”
Dobson said the bursary helped her focus on her studies and that through hard work and dedication, she has the potential to be the great physician that some of her mentors have become.
The campaign, started in July 2016, saw a vast amount of money donated in three categories.
More than $3 million was donated for bursaries, scholarships and awards; $1 million was donated for medical research (which includes obesity, genetics, Indigenous outreach, ovarian cancer, rural and northern health, epilepsy, stroke and heart disease) and nearly $1 million was donated for simulation and educational technology.
“Receiving scholarships, bursaries or awards means recipients who are struggling with finances can focus more on their studies or research rather than their debt,” Steele said.
“The investment in simulation and educational technology allows our learners to practice skills before they use their skills on real patients. Newer educational technology means we can teach and assess students in a variety of ways. And the donations given for research will allow us to enhance the many facets of research we are doing here at the faculty of medicine. All of this ultimately improves the lives and health care the people we serve.”
Memorial University president Gary Kachanoski said the faculty of medicine contributes significantly to the advancement of teaching and learning, research and public engagement to pursue excellence in health care for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
“We are extremely grateful to our donors. Thanks to them, we have made tremendous progress in advancing priorities that will support our future physicians and health care researchers — and ultimately address health care challenges directly affecting our communities.”
