LONDON, ON – On Friday, May 4, more than 430 high school students from across Southwestern Ontario will spend their day sampling career options in the health sciences at Western University and Fanshawe College.
The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame/TD Discovery Days in Health Sciences program is offered annually at 12 Canadian universities. Each Discovery Day features interactive workshops, a keynote lecture and a career panel discussion.
The Western/Fanshawe event will kick off at 9:00 a.m. in the North Campus Building at Western with keynote speaker and world-class cardiac surgeon, Dr. Bob Kiaii, who will talk about the future of cardiovascular intervention. From there, students will visit research labs, hospitals and teaching rooms where they will have the opportunity to practice a neurological exam, investigate cell death under microscope, tape an ankle, observe open heart surgery, try out nursing skills, tour an ambulance and talk to paramedics, among other hands-on activities.
Currently Canada is facing a severe shortage of healthcare professionals. In 2010, 4.4 million Canadians, or 15% of the population 12 and older, reported not having a family doctor. The Canadian Nurses Association has predicated a shortfall of 60,000 full-time registered nurses by 2022 if the shortage isn’t addressed soon. Yet only 37% of Canadian teens taking high school science courses are interested in pursuing science at the post secondary level according to a 2010 Angus Reid survey.
“Enticing students into health professions is critical,” said Janet Tufts, Executive Director of The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. “When you give students the opportunity to interact face-to-face with scientists, clinicians and educators in their real-life setting, it makes for a very powerful experience with life-altering potential.”
About The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
A non-profit organization located in London, Ontario, The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame offers the Discovery Days program through the generous support of corporate sponsors, namely TD Bank Group. The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame celebrates discovery and innovation in the medical sciences both through Discovery Days and its laureate program www.cdnmedhall.org.
Contacts:
Janet Tufts, Executive Director, The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, 519-661-7785 or jtufts@cdnmedhall.org
Kathy Wallis, Media Relations Officer, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, 519-777-1573 or kathy.Wallis@schulich.uwo.ca
