Message from Erica Hoe, Vice President Windsor, Hippocratic Council 2013-2014

Hello Schulich Medicine Windsor Program!

First, I'd like to welcome the Class of 2017 to Schulich Medicine! The administration, staff and returning students are excited to show off our amazing campus. We have endless opportunities in Windsor that are constantly surprising me - it is such a unique place to pursue medical education.

The 2013-2014 academic year began with Orientation Week. This year marks the first time Orientation events were held at our campus for an entire weekend in September. We were happy to have the 2016's and 2017's interacting together in Windsor; we were able to share the places that we love and frequent every day. This Orientation Week marked an important milestone in the advancement of our inter-campus relations, and proves that Schulich Medicine - Windsor Program is leading new breakthroughs for distributed medical education across Canada.

This fall semester, the campus is affected by a University of Windsor CUPE 1393 strike. Although the students inevitably are concerned by the absence of our supporting staff, Dr. Gerry Cooper, our associate dean, and Nicole Sbrocca, our program manager, have endlessly devoted their time to ensuring our medical education is not compromised. We also thank our London counterparts for external assistance. For these supports, we are truly grateful.

On a lighter note, many exciting events are planned for the first semester. In October, the Ontario Medical Students' Weekend will be held in Toronto and attended by a majority of our 2017 class. In the same month, a team of 2016's and 2017's will participate in Windsor's CIBC Run for the Cure to advocate for breast cancer research, funding and awareness. Soon after, London students will travel to Windsor for the Fall Formal Integration Weekend, which is being organized by our class councils.

This year is a fresh start. It is an opportunity for students to adopt a nutritious diet, physical activity, and healthy lifestyle habits. This year, student leaders hope to adopt more leadership opportunities, political advocacy and student wellness programs into our Schulich Medicine - Windsor Program. Fellow Canadian schools have also highlighted the importance of these aspects at the 2013 Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students held in Vancouver, BC.

The 2014's are in their homestretch of medical school, the 2015's have entered the hospitals, and the 2016's are working alongside the 2017's in the lecture halls of the Medical Education Building. I look forward to what this year will bring, and I anticipate another successful and innovative year to come.