These are challenging times as the world adapts to life trying to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. Staying at home and practicing social distancing is critical in order to help flatten the curve of the virus’ spread. The downside with this strategy is too much sitting around, weight gain due to unhealthy eating, as well as feeling tired, stressed, and isolated from friends and family.

Clinicians and researchers at the University of Toronto and partner institutions have created an educational website for non-intensive care clinicians who may have to work in critical care units during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A team of Queen’s and Kingston community partners are working together to help provide Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for healthcare professionals working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An urgent request went out just before 9:30 p.m. on a Saturday night. At least 20 medical students were needed to volunteer supporting the Provincial Medical Officer of Health with contact tracing — the process of identifying people who may have come into contact with a COVID-19 infected person and collecting further information.

Medical students at the University of Alberta are banding together to keep front-line health-care workers on the job during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

More than 100 students are providing volunteer emergency child care for physicians and other critical health-care workers after the province announced an indefinite closure of Alberta schools to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 

When I applied to medical school, I had the goal to eventually work in Northern Canada and internationally in global health initiatives. In first year, I learned of the Bénin elective, jointly organized by Montfort Hospital and the Francophone Affairs office of the Faculty of Medicine. I was immediately convinced that I had to be part of it. This is one of the rare opportunities as a student to not only go on a Global health elective, but also to partake in the preparation.

‘Stand Up for Indigenous Health’ is an immersive, simulation-based tool for teaching the Indigenous social determinants of health to health care providers. By learning about these complex social factors using an immersive approach, students will feel connected to the stories of Indigenous people in Canada and their lived experiences of resilience, poverty, racism and other forms of social inequity. This, in turn, can promote the cultural empathy needed to provide safe intercultural health care.

A group of Max Rady College of Medicine students, residents and faculty are working to improve civility in the clinical learning environment in Manitoba.

The group goes by the name of Civility Saves Lives. Its goal is to create a dialogue around mistreatment, which entails behaviours that show disrespect for the dignity of others and can take the form of physical or psychological harm, harassment or discrimination.

New action plan will be relationship based, hopes to recruit more Indigenous students into medical field.

Canada's 17 medical schools are teaming up with the Indigenous Health Network in an effort to increase the number of Indigenous students enrolled in their programs.