CMSA Meeting Minutes April 22nd, 2026

Written By CMSA IT

April 22nd, 2026

Present: Noam, Duaa, Catherine, Rica, Nicole, Jaspreet, Ryan, Ijun, Antonio
Absent: Sara, Eliana, Ore
Council: Ryan, Noam, Nicole, Antonio, Ore, Eliana, Ijun, Jaspreet, Duaa, Catherine, Sara, Rica,

Minutes

Updates

VP Communication - Eliana

VP Academics - Jaspreet, Nicole

  • CMSC last weekend was informative on details surrounding the AFMC electives portal and CaRMS. This information will be compiled into a slide deck and shared with the class early next week.

  • We have an RPCC meeting later this week where we will be bringing up points of concern surrounding the following topics: (please feel free to highlight anything we may have missed here)

    • Lack of congruence in large group and quality of these sessions

    • Lack of information given prior to the clinical skills session with newborns

    • Quality and content of anatomy videos

    • Exam content coverage

  • Wondering how indigenous health is represented within the CMSA (in tangible ways) and how student engagement is going?

    • NOSM has a voting member on their MedSoc for an Indigenous Health

    • We have

      • Indigenous, local, and global health office

      • EDIIA role

      • Local officer of Indigenous health

      • Indigenous health representative (under VPA portfolio)

    • Our indigenous health curriculum- although developing- is not really on par with a lot of schools across the country. Wondering in what ways we can strengthen this.

  • CFMS national annual survey

VP Finance - Antonio

VP Events - Catherine, Ijun

Stethoscope

  • Venue contract awaiting final edits then sent off to risk

  • AV contract will be separate, Mac Hall is inquiring on our behalf

  • SAMP will have their own stethoscope ceremony

  • Students can attend ours but accommodation and mileage will not be covered

  • Sending over document of how we run it shortly

  • Forms to class sent out next week to determine speakers for ceremony

Orientation

  • Form sent out yesterday for orientation package, I’ve requested an extension from UME as the 27th deadline is coming up quick and a lot of students are still travelling this week

  • CMSA bios - can use the social media ones and add a welcome baby animals intro? Otherwise we need you to fill out a new one ASAP - deadline is the the 25th CMSA 2026 Exec Bios - Orientation Package

  • Confirmation provided by SAMP that they will only cover July 2&3 in terms of accommodation and mileage

  • Working with orientation to see what their finalized dates are like and what we can shift into those two days & weekend if at all possible

  • SAMP also wanting to cover expenses for naming ceremony, request made to have it over asynch week or something more accommodating for SAMP students

  • SAMP to help complete Lethbridge information, just waiting on leads to send me the info they need filled out

  • Send message for them to be included in SAMP sub-committee meeting

Rock Your Locks

  • Meeting with KCC shortly to finalize date

  • This will then be communicated to SAMP as we were hoping they could participate as well

Jerseys

  • Sample of SkateDoc jersey shirt to be shipped in 4-5 weeks

  • No additional cost to us

  • I reworked the budget to instead do two less t-shirts and replace them with placards (Dominik + extra) and it remains under budget as the shipping will be included if we like this shirt more

  • TBD decision once sample is received, both are within budget and feasible

  • Visual:

  • Director of Athletics planning an event in collaboration with the WMIG, raised concerns about using CMSA athletics funds for student groups’ initiatives, but reasoned by ensuring the collab events are open to the entire class and relevant within the scope of director of athletics

  • Starting to plan med gala, planning for the same venue as last year (The Hudson) and connected with possible DJ contact, and considering buffet style.

VP Global Health - Sara

VP External (Provincial) - Noam

  • Conference Funding Form was sent out on April 15.

  • Meet and Greet with AMA president moved from May 8 to June 12.

  • Currently working with the AMA Committee on Student Affairs to review applications so student initiatives can get funding soon.

  • Funding for Calgary initiatives will flow through the CMSA.

VP External (National) - Ore

In-person regional roundtable during CMSC - consisting of all VP-X from across Canada

Main concerns:

  • Redundancy of clubs, including overlapping interest groups

    • Proposed solution from another school - only R1 residency match clubs are allowed to run independently

  • Governance spanning across multiple regional sites

How to allow for space for regional sites

  • Can increase student funds

  • Allow for representation at every meeting for council

  • Site equity - frame it more as you HAVE to have these things because they pay the same tuition and deserve the same treatment

  • Career nights - there is a dedicated time to ask questions through zoom or by site reps

  • Dedicated funding for transport and coming to annual events like med ball

VP SAW - Ryan

Update on student groups:

  • Sikh Medical Association- notified of approval

  • Rad Onc- Radiology group will not cover content but Oncology group plans to and feel an additional group is not needed

    • Ryan can send email to group noting delay that we are trying to see a way for collaboration or incorporation of group but will need to vote at a later meeting (in 2 weeks)

  • Orthopaedics group- notified that they were not approved (no response)

  • Applied Nutrition Group- notified that they were not approved (agreeable and part of NourishNet→ thanks NourishNet)

  • Health In Transition Group:

The core purpose of Health in Translation is to equip students with the skills to translate clinical knowledge into accessible, evidence-based information that supports informed patient decision-making. Programming will focus on integrating patient partner perspectives into relevant course topics, alongside talks from experts in patient engagement to deepen understanding of how to meaningfully involve patients in both clinical care and scholarly work. In parallel, members will work to translate existing AHS and UofC resources (ie. the 2020 AHS Guidebook for Engaging Patients as Family Advisors) into more accessible, student-friendly formats.

We aim to differentiate our programming through a strong emphasis on applied knowledge translation and the creation of tangible outputs. Rather than focusing primarily on awareness-building or specialty-specific content, the group is centred on the development of knowledge translation skills and resource creation. By adapting and amplifying existing institutional resources and patient storytelling initiatives, we seek to complement current offerings while avoiding duplication.

Our long-term vision for the group is to establish a student-led platform that produces and shares student-friendly materials that integrate patient, family, and caregiver perspectives. More specifically, we aim to empower students to identify gaps in accessible health information and respond by creating patient-centred resources.

In terms of priorities, our programming will focus primarily on:

  • Developing evidence-based, patient-friendly resources (ie. brochures, online content) grounded in knowledge translation principles

  • Translating existing Alberta Health Services and University of Calgary patient engagement resources into concise, student-accessible formats

  • Platforming patient, family, and caregiver narratives alongside educational materials through blog posts and social media

  • Hosting panels and Q&A sessions with experts in patient engagement (ie. Investigators from PaCER - Patient and Community Engagement Research at UofC)

  • Facilitating roundtables to support student involvement in patient-partnered research and scholarly work

  • Organizing a cultural competency panel focused on respectful and inclusive patient engagement

We completely understand that film screenings may seem a bit redundant, so we'd happy to re-orient our events to focus on the listed ideas.

  • Clinical Reasoning & Diagnostic Medicine Society- they have been emailed and responded to note this:

    • I will reach out and discuss the council's feelings on overlap and structure. They can work as a non-CMSA club and try the same approach. Funding is limited to one group per event so would not double if collaborative. Additionally, if we have a clinical reasoning group it would limit all other groups from focusing an event centered around this without collaborating which would limit opportunity for various groups.

  1. Distinction from existing groups

  • Process vs content focus: Rather than teaching specialty-specific knowledge, we explicitly teach how to think using frameworks (e.g., building/prioritizing differentials, problem representation).

    • Ex. A session on “approach to chest pain” focusing on structuring a differential, rather than cardiology specific teaching.

  • Complex, multi-diagnosis cases: Cases are designed to reflect real-world ambiguity rather than single-diagnosis teaching cases.

    • Ex. A patient with both pneumonia and pulmonary embolism, requiring learners to work through conflicting findings.

  1. Unmet need / niche

  • Deliberate practice of clinical reasoning: Structured opportunities to practice reasoning outside the curriculum.

    • Ex. Progressive disclosure cases where students must revise their differential as new data emerges.

  • Inclusive for undecided students: Provides meaningful involvement for students not yet committed to a specialty.

    • Ex. Prioritizing broad cases (e.g., fatigue, weight loss) that integrate multiple systems

  1. Collaboration and minimizing duplication

  • Co-hosted interdisciplinary sessions:

    • Example: Partnering with the Dermatology Interest Group to run a “rash case,” where dermatology discusses morphology and differentials, while our group guides students through building a structured diagnostic approach and avoiding anchoring bias.

  • Adding structure to existing case nights:

    • Example: Collaborating with Internal Medicine to incorporate a brief “diagnostic framework segment” (e.g., how to prioritize differentials) into their case-based sessions.

  • Clear division of roles:

    • Specialty groups -> content expertise

    • Our group -> diagnostic reasoning frameworks

In summary, our group focuses on diagnostic reasoning as a cross-disciplinary skill and provides a space for students exploring different specialties.

Next meeting we need to vote on:

  • RadOnc, Health In Translation, and Clinical Reasoning & Diagnostic Medicine Society with the info we have.

Funding of Groups:

  • Antonio and I plan to review friday after tutorial at 10:30am (Rica would you like to join or have us send the EDIA related apps?)

Funding committee:

  • VP-EDIA

  • VP-Finance

  • VP-SAWH

  • VP- Global Health

  • Director of Student Groups?

  • Other?

  • Funding VP-Events ¼ way social $150

  • Meditation Retreat next October in Canmore - Jess is working hard on this!

Wellness Week (May 4-8)

TRY NOT to book anything this week (N95 plus lots of events!)

  • Pre-week: send reminder on April 27

  • Monday: intro to meditation talk (Jess) at lunch + button making after class

  • Tuesday: coffee/tea grab-and-go event (busy day so before class)

  • Wednesday: pet therapy at lunch (SAWH) + terrarium activity (afternoon/evening, sign-up required)

  • Thursday: evening presentation + dinner (Julian’s dad- student who passed away)

  • Friday: group walk to Village + prize giveaway (prizes TBD)

Dr. Kilam Q&A

  • Scheduled April 24th before lecture! (12:30-1:30pm outside Libin)

Review session on student supports on April 27th (3:30-4:50 Libin)

  • PFSP will be present

  • SAWH will be there

  • MHT representatives

VP EDI - Rica

  • Email sent to Sikh Medical Association contact introducing myself and how I can best support them financially

  • Planning for Stethoscope ceremony underway → meeting next Wednesday

  • Discuss proposed amendment to the constitution to exempt students involved in equity-deserving or identity-based groups from the two-executive position limit.

    • Proposed clause and motion have already been prepared for Council review.

  • Discuss possible changes to VP EDIIA portfolio

    • At the conference, it was mentioned that many schools have an EDI council that includes general membership. Dedicated council members for BMSA, Indigenous leadership, and rural leadership. I think this would be valuable

    • Could also discuss the possibility of having an Indigenous Health Representative on council

  • Inclusive Events Workshop (an event that was held by UofT)

    • This workshop has been proposed by UofT for a by-law change.

President - Duaa

  • Completed orientation sponsorship packages and started outreach to sponsor list → VP Finance (Antonio) and I are setting up meetings with interested sponsors

  • Booked and shared communications related to the Hi-med session on May 1st by Dr. Simon Ling

  • Secured/booked Unibanq external presentation for May 13th ($750 incoming revenue)

  • Hosting 3rd SAMP subcommittee next week with the focus on Orientation sponsorship + confirming SAMP involvement/planning with orientation activities

  • Created sponsorship tracking/master list to make it easy for us to check off who we are contacting

  • Met with UWorld contact to discuss partnership and student discount

  • Attended ICAM → finalizing accountability document with VPA (Jas) for dissemination to class

Agenda

Previous Meeting Minutes Approval

2 minutes–Eliana

  • Mover: Jaspreet

  • Seconder: Rica

Executive Position Clause

10 minutes–Rica

Motion: Distinction of Student Groups and Executive Role Exemption

Whereas, student groups within the CMSA serve distinct purposes, including both interest-based engagement and equity-focused community support;

Whereas, equity-deserving or identity-based groups exist to support and advocate for students connected through shared lived identities or experiences of structural marginalization;

Whereas, interest-based groups are organized around shared academic, professional, or extracurricular interests and are open to all students regardless of identity;

Whereas, the current limitation of a maximum of two executive roles per student may disproportionately impact students involved in equity-deserving or identity-based groups, particularly in cases where group membership is small;

Be it resolved that, for the purposes of executive role limitations, student groups shall be formally distinguished as:

  • Interest-Based Groups (e.g., specialty or academic interest groups), and

  • Equity-Deserving or Identity-Based Groups (i.e., groups centered on shared lived experiences or historically underrepresented or marginalized identities);

Be it further resolved that, notwithstanding the maximum of two executive roles per student, executive positions held within equity-deserving or identity-based groups shall be exempt from this limit;

Be it further resolved that, a student may hold leadership roles in equity-deserving or identity-based groups in addition to up to two leadership roles in interest-based groups, ensuring that students are not required to choose between participating in identity-based communities and pursuing their academic or professional interests.

Mover: Ryan
Seconder: Jaspreet

Motion: Passed

Applicants must consider the following CMSA Group Rules in regard to the proposed group:

  • CMSA group must be comprised of at least 75% CMSA members in first and/or second year.

  • Groups must hold at least 2 major events, with at least 15 people in attendance, or otherwise show proof of major contribution to student life.

  • An individual may act as a leader in a maximum of two Groups.

  • For the purposes of this rule, student groups are divided into two types:

    • Interest-Based Groups: whose primary mandate is medical education, speciality exposure or skill development, even if it includes equity, wellness or advocacy components. Identity is not required or central to participation or leadership

    • Equity-Deserving or Identity-Based Groups: whose primary mandate is focused on supporting and advocating for students who share lived identities or experiences of structural marginalization. Leadership or programming is primarily shaped by lived experience or identity-specific concerns

  • Executive roles in Equity-Deserving or Identity-Based Groups do not count toward the maximum of two leadership positions. Only executive roles in Interest-Based Groups are included in this limit.

  • This means that a student may hold leadership roles in Equity-Deserving or Identity-Based Groups in addition to up to two leadership roles in Interest-Based Groups. This distinction ensures that students are not required to choose between participating in identity-based communities and pursuing their academic or professional interests.

Action Items

  • Everyone: CMSA bios - CMSA 2026 Exec Bios - Orientation Package due the 25th or Catherine will be calling you the 26th

CMSA IT https://calgarymsa.com
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CMSA Meeting Minutes April 8th, 2026