CMSA Meeting Minutes - Jan 8th 2025

Written By CMSA IT

January 8, 2025

Present: Marissa, Jake, Sanam, Adibba, Carolyn, Ryan, Michael, Jonah, Oliver, Debbie, Yekta, Michael

Absent: 

Regrets: Michelle

Updates

VP Academics - Adibba, Marissa

  • Update to clinical skills attendance policy

    • Starting block 2, students need to attend at least 80% of clinical skills sessions. If students miss more than this, they will be required to make up these sessions, and make-up sessions will be offered. OSCE will be deferred until these sessions are completed. 

  • Research Committee Representatives

    • 1 LiM and 1 non-LiM appointed by CMSA

  • Block 1 Podcast Transcripts

    • Marissa has been working with UME to review Block 1 Podcasts that had anatomical terms inappropriately censored

VP Events - Michelle, Oliver

  • WINTER FORMAL

  • Jerseys

VP Global Health - Sanam

  • CFMS Global Health On-Boarding Meeting on Nov. 28th, 2024 (1 - 5 PM) 

    • Met with community and global health portfolio members across Canadian medical schools to discuss CFMS Global Health Strategic Plan for 2025 

    • Theme CFMS would like us to focus on is “Immigrant and Refugee Health”

  • Meeting with Dr. Gausvik in November to discuss how ILGH Office collaboration 

    • Mentioned that ILGH Office does not directly involved themselves in the events we host, but is happy to share contacts to present at events 

    • We planned to meet again sometime in February 

  • Scheduled first in-person Global Health Portfolio team meeting next week to start planning for events, ideas, activities, etc. for 2025

  • Dr. Bonnie Meatherall hosted info session on international electives in Dec. 2024

    • Will schedule another session in spring for students seriously interested 

  • Meeting with CFMS National Officer of Public Health, Maren Kimura, next week to review the duties of our new Local Officer of Public Health recently elected 

VP External (Provincial) - Jake

AMA

Committee on Student Affairs 

  • Will send a reminder email at 1 week deadline


Joint Physician Advocacy Committee

  • Attended Dec 4 meeting and presented survey (will present results at later meeting)


Board of Directors

  • Attended special Dec 5 meeting

  • Attended Dec 12-13 meeting

    • PCCM announced!!

    • Potential opportunity for medical student surgical research idea - may research to surgical interest group execs.

    • Discussed Team based care, privatization across Alberta, met with new PCO CEO, covered other business.

    • Advocacy Focus shifting away from primary care to acute care


Sub-Committees 

  • Sent follow up email to connect student representative on informatics committee to AMA since they had not heard from them since accepting the position. 


Medical Student Survey

  • Will present some high-level survey results.

  • Seeking information regarding how/if students would like data used

    • Presentation, advocacy, Q&A with students/survey producer

    • Direction for AMA? (Ie: Present to minister, to board, to RF, 


VP External (National) - Michael

  • Toronto Notes 2025 Order Form made available to all students

    • Order deadline moved up to Jan. 12th, 2025 11:59 PM MST.

    • Textbooks expected to arrive Feb. 21-27, 2025

  • Canadian Medical Student Conference (CMSC) 2025 (Halifax, N. S.)

    • Agenda: https://www.cmsc-ccem.ca/

    • Dates: April 3-6, 2025

    • Need to confirm delegates for early registration/travel equity fund

      • Registration cost: $210.00

      • Fee includes attendance to CMSC, MEDoA, CFMS SGM, and all ICAM programming, meals, and social events from April 3-6

    • Organize travel itinerary/accomodations/budgeting

      • UME- vs CMSA-funded delegates?

      • CFMS Travel Equity Fund: Plane tickets must be purchased minimum 5 weeks in advance to be eligible for the equity fund.

        • Deadline: Feb. 21st, 2025

  • Student Initiative Grant (SIG) Applications Marking

  • Will be attending next Regional Roundtable Meeting (RRT) on Jan. 12th, 2025

VP EDI - Debbie

  • Stageleft workshop complaint

    • Workshop was overly intimate and made many students uncomfortable; Need for an alternate assignment or workshop designed with less physical contact

    • Dr. Gausvik responded that they would meet with workshop hosts to remap the session for future iterations

  • Working with BMSA to plan a BHM event(s) for February

  • Developing an approach to revising tutorial group & clinical skills cases, and POTWs with Social Justice and Advocacy Committee (SJAC)

  • Discussed opportunities for EDI feedback embedded within Freshsheet with Mike Paiget, this will be a priority for the IT team in the coming months

  • Applications for the Admissions Committee Representative are open and selection will be finalized by the end of January

  • Met with Student Professionalism Committee to discuss structure and next steps - group is hoping to revamp the committee to more clearly differentiate themselves from other student supports and to clarify the process of reporting and conflict resolution

  • Reached out to SAWH to continue to support Menstrual Equity Project amid SAWH and CMSA transitions

  • Working with VP SAWH to provide students with supports and resources for upcoming sessions on anti-semitism and anti-islamophobia


President - Carolyn

Western Regional Round Table (WRRT) and President’s Round Table (PRT) Meeting - November 2, 2024

  • WRRT - Discussed the logistics of establishing the Medical Student Association of the West (MSAW)

  • PRT - discussed CFMS updates, CMSA governance and funding models. Communicated the concern surrounding a larger NDoA delegation than in previous years

Communication from Sue-Ann Facchini regarding leftover food from the Gus Thorson Memorial Service - November 3, 2024

  • Thanked Sue-Ann for considering medical students and facilitating the food transport to the Med Lounge

Communication with c2026 President and VP Academics - November 4, 2024

  • Received communication from M. Hsu that the Resident and Medical Student Appeals Committee Representative no longer has a medical student representative. Followed up with c2027 Elections Officer E. Au to remove the position from the manual.

Sustainable Development Goals Association (SDGA) Students’ Union Quality Money Application - November 12, 2024

  • Co-signed a letter of support with c2026 President R. Sanguinetti for a Quality Money application for the SDGA. Sent signed letter to the SDGA co-chairs Nina Carcamo-Arakawa and Heny Panghulan.

Presidents’ Insight on Office of Faculty Development - November 25, 2024

  • C2026 President, R. Sanguinetti, and c2025 President, Eddie Guo, requested by Dr. Amy Bromley to provide input on Office of Faculty Development and UME meeting. Ideas submitted and concurred on include:

    • Training educators on effective large group session teaching (R. Sanguinetti)

    • Workshops for instructors on answering questions effectively (R. Sanguinetti)

    • Medical students reporting mistreatment (E. Guo)

    • Limitations of generative AI and generative AI detectors (E. Guo)

Meeting with Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) Executive Leadership Team - November 29, 2024

  • Attended alongside VP Academic S. Ivaturi and c2026 President R. Sanguinetti. C2026 President R. Sanguinetti introduced myself (C. Horwood) to the CSM Executive Leadership Team (Dean Dr. Tood Anderson, Vice Dean Dr. Beverly Adams, and Senior Associate Dean of Education Dr. Lisa Welikovitch).

  • VP S. Ivaturi discussed concerns surrounding Core document changes for clerkship between RIME and the legacy curriculum, emphasizing that students should be notified if there will be formative assessments in certain rotations (e.g., Pediatrics)

  • Asked about training/workshops for using DynaMed effectively for studying/clerkship, positively received idea

  • Expressed concerns about content being taught by non-experts, was encouraged to share this feedback with the UME to identify where supplemental resources should be provided

  • Expressed concerns with students being sent quite far for rural family rotations. This is due to the lack of preceptors available in southern Alberta. The Lethbridge expansion should help with recruiting more preceptors in southern Alberta.

  • AHS Parking Passes are a hard no. The CSM has tried to negotiate a parking pass for clerks on numerous occasions, but has not been successful. The CSM may contact UAlberta to understand their agreement and how we can replicate it here.

  • CSM Updates:

    • UME is looking into a new assessment platform class MSIS, which has lots of positive feedback at other institutions

    • Had questions surrounding accreditation concerns and how to communicate the outcome to students

    • Moving forward, there will be a centralized way to contact the Associate Deans to funding requests for events/projects/etc.

    • The Lethbridge expansion is underway

      • CMSA is looking to add a representative from Lethbridge to represent their program.

Accreditation Meeting - December 2, 2024

  • Attended in-person accreditation meeting alongside c2025 President E. Guo, c2026 President R. Sanguinetti, and the Professional Role representatives from c2026 and c2027.

Received CMSA Group Team Photos from Michelle J. Chen - December 5, 2024

Presidents’ Round Table - December 7, 2024

  • See below updates from PRT:

CFMS Membership Dues Paid - December 9, 2024

  • c2026 VP Finance J. Wytsma paid CFMS dues via cheque through UPS.

FIGS Logo Approval Received - December 9, 2024

  • Received confirmation that FIGS products are able to be ordered through the FIGS teams website with the Cumming School of Medicine Logo

CMSA Financial Handover Meeting - December 13, 2024

  • With VP Finance J. Feng and VP Events O. Little, met with Scotiabank to finalize financial account handover to the c2027 council

  • VP Finance J. Feng primary account holder - please forward all finance requests his way

  • GIC expiring 2025 - likely will just return funds to general CMSA account unless a similar opportunity arises (extremely high interest rates at the time of investment)

UMEC Meeting - December 13, 2024

  • UME leadership is attempting to enhance student engagement in classes by making lectures more “valuable”

  • UME recently struggling with CDW capacity

  • CMSA President now sits on UMEC; can vote for VP Academics in their absence

  • Clerkship formative exams will be delivered via cards and will be non-mandatory, with benefits including: 1. Can provide explanations; 2. The possibility of generative content; and 3. The ability to expand formative offerings.

  • Students must attend 80% of clinical skills to complete OSCEs, with replacement learning sessions scheduled by UME. Students can defer OSCEs and write when sessions are complete.

  • Final RIME competency committee for 2026 has been completed.

  • First year competency committee in the new year.

  • Final clerkship exam schedule is being distributed.

HIPE Day Connections - December 15, 2024

  • Connected Professional Role representatives Manav Batta and Holly Hnatiuk and VP Events, M. Makila, to the SAIT Healthcare Interprofessional Education (SAIT HIPE) initiative committee for planning of HIPE Day 2025 and to Dr. Sohn (Director of the Professional Role course)

Received CMSA Presidential Handover Documentation - December 16, 2024

  • Received completed CMSA Presidential handover document from 

Notice of Changes to Clubs Manual for Winter 2025 - January 6, 2025

  • Note to VP Events to make sure updates do not conflict with CMSA Event bookings

Class Presidents’ Meeting - January 7, 2025

  • UME is working on a webpage similar to UToronto’s “You Said, We Did” page to track student feedback and acknowledgements of how the faculty has address student feedback

  • UME is working on emailing out major Cards deck changes

  • UME has advised that student feedback about objectives, cards decks matching slides, etc. should go in unit exam information

  • Note to students that Letters of Enrollment are available directly from UME for FREE

IT Officer and Director of Technologies (Mike Paget) Meeting - January 8, 2025

  • Met with Mike Paget and IT Officer N. Khan to discuss technological options for improving the student learning experience

  • Discussed possible solutions such as implementing Cards comments and improving centralization or communication

  • Mike Paget looking at institutional access to discussion platform Piazza

  • N. Khan setting up classwide IT feedback survey

  • Possibility for research/evaluation of learning tools

  • Next meeting scheduled for February 4, 2025

Block 2 Introductory Meeting w/ Dr. Wu [Upcoming] - January 10, 2025

  • Meeting with Dr. Wu, VP Academics M. Hsu and A. Adel, VP EDIA D. Okusanya, VP Community and Global Health S. Sekandary, and block representatives S. Telles-Langdon, S. Blayney, and K. du Plessis to discuss introduction to the block and a suggested process for bringing forward questions/concerns as proposed by Dr. Wu.

  • Will be meeting regularly throughout the block with Dr. Wu and relevant representatives.

Presidential Roundtable [Upcoming] - January 18, 2025

Western Deans Follow-Up Meeting [Upcoming] - January 29, 2025

  • Meeting will be with UGME Deans across Western Canada.

  • Agenda will include:

    • Effective communication strategies with students - share approaches and best practices

    • Advocacy vs. Activism vs. Resistance - navigating political discourse as student leaders

    • Mistreatment reporting - share approaches and best practices

    • Planning for +/- ICAM, next meeting, and next Western Deans Conference

Previous Meeting Minutes Approval

2 minutes–Ryan

Mover: Carolyn

Seconder: Jonah

Introductory Discussion with SU Reps

15 minutes–Ryan

Work on shared goals with the CSM

Work with faculty as well 

Worked with last CMSA council eg. VP External collaborating with student groups such as the BMSA

Interprofessional collaboration event upcoming

Potential Pet Therapy Session at FMC January 22,
Potential Partnership with Bounce

5 minutes–Ryan


Declined.

Partner Relations with WMSS

5 minutes–Ryan

Quarterly Report Reminder

2 minutes–Ryan

Due March 15, 2025.


Presidential Updates

15 minutes–Carolyn 

  1. FIGS Sale

    1. Delayed to align with release of Winter 2025 student aid

    2. Ensure that individuals put FIGS Sale cost

  2. Elected Positions

  1. PGME Patient Safety Council Position

  2. Dr. Melanie Sohn question regarding Career Exploration Representative position collapsing

    1. The idea being that the Professional Role representatives cover the tasks of the Career Exploration Representative

    2. Ask last year’s representatives - Carolyn

  3. Request from Sharon Litton regarding Faculty Council Committee members (2 students) and Executive Council Committee (1 student)

    1. Faculty Council members from CMSA

      1. Specific responsibilities/conversations

    2. Query regarding the possibility of the President to sit on the Executive Council Committee following efforts last year to include the President on more committee positions.

  4. Logistics of Lethbridge CMSA Representative(s)

    1. Campus-protected + campus-specific positions 

    2. Voting in elections; Weighted vs. unweighted voting

    3. Follow up on next PRT 

  1. Confirmation of attendance and flight booking instructions for iCAM

  2. Query regarding meeting frequency - suggestion that we meet biweekly, especially for the beginning of Block 2

    1. Definitely do not need to be ordering a full meal every meeting if this is not possible; but a lot of things are in motion right now so I think it could be useful to meet more frequently.

    2. Agreed by the council. Biweekly meetings commencing January 22nd. 

  3. Parking advocacy strategy

    1. Possibly thinking about other transportation advocacy strategies for medical students

      1. I.e., discounted McMahon passes or City of Calgary passes (Brentwood station?)

  4. Any questions for the next PRT meeting?

  5. Reminder for folks attending Friday meeting with Dr. Wu to review communications strategy slides and prepare a few points of feedback.

  6. Changes to SU Clubs manual - note to VP Events to make sure updates do not conflict with CMSA Event bookings; also noting CMSA annual SU fee and Clubs training for 2025)

    1. Noted and will loop VP Finance J. Feng 

  7. Note on sending meeting minutes to IT Officer N. Khan post-meeting to be posted on the CMSA website

    1. Noted and will be sent

  8. Please directly send the headshots you want on the CMSA website to IT Officer N. Khan and photos for Instagram directly to Rida

    1. Due January 15, 2025



AMA Student Survey Results & Discussion

15 minutes–Jake

  • Delivered preliminary results to CMSA

  • Requested suggestions on how to use data/present to students

  • Also requested suggestions on specific data connections/things to look for


Finance Update and Proposed Changes

15 minutes–Jonah

Action Items

Follow up with Lexyn for SU Clubs requirement - January 22

  • Loop VP Finance J. Feng into communications



Link to the Quarterly Report. Please Submit to me by March 15


Q1 Jan 2025-March 2025


Switch to BiWeekly meetings 


Email Jake with any suggestions for survey data use


CMSA IT https://calgarymsa.com
Next

CMSA Meeting Minutes - Nov 26, 2024