Hands-on learning
Two new graduate programs are opening the eyes and changing the careers of students at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry
By Cam Buchan
Adrian Owen, PhD (left) and Nicole Campbell, PhD (centre) lead a conversation with students.
The Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences (IMS) and the Master of Management of Applied Science (MMASc) in Global Health Systems (GHS) are giving students hands-on opportunities to experience health care in a whole new way, whether it’s locally in Southwestern Ontario or on the streets of Kampala, Uganda.
An opportunity for change
Even as a graduate student, Nicole Campbell, PhD, IMS Program Director, had a vision for teaching and program development.
“When I came to Western in 2015, I enrolled in a Master of Education program, and through that learning, I saw an opportunity for change,” said Campbell.
The IMS program’s innovative approach to learning was first introduced at the undergraduate level. From the undergraduate learnings, Campbell shaped a graduate program that was a perfect fit for students with undergraduate degrees in life sciences, biomedical sciences, health sciences or a science discipline.
“The graduate program was a couple of years in the making,” said Campbell, who led the program development team.
“We had a core team who came together over a shared passion to do something more for students.”
The result is a course-based, one-year program that combines the classroom with various community experiences. Students can spend time in a basic science lab, a clinic, or an imaging lab; go ‘behind the scenes’ with a neurosurgeon; or, provide support to a not-for-profit organization.
“We wanted to bring a breadth of experience into education and open students’ eyes to a new way of thinking and to recognize the value and power of voices,” she said. “I think this will be contagious in terms of what they go on to do.”
In addition to professional programs, such as medicine and dentistry, students are exposed to other options, such as education. “When I think back to when I was a student, this program would’ve attracted me as well,” Campbell said.
“The program really opened my eyes to many different career options. I completed several placements, and through the many mentors and connections, I learned so much that will help me direct my future.”
— Cameron Hick
Eyes open to the future
Cameron Hick was among the first cohort in the IMS program. “The program really opened my eyes to many different career options,” she said. “I completed several placements, and through the many mentors and connections, I learned so much that will help me direct my future.”
With a keen interest in the brain and mental health, Hick concentrated on neuroscience in her community learning component. Through a rotation with Epilepsy Ontario, she saw firsthand how a scientist could support a not-for-profit organization in communication and grant writing, through research and in running support groups.
It was truly a holistic experience that helped her develop personally and professionally.
“There were so many opportunities in the program where we got to try on different hats, and that was something that fit me well.”
Seeing the realities
Global Health Systems is an intra-faculty program offered jointly by Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western. The heart and soul of the program is a three-week learning opportunity that gives students practical experiences in the realities of health care outside of Canada, an issue thrust to the forefront by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“GHS is focused on health care provided to marginalized groups in low resource settings, both internationally and at home in Indigenous or minority communities. These communities have less access and they struggle with that delivery. So, the program really approaches from a public health perspective.”
— Eric Arts, HBSc’90, PhD
“I think the beautiful thing about our program is that it enables students to see firsthand in Uganda the issues we talk about throughout the year,” said David Reid, who serves as GHS co-director alongside Dr. Jessica Prodger, Assistant Professor. Reid is a 16-year member of the teaching faculty at Health Sciences’ Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing.
“GHS is focused on health care provided to marginalized groups in low resource settings, internationally and at home in Indigenous or minority communities,” said Eric Arts, HBSc’90, PhD, and former program director who now guides the students’ experiences in Uganda. “These communities have less access and they struggle with that delivery. So, the program really approaches from a public health perspective.”
An emotional experience
In a country with one physician on average for every 100,000 people, Uganda provides a chance for the 30 students in the program to see how health services are delivered in an underserved country. With a home base at the Joint Clinical Research Center in Kampala, the nation’s capital, students engage with health service provision through cross-country visits to local health clinics, traditional healers, birth attendants and a visit to a mental health hospital to see the level of services provided there.
It’s an experience that is often difficult for the students to process.
“Initially, it’s a shock for them. They don’t anticipate what they see and it’s very emotional. But it’s life there,” said Arts.
Reid said that as the program expands during the next decade, he expects to recruit more students from nursing and allied health programs, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
“There are synergies with global health, and as the program continues to grow over the next decade, we hope to continue to attract more of these students.”
