鈥淓veryone of us has a 捆绑SM社区 story,鈥� said John McCall MacBain, BA'80, LLD'14.
He stood on a stage in a tent in lower field, which was transformed, for one September weekend, into Homecoming Village. The occasion: the unveiling of Made by 捆绑SM社区: the Campaign for our Third Century.
McCall MacBain is honorary president of the $2-billion campaign. He and his wife, Dr. Marcy McCall MacBain, made a $200-million donation to 捆绑SM社区 earlier this year. The McCall MacBain Scholarships will provide outstanding students聽with an opportunity to pursue a master's degree or a professional degree, including an MDCM.
Dr. Sheila Wang, a 捆绑SM社区 dermatology resident and developer of the award-winning Swift Skin and Wound app, was among the campaign ambassadors who took part in the launch. 鈥淭he energy in this room is contagious,鈥� she said.
Homecoming Village鈥攚hich featured food trucks, hammock chairs and, in a nod to Expo 67, geodesic domes鈥攚as the site of our very own 鈥溊Π骃M社区鈥� Expo. Presenters took turns occupying a series of shipping containers turned hang-out spaces to share their Made by 捆绑SM社区 story. Psychiatry resident David Benrimoh, MDCM鈥�16, who is founder and Chief Science Officer of Aifred Health, was among them. He spoke about his and his colleagues鈥� award-winning, internationally acclaimed efforts to use artificial intelligence to better match psychiatric patients to the right treatment.
What did returning MDCM alumni and guests most enjoy about this special edition of Homecoming?
David Churchill, MDCM鈥�69, said that his favourite event remains the reunion class dinner, but added, 鈥淪ome of the unplanned things are as good as the planned! I ran into some classmates last night at the hotel and ended up at the Imperial, an excellent聽dim sum restaurant on St-Laurent.鈥�
Churchill also shared that he was looking forward to hearing fellow Newfoundlander Mary Walsh take the stage at the big tent for the Leacock Lecture. Walsh, along with nature conservation advocate Dr. Jane Goodall, DSc'19, who delivered the Beatty Lecture, were two of this year鈥檚 Homecoming鈥檚 biggest draws. Walsh鈥檚 no-holds-barred comedy still has tongues wagging after the fact, and the demand for Beatty Lecture tickets far exceeded supply.
Churchill added that the Homecoming CME seminar on Saturday morning is a perennial favourite. This year, attendees were treated to a special treat, an all-reunion-class edition, beginning with a keynote address by former Canadian Space Agency astronaut, Dave Williams, BSc'76, MDCM'83, MSc'83, DSc'07, or, 鈥淒r. Dave,鈥� as this year鈥檚 CME moderator, Brent Norton, MDCM'84, introduced him.
Dr. Dave spoke to a riveted audience in what some readers will know as 鈥渢he old medical building,鈥� the Strathcona, about 鈥済oing from science fiction to science fact.鈥� He remembered that in 1971 that the correct answer to the following exam question, Is it possible to map the human genome?, was no. 鈥淣ow we are doing genomics at home with commercial DNA kits,鈥� he marvelled.
Michael Viola, MDCM'64, founder of the medical relief agency Medicine for Peace, and the recipient of the Faculty's 2018 Medicine Alumni Global Award for Community Service, talked about his organization鈥檚 work providing screening for cervical cancer to women in Haiti. 鈥淣othing is free in Haiti,鈥� he said, 鈥渘ot health care, not education.鈥� He pointed out that Haiti lies only 700 miles from Miami and yet is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. When a member of the audience asked how to provide more meaningful help to low-resource areas of the world, Viola spoke about the importance simply of bearing witness.
鈥淚鈥檓 attending everything,鈥� said Ohio-based hematologist/oncologist Sandra Lee Hazra, MDCM鈥�69, adding that the campaign launch event had brought tears to her eyes. 鈥淚 thought it was very exciting. My entire career is from 捆绑SM社区! I think the is about passion for the university.鈥�
This year鈥檚 Medicine Homecoming Mini Talks were emceed by Jacques Balayla, MDCM'12. 鈥淚鈥檓 an OB-GYN resident by day and by night, I鈥檓 an OB-GYN resident. I hear sunshine is nice, but I am going to have to take your word for it."
The audience got the scoop on such topics as the Faculty of Medicine鈥檚 vision for its third century. David聽Eidelman, MDCM'79, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean, Faculty of Medicine,聽spoke about a plan to upgrade the McIntyre Medical Building. 鈥淭he worst problem is that the amphitheatres have no outlets. This sounds like a small thing, but it is a big thing, because putting in those plugs will cost millions of dollars,鈥� he explained.
They also heard about the 捆绑SM社区 Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4), and the new School for Population and Global Health (from inaugural director and global health superstar Dr. Tim Evans).
At the Mini Talks, Medicine Focus asked Wai Chin Hwang, BSc'74, Dip Ed'78 (whose husband, Paul Hwang, MDCM'74, is a regular attendee at his Medicine class' reunions) what she most enjoyed about Homecoming. She said that she likes meeting people and sharing pictures of children and grandchildren, but that this year, she really liked the campaign launch: 鈥淚t was so nice!鈥�