Friday, January 26, 2024

Waterloo expands opportunities for aspiring medical and veterinary students 

By Katie McQuaid. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

Many science students begin their undergraduate degrees already thinking about what comes next. For some, it is progressing in a research career or jumping into the job market, but for others, it has always been the dream of becoming a doctor or a veterinarian. With each course and elective, they meticulously plan their undergraduate studies guided by their passion and purpose for studying medicine. For these aspiring medical or veterinary practitioners, every step is building toward a successful application that will lead to an interview. 

To further support students with aspirations of attending medical or veterinary school, the Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo is excited to announce it has signed agreements that will diversify the educational pathways available for students. Thanks to these agreements, there are now five international options for students interested in continuing their educational journey in medical or veterinary school. 

Based in the Caribbean, Saba University School of Medicine, Medical University of the Americas, St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Medicine and the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, now all have agreements with Science that benefit our students in many ways.  

Starting with the next intake cycle, the agreements state that all students who meet the admissions criteria for each institution will be granted an interview, giving our graduates a leg-up in the application process. Between the five educational institutes, there are program site connections in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, giving students a variety of clinical experiences. Each institute also has great financial support for international students including scholarships of up to $105,000 USD, making medical school one step closer to becoming a reality for those who need financial assistance.  

Chris Houser, dean of the Faculty of Science, believes these expanded pathways will provide students with more opportunities to achieve their academic goals and bring them one step closer to their dream careers.  

“The Faculty of Science is thrilled to announce these agreements and the opportunities and benefits they will provide to Science students who want to study medicine upon graduation,” Houser says. “These agreements open up five fantastic educational options for our students who are looking for an international foundation for their medical school experience.” 

These agreements give an advantage to Science student applications that can be paramount for those who want to make their dream of medical school a reality in such a highly competitive application process. 

“We know the application process for medical schools can be a stressful one with tests, mountains of paperwork, and what can feel like months spent waiting to hear whether you made it to the interview stage,” says Laura Deakin, Science’s associate dean for teaching and learning. “These agreements create clearer pathways for Science students, moving them directly into the interview stage if they meet each institute’s admissions criteria.”  

By engaging in agreements like those above, the Faculty of Science continues to expand the advantages available to being a UW Science student. To learn more about educational pathways within the Faculty of Science, visit our Medical School Partnerships page.  

Global Futures: Developing personalized cancer vaccines

This is part of a series of articles promoting the Global Futures: Innovation Update.

Dr. Ming Li, a Canada Research Chair in Bioinformatics and University Professor in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, is using deep learning technology to make personalized cancer vaccines accessible to everyone.

His team’s software, DeepImmu, replaces a lot of lab work with AI, and takes the cutting-edge treatment from a million-dollar specialty treatment to a much more affordable process that the average patient can access.  

Li says, “With personalized immunotherapy, we will be able to help millions of people.”

Read how deep learning technology is making immunotherapy treatment more accurate and affordable 

Spilling the TEA on intensive course design

A message from the Centre for Teaching Excellence.

It’s time to get ready for the annual Teaching Excellence Academy (TEA)! The TEA will be held this year on April 17, 18, 19, and 22. The TEA is aimed primarily at experienced faculty members who want the opportunity to rejuvenate their teaching. 

At the TEA, attendees will thoroughly revise one of their courses (face-to-face, fully online, or blended) with the assistance of their peers and experts from the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) and the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL). Past attendees have reported that the TEA helped them to design more effective courses and make their design choices more transparent for their students. The TEA ends with a showcase event at which TEA participants share their revised course outlines. Interested faculty members should contact their department Chair/Director or faculty Teaching Fellow/Associate Dean, Teaching, for more information. 

KOALA: Seeking lens wearers aged 8 to 18 for CL comparison study

A message from the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE).

Our team is seeking youth study participants for a research study to compare the visual performance of two daily disposable contact lenses that have a similar visual design but are made of different materials.

We are seeking current soft lens wearers, aged 8 to 18, for measurements and ratings of vision with the two study lenses. One of the lenses is commercially available in Canada for myopia control; the other one is not commercially available in Canada and is therefore considered an investigational lens.

Participants will be asked to attend 6 visits combined for a total of 3 in-office visits, up to 7 hours, over a 2-week timeline. The visits will include standard clinical procedures that one might encounter in an eye exam.

In appreciation of your child's time, they will receive $140 upon study completion. Study products will be provided. Parking tokens provided as required.

How to participate

To take part in the KOALA research study, or for more information: 

Phone: 519-888-4742  |  Email: COREstudies@uwaterloo.ca  |  Web:  COREstudies.ca/KOALA

Create a Participant Profile for your child at https://prescreen.uwaterloo.ca. To be eligible for any research studies at CORE, potential participants must have an active profile registered in our volunteer database. All information collected is confidential. We will contact you with more information after reviewing the information.

All studies conducted at CORE have been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board.

Friday's notes

The latest blog post in Information Systems & Technology's Atlassian series has been published and is entitled Atlassian updates: Coming soon in Confluence.

Here's today's Consent Awareness Week Setting Boundaries Tip of the Day:

When you communicate your boundaries, you are more likely to have healthy and rewarding interactions. You are also modelling healthy relationships and providing people with the opportunity to set one of their own boundaries. It is important to talk about and set sexual boundaries, always asking for consent and respecting no the first time someone says it. Sexual boundaries involve sexual acts and behaviours, they also involve talking about and hearing comments and stories about sex.

Examples of what to say when setting these boundaries:

• “That story is not appropriate for a workplace.”
• “I like you and I am not interested in anything beyond kissing right now.”
• “Your comment was not funny and it was sexist.”

Setting boundaries is lifelong work but comes more easily the more we practice. Others may become upset with you in the process, this is not your fault, you are courageous for living a boundaried life!

"We are continuing our consent and boundary conversations next week," says a note from SVPRO. "Please join us for a virtual Lunch & Learn about Talking to Children about Consent and Boundaries. Click here to register."