Our annual half day conference brings together medical students from across the province interested in learning more about family medicine.
The 2022 Medical Student Conference was held on Saturday, October 22nd.
Topics and speakers included:
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Overview of Family Medicine- Dr. Marjorie Docherty
Dr. Marjorie Docherty started her career as a family physician in Slave Lake, AB, practicing as a full-service family physician
She began practising in Kelowna, BC in 1988. Since then, she has served as a full-service family physician, only recently giving up her obstetrics practice. Dr. Docherty is a clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UBC and is one of the faculty at the Southern Medical Program in Kelowna. She loves to support rural preceptors and facilitate the education of students in smaller communities, showing them the rewards of a career in family medicine. She has received several teaching awards, including the Dr. David M. Bachop Gold Medal for distinguished medical service from Doctors of BC. Dr. Docherty has been involved with the BCCFP since 2013.
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Cultural Safety and Humility – Dr. Rebekah Eatmon
Dr. Eatmon is a family physician serving both urban and rural Indigenous peoples at the Lu’ma Medical Centre in Vancouver, as well as Carrier Sekani Family Services in Northern BC.
Dr. Eatmon is a family physician serving both urban and rural Indigenous peoples at the Lu’ma Medical Centre in Vancouver, as well as Carrier Sekani Family Services in Northern BC.
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Women’s Health – Dr. Amanda Whitten
Amanda Whitten is a new family physician with extra training in reproductive health care and is very fortunate to work with people surviving the war on the poor, the war on drugs and systemic medical violence.
She works in a variety of settings as a locum providing maternity care, abortion and contraception care and support for people who use substances.
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Addictions Medicine – Dr. Melanie van Soeren
Dr. Melanie van Soeren is a clinical assistant professor at Memorial University and a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia.
. Her medical education took her from coast to coast to coast in Canada; She is an alum of UBC medical school Island Medical Program, she completed her residency at Memorial University in the Nunafam program in St. John’s and Iqaluit, and she was the first fellow with the Care of Underserved Populations enhanced skills program at MUN where she trained in Labrador, St. John’s and Nepal. She previously worked with the Downtown Health Collaborative in St. John’s, providing primary care for marginalized individuals at the Gathering Place and Choices for Youth (CFY), and was the physician aligned with the CFY program Momma Moments which provides wrap around supports to at risk mothers. Since a move home to BC in 2020, she has been working with the PHS Community Services Society providing low barriers full scope primary care for patients living in the Downtown Eastside, a vibrant and multicultural inner city neighborhood which is also Canada’s poorest postal code and the epicenter of the opioid overdose crisis in Canada. The most rewarding parts of her career include delivering babies and supporting her most underserved patients achieve their health goals. When not working or advocating for change she can be found on a local ski hill or trail running with her dog Fogo.
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Rural Medicine – Dr. Aseem Grover
Aseem Grover is the Rural Family Physician who is the Site medical director of Fraser Canyon Hospital in Hope, which is situated at the most eastern aspect of Fraser Health.
He has special interests in Addictions/Overdose response and Emergency Preparedness. Aseem was Born and raised in the Fraser Valley East, completed his residency program at the UBC St. Pauls Family Medicine program in 2016. He works in Hope & the Fraser Canyon from 2016 until present. Aseem’s Passion is to bring equitable resources to the most vulnerable and underserviced areas. He firmly believes an arbitrary geographical line should not determine the level of health care a patient may have access to.
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Scheduling Electives and Other Tips for a Competitive Family Medicine Application – Dr. Haley Smith
Haley Smith grew up in North Vancouver, then travelled to New York University’s campus in Abu Dhabi for her undergraduate degree in Chemistry.
In medical school at UBC, her Family Medicine experiences included rural rotations in Clearwater and Christina Lake, and Palliative Care in Richmond. Haley is thrilled to be continuing her training at UBC in the St. Paul’s CMG Family Medicine program. Haley is looking forward to sharing her experiences and answering any questions she can!
