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Community of Support at University of Toronto supports increasing diversity in medicine

The Community of Support (COS) is a longitudinal and collaborative initiative based at the University of Toronto which is focused on increasing diversity in medicine by supporting underrepresented students at every stage of their medical school journey. Over the past 3 years, the COS community has grown to include over 1,000 participants at various stages of their medical school journeys, from first year undergraduate students to university graduates from our institution and others across Canada. The program has focused on Indigenous, Black, Filipino, economically disadvantaged, and with a collaborative relationship with National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) and the Medical Student Accessibility Network (MSAN), it is expanding support to include specific resources for students who self-identify with having a disability.
 
New resources will include mentors with disabilities as well as volunteer and research opportunities with organizations serving people with disabilities for COS members who self-identify on the COS website: http://applymd.utoronto.ca/community-support  These resources will be interwoven into the existing services, which include admissions information, MCAT preparation, application and interview preparation, among other features. “I am really grateful to NEADS and MSAN for their collaboration and look forward to providing greater support for students with disabilities in COS,” says Ike Okafor, Sr. Officer Service Learning and Diversity Outreach, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.

For further information:

Ike Okafor
Senior Officer, Service Learning and Diversity Outreach
Office of Health Professions Student Affairs
MD Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
University of Toronto, Naylor Building, room 311
6 Queen's Park Cres W
Toronto, ON M5S 3H2
Phone: (416) 978-2684
Student Affairs Website: http://md.utoronto.ca/ohpsa
Community of Support: http://applymd.utoronto.ca/community-support




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