Lele Xiao
Hello! My name is Lele (she/her/elle). I would love to be your VP External!
About me… When I immigrated to Canada, I lived in Toronto, then moved to Edmonton, where I grew up and completed my bilingual nursing degree at the University of Alberta! I am a huge family person so you might catch me at Pearson, flying to visit home.
About what I can do for you… External relations is my jam! Previously being VP External for TeamUP Science Society, I conducted outreach to students in Indigenous, rural and inner-city communities. I can confidently present to large audiences; or facilitate activities to connect people in smaller teams.
Moreover, as an executive in Outrun the Stigma, a mental health fundraiser, I secured hundreds of dollars in Save-On-Foods gift card prizes. As your VP, I would partner with external organizations to make our next 3 years even more special!
My Platform...
1) Transparency, reliability: As VP External, I am accountable to you. I would uphold this by posting clear, pertinent (TLDR-style), and bilingual announcements on multiple sources (online, social media, email) for your easy access. Additionally, I recognize that we may face both good and bad news, but I will always share what I know with you.
2) Representation: I am excited to be your liaison! As an avid note-taker, I am here to listen to you and record your feedback and concerns so that I can direct them to change-makers. I would love to chat directly, however, I will also set up anonymous forms.
3) Connectivity: My goal is to expand our network by sharing stories from our program at external meetings and bring back ideas we could implement too.
Please let me know if you have any questions about my platform! - fanle.xiao@medportal.ca - @lele.xiao (FB & IG)
There are two sides of the VP External role that must incorporate EDI - communication and collaboration. Prior to interacting with others, I believe it is important to include a personalized land acknowledgement to honour the people and history that is ubiquitous with the place I call home. I choose to introduce myself with my pronouns and I will be mindful of how others prefer to be addressed. When communicating with others, I will be critical of the sources I use and ensure that they are representative of those I am advocating for. Regarding collaboration, I am open to receiving and giving feedback - effectively “calling others in” rather than out. I will seek out the expertise of the VP IH and VP EDI and I understand that, as lifelong learners, I have the privilege to stay informed about current events and pursue opportunities to broaden my knowledge in EDI.
About me… When I immigrated to Canada, I lived in Toronto, then moved to Edmonton, where I grew up and completed my bilingual nursing degree at the University of Alberta! I am a huge family person so you might catch me at Pearson, flying to visit home.
About what I can do for you… External relations is my jam! Previously being VP External for TeamUP Science Society, I conducted outreach to students in Indigenous, rural and inner-city communities. I can confidently present to large audiences; or facilitate activities to connect people in smaller teams.
Moreover, as an executive in Outrun the Stigma, a mental health fundraiser, I secured hundreds of dollars in Save-On-Foods gift card prizes. As your VP, I would partner with external organizations to make our next 3 years even more special!
My Platform...
1) Transparency, reliability: As VP External, I am accountable to you. I would uphold this by posting clear, pertinent (TLDR-style), and bilingual announcements on multiple sources (online, social media, email) for your easy access. Additionally, I recognize that we may face both good and bad news, but I will always share what I know with you.
2) Representation: I am excited to be your liaison! As an avid note-taker, I am here to listen to you and record your feedback and concerns so that I can direct them to change-makers. I would love to chat directly, however, I will also set up anonymous forms.
3) Connectivity: My goal is to expand our network by sharing stories from our program at external meetings and bring back ideas we could implement too.
Please let me know if you have any questions about my platform! - fanle.xiao@medportal.ca - @lele.xiao (FB & IG)
There are two sides of the VP External role that must incorporate EDI - communication and collaboration. Prior to interacting with others, I believe it is important to include a personalized land acknowledgement to honour the people and history that is ubiquitous with the place I call home. I choose to introduce myself with my pronouns and I will be mindful of how others prefer to be addressed. When communicating with others, I will be critical of the sources I use and ensure that they are representative of those I am advocating for. Regarding collaboration, I am open to receiving and giving feedback - effectively “calling others in” rather than out. I will seek out the expertise of the VP IH and VP EDI and I understand that, as lifelong learners, I have the privilege to stay informed about current events and pursue opportunities to broaden my knowledge in EDI.
Aisling Zeng
Hi! I’m Aisling (Ais) and I’m excited to be running for VP external! I’m from Toronto, but did my undergrad at mac (#mac4lyfer) so I’m already familiar with the school and good food places (hmu for recs). In undergrad I did a lot of work with vaccine advocacy and education access and would love to continue doing advocacy work in med. I’ve also helped plan large scale events like welcome week and a charity fashion show and I know my experience with that will translate towards planning the OMSW (which mac is hosting this year)! That aside, I love reading, softball, board games, and am trying to climb/boulder more! I also actually cannot snowboard for the life of me and cried halfway down the hill (despite my smiley photo), but I can carry you in valorant if you vote for me :)
Mac is different compared to other schools because of our unique learning style and 3 year program. Because of this, it’s especially important to make sure we are represented accurately and effectively within the greater medical community. I have 3 main priorities: (1) Setting up an anonymous communication form for concerns and feedback asap so I can best represent our cohort’s needs and values. (2) Ensuring Mac students have equitable access to external opportunities and events (i.e. making the OMSW affordable) + increasing partnerships with the surrounding community to broaden the impact we can have as medical students. (3) We’re entering a healthcare system that is recovering from the pandemic. I want to focus on advocating for medical students’ learning and future-work environments. Most importantly, the health of our community comes first and I hope that I can create a safe and engaging environment for the next 3 years !
As a representative of Mac, I believe it’s important to ensure a variety of perspectives are heard. Every student comes from a different background and will have different needs. I’d like to integrate an anonymous form for the class to submit any concerns. In an ideal world, people use this form and I get a variety of responses that represent our diverse cohort. Realistically, this is not always the case, and so I’d also want to work closely with the VP EDI’s and IH's to make sure I accurately represent and consider the needs of different groups when representing Mac within the broader community. Regarding OMSA & CFMS events, I plan to advocate for making events as accessible as possible (i.e. reducing ticket costs, advocating for travel reimbursement). I would also ensure that there is representation amongst speakers and input from marginalized groups during the planning process.
Mac is different compared to other schools because of our unique learning style and 3 year program. Because of this, it’s especially important to make sure we are represented accurately and effectively within the greater medical community. I have 3 main priorities: (1) Setting up an anonymous communication form for concerns and feedback asap so I can best represent our cohort’s needs and values. (2) Ensuring Mac students have equitable access to external opportunities and events (i.e. making the OMSW affordable) + increasing partnerships with the surrounding community to broaden the impact we can have as medical students. (3) We’re entering a healthcare system that is recovering from the pandemic. I want to focus on advocating for medical students’ learning and future-work environments. Most importantly, the health of our community comes first and I hope that I can create a safe and engaging environment for the next 3 years !
As a representative of Mac, I believe it’s important to ensure a variety of perspectives are heard. Every student comes from a different background and will have different needs. I’d like to integrate an anonymous form for the class to submit any concerns. In an ideal world, people use this form and I get a variety of responses that represent our diverse cohort. Realistically, this is not always the case, and so I’d also want to work closely with the VP EDI’s and IH's to make sure I accurately represent and consider the needs of different groups when representing Mac within the broader community. Regarding OMSA & CFMS events, I plan to advocate for making events as accessible as possible (i.e. reducing ticket costs, advocating for travel reimbursement). I would also ensure that there is representation amongst speakers and input from marginalized groups during the planning process.
Urmi Sheth
Hi everyone! My name is Urmi and I’m so excited to be running for MMSC. Thank you for taking the time to read my platform! :) I did my undergrad degree in global health at York. There, I served as VP Student Engagement on student council, where I led the creation of formalized feedback mechanisms to better advocate for students’ needs to faculty and was involved in planning some super fun events. Outside of school, I love to dance – I’m trained in an Indian classical dance style! I really enjoy discovering new music (let me know if you have any recs!) and spending time with family and friends. It’s been wonderful to get to know many of you over the past few weeks and I’m so looking forward to continuing to meet everyone. Please feel free to message me anytime, I’d love to connect!
The role of VP External Affairs is to represent and advocate for Mac Med students to external bodies. My main goal as VP External Affairs would be to determine and address the specific priorities of our class through formal consultation. Every previous year has faced different challenges, so I want to know what you most want addressed. A few specific avenues for action include: a) increasing student awareness of available resources from OMSA, CFMS, and other organizations; b) improving access to career development opportunities, such as those related to career exploration and residency applications earlier in pre-clerkship, including through increased mentorship, informational events, and written resources (particularly given our unique needs as a 3-year program); c) more avenues for social connection with peers from other medical schools; and d) greater local engagement with the communities Mac Med is part of, as well as provincial and national advocacy initiatives.
I hope to heavily integrate EDI(D) into all aspects of the roles for which I am applying. For example, within the VP External Affairs role, one of my goals is to improve student access to career development opportunities; as part of this, I would like to include an element that allows students, particularly those who belong to equity-deserving groups, to access opportunities that specifically consider these characteristics (for example, helping trans students connect with trans physician mentors). In the VP Global Health role, I hope to both help push for the integration of objectives related to EDI and health equity within the curriculum itself and also create opportunities for students to develop the cultural competence required to serve an increasingly diverse population. In both positions, I would also aim to work closely with the VPs in charge of the EDI & IH portfolios and would always be open to feedback.
The role of VP External Affairs is to represent and advocate for Mac Med students to external bodies. My main goal as VP External Affairs would be to determine and address the specific priorities of our class through formal consultation. Every previous year has faced different challenges, so I want to know what you most want addressed. A few specific avenues for action include: a) increasing student awareness of available resources from OMSA, CFMS, and other organizations; b) improving access to career development opportunities, such as those related to career exploration and residency applications earlier in pre-clerkship, including through increased mentorship, informational events, and written resources (particularly given our unique needs as a 3-year program); c) more avenues for social connection with peers from other medical schools; and d) greater local engagement with the communities Mac Med is part of, as well as provincial and national advocacy initiatives.
I hope to heavily integrate EDI(D) into all aspects of the roles for which I am applying. For example, within the VP External Affairs role, one of my goals is to improve student access to career development opportunities; as part of this, I would like to include an element that allows students, particularly those who belong to equity-deserving groups, to access opportunities that specifically consider these characteristics (for example, helping trans students connect with trans physician mentors). In the VP Global Health role, I hope to both help push for the integration of objectives related to EDI and health equity within the curriculum itself and also create opportunities for students to develop the cultural competence required to serve an increasingly diverse population. In both positions, I would also aim to work closely with the VPs in charge of the EDI & IH portfolios and would always be open to feedback.