A group of high school students clapped and cheered as their peers were called down to receive their participation certificates.
The students had completed an intensive 3-day medical bootcamp of sorts, shrinking what organizers call the “possibility gap” by exposing Black students in Ottawa to the prospects open to them in health professions.
“We want to prove to students that they belong in medical school and within the vital roles that sustain our health care infrastructure,” explains Tiffany Ange Tchigio Djomou, MD student and co-organizer of the collaborative program over the students’ March break.
“We want to prove to students that they belong in medical school and within the vital roles that sustain our health care infrastructure.”
Tiffany Ange Tchigio Djomou, MD2028
— Co-organizer of Health Professions Career Program for Black High School Students
Representation in action
“Getting insight into the leaders’ journey in medicine and health care inspired me,” wrote one Grade 11 student in a post-event feedback form. “It pushed me to see health care as a career.”
That’s exactly the impact organizers were hoping for when the idea was born.
Last September, a graduation coach for Black students at the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) reached out to the uOttawa Black Medical Student Association (BMSA) to gauge interest in collaborating on the Health Professions Career Program for Black High School Students.
BMSA leadership jumped at the opportunity for a strategic bridge between Black youth in the OCSB and the medical community. BMSA co-presidents and MD students Lillian Abebe and Meron Samuel Demissie, along with Tchigio, BMSA vice-president, got right to work.
It was a chance, they say, to provide students with more than just information; it would showcase representation in medicine in action, with all of the program’s volunteers being of Black origin.
Adapting the program from a similar event in Toronto, organizers say it is a first-of-its-kind program in Ottawa. BMSA has previously worked with elementary students, but this was their first time hosting such an event with high school students at the medical school.
Seeing is believing
The program aims to transform curious students into focused future professionals by outlining a clear path to the impact they can make. A spectrum of careers is showcased, from specialized physicians to various professionals who treat patients and advocate for community health.
From March 16 to 18, 50 secondary students from grades 9 to 12 enjoyed activities including workshops, case studies, a tour of the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine, and panels of health care professionals who shared their journeys and answered participants’ questions. During breaks, the high schoolers picked the brains of medical students about their studies.
Some students were anxious about suturing, but that hesitation quickly shifted, Demissie says—students focused on the technique, asked questions, and helped each other improve.
“It was powerful to see that change in real time. Students who were initially hesitant ended up really enjoying the process and proud of their accomplishments,” she says. “That captured what the event was about: creating a supportive space where students could try something new, build confidence, and begin to see themselves on paths they may not have considered before.”
“It was powerful to see that change in real time… students begin to see themselves on paths they may not have considered before.”
Meron Samuel Demissie, MD2028
— Co-organizer of the program
For Tchigio, the power of the event was seeing students realize that they could accomplish anything they set their mind to.
“I saw them make a plan before my eyes,” she marveled. “One 12th-grader is starting a Bachelor of Science next year, but they hadn't thought medicine could be possible for them. This event made them realize that it was a possibility, a goal they could work toward.”
Abebe was delighted by the students’ engagement—her group filled the case-study time and could have continued. They were highly collaborative, offering insightful contributions to the cases, building on ideas, and asking thoughtful questions.
“Their eager participation made for a productive learning experience,” she says. “It was encouraging to see from an organizer perspective.”
Abebe was impressed by the students' initiative, such as asking for volunteers’ emails to ask questions as they navigate their studies and career planning. “I received a follow-up email with a kind thank you message from one of the students,” she smiles. “That was highly rewarding.”
“Their eager participation made for a productive learning experience. [The students’ initiative] was highly rewarding.”
Lillian Abebe, MD2028
— Co-organizer of the program
Building on momentum
Dr. Rishi Kapur, assistant dean of equity, diversity and inclusion at the Faculty of Medicine and a child and adolescent psychiatrist at CHEO, played a key role with connecting the group with the OCSB and was the BMSA’s main faculty contact for the program.
“The Faculty embeds social accountability into the MD curriculum,” explains Dr. Kapur. “This prepares future physicians to respond to community-identified health needs by engaging students directly in initiatives and activities that advance equity, diversity and improved access to care.”
With the program so well received, the BMSA is hoping to run it annually and even expand capacity. “We would love even more volunteers to help lead the various sessions, enabling us to take in more students,” says Tchigio. “Volunteers can be any Black student or professional in health care; their support would be highly appreciated to grow this event and its impact.”
The uOttawa BMSA expresses their appreciation to the Faculty’s Affaires Francophones and Division of Clinical and Functional Anatomy for lending suture kits, and the use of the histology lab and its anatomy slides/models, respectively, and to the Health Sciences Library for lending blood pressure cuffs. “The event would not be possible without their valuable help,” says Tchigio.
Organizers knew they had made a lasting impact by the simple, yet powerful reflection of one Grade 11 student, when asked what they enjoyed most about the event:
“Seeing other Black people in medicine.”
Sign-ups for volunteers will be available and promoted closer to the time of next year’s event. Those interested in volunteering can also reach out to BMSA via their email at ottawa.bmsa@gmail.com or their Instagram, @uobmsa.
Photo credits: Ottawa Catholic School Board
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