Giving Tuesday: Support our future health care leaders

By Karalee Bowles

Senior Specialist, Faculty development | Spécialiste principale, Développement facultaire, Faculty of Medicine | Faculté de médecine

Medicine
Student support
Medicine students around a picnic table outside
From food and transportation to housing and tuition, student financial burden is getting heavier by the day. Our dedicated faculty members and leaders are more than willing to rally behind our students and trainees, but they can’t do it alone.

There is no denying that the cost of living has been increasing at an alarming rate and as a result, financial struggles are impacting students and trainees. Rising costs in food, transportation, housing, and tuition are a heavy burden to carry.

On November 28, 2023, the Faculty of Medicine will be participating in Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving encouraging individuals to give back to their communities. We hope you will join our efforts in reducing the hardships faced by members of our community.

Faculty members and Faculty leadership are receiving an overwhelming number of requests for support. They want to provide every opportunity for students to advance their studies, access scholarships and bursaries, and receive research funding. So, to support this initiative our faculty will be matching every gift made dollar-for-dollar, doubling your impact up to a total of $50,000.

Support uOttawa Faculty of Medicine students today.

Funds raised will be directed to our student assistance fund with the intention of supporting students in financial crisis and to further enhance our scholarship and bursary opportunities.  

Medical students, our newly admitted PharmD students, graduate students completing their Masters and PhDs, and others can face the challenge of accessing funding to support their studies and advance their careers. It is imperative that we support them in overcoming financial obstacles, empowering them to make a lasting impact on the healthcare landscape in both research and patient care.

Dr. Ian Colman, professor and director for the MSc and PhD programs in Epidemiology, shares "Financial pressure has a dramatic effect on student welfare. I've met with numerous students who are struggling to make ends meet, and this affects their ability to focus on their studies and research and has a substantial negative effect on their mental health.”

Ian Colman

“I've met numerous students who are struggling to make ends meet, and this affects their ability to focus on their studies and research and has a substantial negative effect on their mental health.”

Dr. Ian Colman, Professor and director for the MSc and PhD programs in Epidemiology

The uOttawa Faculty of Medicine is renowned for cultivating dedicated doctors, pioneering researchers, influential policy makers, and passionate community health advocates. We need to support these individuals who make the hard choice to tackle the pressing challenges of our healthcare system head-on.

As valued alumni, donors, and community members, we hope that you will take a moment to make a special gift for Giving Tuesday to ensure that when our future healthcare leaders need us, we can deliver.

Make your gift early: donate today for our Giving Tuesday Campaign.