Brandon siblings among 125 future MDs in U of M’s largest-ever medical class

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This article was published 23/08/2023 (1092 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Siblings Jessica and Jeffrey Li stood side by side as they put on their white coats to celebrate the next four years as doctors and surgeons in training.

Jessica, 23, and Jeffrey, 22, are enrolled in the largest medical class in University of Manitoba history with 125 students, up from 110 in recent years.

The ceremony is a traditional part of inaugural day exercises at the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine.

“I’m excited to meet new people and go on this huge journey with such a big class,” said Jessica.

Both siblings earned bachelor of science degrees in chemistry at Brandon University and worked as research assistants in 2020 to co-develop a helmet-style respirator for protection from COVID-19.

“The professors and the people that I’ve met along the way have really helped support me to get to where I am now,” said Jessica.

She said she hopes to feel a sense of belonging and community with her peers and future colleagues in the Class of 2027, which includes 66 women, 57 men and two students who identify as non-binary; they range in age from 20 to 38 years old.

“It’s a big change being away from our family and friends in Brandon, so to have each other makes things a lot easier,” said Jeffrey. “We’ve made it this far – just four more years to go.”

The future doctors said they are open-minded and looking forward to exploring each field of study before choosing a specialty.

“It wasn’t that many years ago that I was sitting where you are in these seats, waiting for my own white coat at the University of Manitoba,” said Dr. Joss Reimer, chief medical officer and lead of medical services for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

During her Alan Klass Memorial Address, Reimer told the students to think about what got them where they are and to remember that they were chosen for the program because of who they are, what they’ve accomplished and how passionate they are to serve their future patients.

“Some moments are going to bring intense joy… and some moments will be heartbreaking,” said Reimer. “But you have chosen this profession because you care about the people that you’re going to be working with, and you want to help them through that and do everything you can to make those moments as positive as possible.”

Reimer said she chose to pursue a career in medicine because she wanted to make the world a better place, and reminded the next generation of doctors and surgeons that they have the power to be the change that medicine needs.

This year marks the first white coat ceremony since the pandemic that did not require attendees to wear face masks.

In addition, the expansion of the medical doctorate program comes during a provincewide shortage of physicians leading to some Manitoba patients being sent elsewhere to receive health care.

“Expanding our MD program to train more physicians is an important step toward meeting the health-care needs of all Manitobans as the population grows and ages,” said Dr. Peter Nickerson, dean of the Rady College of Medicine and the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and vice-provost (health sciences) at the University of Manitoba.

As the students recited the Physician’s Pledge, marking their commitment to the medical profession, many parents, relatives and friends in the audience dabbed their eyes and cheered for their loved ones.

“We are very excited and proud of them,” said the siblings’ parents Anxiu Su and Rongyu Li.

“Now we have 125 future doctors, and they can really change the world.”

tessa.adamski@freepress.mb.ca

tessa.adamski@freepress.mb.ca