About the CFMS
The CFMS is an organization representing over 8,000 medical students from 15 Canadian medical student societies from coast to coast. We represent medical students to the public, to the federal government, and to national and international medical organizations.
What is the CFMS?
For forty years the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) has been the national voice that represents over 8,300 medical students at fifteen schools across Canada.
Our three-fold mandate seeks:
1. To support medical students by representing their voices among the national organizations that direct or influence the policy environment or delivery of medical education in Canada. It also represents medical students in organizations with broad health care mandates.
2. To provide services that support the needs of member medical students.
3. To communicate national medical education issues of importance to medical students and facilitate communication and interaction of medical students among member schools.
The following board positions are available for election for the 2018-2019 academic year:
- Director of Education
- Director of Student Affairs
- Director of Global Health
- Director of Government Affairs
- Vice-President Communications
- Vice-President Finance
- Atlantic Regional Director (1)
- Quebec Regional Director (1)
- Ontario Regional Director (2)
- Western Regional Director (2)
Nomination Process
Interested individuals must complete this online form by Friday September 21st at 5pm Eastern Time. Nominations will close strictly at this time.
Note the form requires an interested individual submit their name, email address, a photo, as well as brief bio/letter of intent (no more than 250 words). If a nominee so chooses they may also append a condensed CV (no more than 2 pages).
Election Process
The elections will take place at the CFMS Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Montreal, QC, which runs from September 21st-23rd, 2018. Elections will be held on the afternoon of Saturday, September 22nd. Votes will be cast by medical student society representatives and members of the Federation’s Board of Directors, as detailed in the organization’s bylaws.
Immediately upon the close of nominations, the General Assembly will have access to the nominees’ letter of intent (and CV if it was so provided).
Candidates will be expected to deliver a short speech of no more than three (3) minutes to the voters, either in person or by proxy. Please note that video or webcast speeches are not permitted. A three (3)-minute question period will follow, if a candidate is not present at the meeting, they will be voice-called into the meeting to field questions. Designated time constraints must be respected.
You must notify [email protected] one week prior to the meeting if you wish to deliver a speech by proxy.
Term Details
Newly elected board directors will commence their roles at the conclusion of AGM 2018. Each position is for a one-year term. Please note as per the resolution passed at SGM 2018, the 2 vice-presidents, as well as non-regional directors will have –elect successors elected at SGM 2019.
All newly-elected members of the board are strongly encouraged to attend a breakfast handover meeting on Sunday September 23, 2018.
All newly-elected members of the board are expected to attend the first in-person board meeting which will be held from October 26-28th, 2018 in Ottawa.
Any student member of the CFMS at any school may run. While previous experience with the workings of the CFMS is strongly encouraged, it is not required.
Please refer to the executive reports and the bylaws for further information on each of position. A brief description of each position can also be found below. For questions, please contact CFMS Past-President and Chief Returning Officer, Dr. Franco Rizzuti at [email protected].
Please consult the attached document for descriptions of the available positions. I sincerely encourage you to consider applying for these positions. This is an excellent opportunity to get involved, make a difference, and be an integral part of an effective and reputable student organization.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Franco Rizzuti, BSc MD
Past-President & Board Chair, Canadian Federation of Medical Students
Available positions
Director Education (One-year term; -elect joining SGM 2019)
The Director Education (Dir. Ed) role has developed significantly since the adoption of the CFMS 2014-2017 Strategic Plan. Its roles can be divided into three inter-related responsibilities all centered on the advancement of student and patient interests in the area of medical education.
Representing: The Dir. Ed represents all Canadian medical students to various national medical organizations including various committees of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS), the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). The Dir. Ed may also represent students on various working groups and task forces established internally by the CFMS or externally by our partners for short-term medical education projects.
Connecting: The Dir. Ed connects local medical student education leaders (typically medical student society VP Educations or VP Academics) through an online community called the CFMS Education List (EdList). This developing community is charged with sharing best practices and bridging our member schools on matters related to medical education.
Supporting: Finally, the Dir. Ed, through leadership of the CFMS Education Committee (EdCom) coordinates a series of projects aimed at supporting our medical students. Current projects include the AFMC Student Portal, the Medical Student Performance Record review, participation in Canadian medical school accreditation, medical education advocacy efforts, inter-professional education, global health education and the CFMS Transition to Residency/Match Book Guide.
Please contact Kaylynn Purdy for more information at [email protected].
Director Student Affairs (One-year term; -elect joining SGM 2019)
The Director Student Affairs (Dir. SA) takes responsibility for overseeing the CFMS Student Wellness portfolio and for coordinating the CFMS member benefits and services. This position requires a great deal of organization and communication with the National Wellness Officer, Wellness Representatives, and Local Representatives, as well as with various external partners. The Dir. SA helps to oversee the projects of the National Wellness Officer and Wellness Committee, participates in Wellness Committee meetings, and serves as a coordinator and representative for other CFMS wellness projects and activities. The Dir. SA also serves as the CFMS representative on the AFMC Student Affairs committee and the Resident Doctors of Canada Resiliency Curriculum Working Group.
Other major responsibilities of the role include developing and maintaining partnerships that will provide services and benefits to student members, administering and overseeing internally created member services, promoting member benefits, and working with the VP Finance on sponsorship relationships and benefits, including the oversight of the CFMS Leadership Awards. The Dir. SA will also be expected to play an integral role in the development and maintenance of web-based services.
Please contact Stephanie Smith for more information at [email protected].
Director Global Health (One-year term; -elect joining SGM 2019)
The Director Global Health (Dir. GH) is responsible for coordinating the CFMS Global Health Program. The Dir. GH takes the lead in forming and maintaining dynamic partnerships with Canadian and international organizations with respect to global health, international development, and public health. The Dir. GH works in partnership with the international program of the FMÉQ (IFMSA-Quebec) to implement programs that intersect the mandate of the CFMS Global Health Program and the strategic direction and initiatives of International Federation of Medical Students (IFMSA). The Dir. GH serves as the President of the Canadian delegation to the IFMSA, and attends at least two international meetings (locations TBD) per year in this capacity. The Dir. GH directly oversees seven National Officers, with portfolios diverse as indigenous health, reproductive health, partnerships, human rights and peace and global health education.
Please contact Chris Briggs for more information at [email protected].
Director Government Affairs (One-year term; -elect joining SGM 2019)
The Director Government Affairs (Dir. GA) has a variety of duties related to leading and coordinating the CFMS’s local, provincial, and national advocacy efforts. More specifically, the Dir. GA serves as Chair of the CFMS national Government Affairs and Advocacy Committee and leads the organization of the CFMS annual Day of Action in Ottawa. In conjunction with the National Officer of Health Policy, the Dir. GA leads the Committee on Health Policy in a regular review of existing policy documents and the creation of new documents.
The Dir. GA is responsible for encouraging and facilitating local advocacy efforts at member schools. From time to time, the Dir. GA will also represent the CFMS to various external committees and organizations as deemed necessary by the president and executive.
For more information please contact Yipeng Ge at [email protected].
VP Communications (One-year term; -elect joining SGM 2019)
The Vice-President Communications is responsible for internal and external communication, including strategy and policy, the website, and the publications of the CFMS. The VP Communications actively moderates the representative email listserv and other servers. They are responsible for maintaining regular contact with individual CFMS representatives and medical society presidents.
The VP Communications is responsible for some communication with external organizations and should be familiar with the exercise of writing a press release and circulating information in the media. The VP Communications works with the Annual Review Editor to produce the CFMS Annual Review.
The position involves close collaboration with the National Information Technology Officer and the website host. The VP Communications has overall responsibility for the web presence of the CFMS, including ensuring that all content on the website is up-to-date and reflective of the overall CFMS communications strategy.
Please contact Christina Schweitzer for more information at [email protected].
VP Finance (One-year term; -elect joining SGM 2019)
The Vice-President Finance has overall fiscal management responsibility for the CFMS and must have an intricate understanding of the breadth of activities of the CFMS in order to advise the Board and General Assembly on budgeting and work-planning. They are responsible for managing the CFMS bank accounts, investments, expenses, revenue, and payroll. The VP Finance must maintain at least weekly contact with the General Manager and President.
The VP Finance is responsible for long-term strategic planning together with the President. They actively work to broaden the financial resource base of the CFMS by seeking alternative sources of revenue through grants, advertising, donations and sponsorship. They are responsible for the development of policy relating to finances. The VP Finance is expected to have a detailed understanding of accounting principles and documentation. They should be comfortable using electronic booking software and spreadsheets.
Please contact Lauren Griggs at [email protected].
Regional Representatives (One-year term)
Six positions are currently held for regional representation to the CFMS Executive Board. Regional Representatives are voting members of the Board and ensure that the Board is updated on developments at all of the member schools. Regional representatives serve as liaisons between the Executive and the medical society representatives and presidents. They work closely with all Directors, as per the Dyad model, under the direction of the President to ensure communication between the Executive and medical societies.
Regional Representatives are expected to report on the affairs of constituent medical schools as well as communicate the affairs of the Board within their region.
- For more information on the Atlantic Representative position, please contact Victoria Januszkiewicz at [email protected].
- For more information on the Quebec Representative position, please contact Sarah Zahabi at [email protected].
- For more information on the Ontario Representative position, please contact Cory Lefebvre and Maylynn Ding at [email protected].
- For more information on the Western Representative position, please contact Odell Tan and Victor Do at [email protected].
Note on CFMS President:
The President is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the CFMS. Most Presidents have had experience on the CFMS executive and should have detailed knowledge of all policy and activities of the organization. In addition to setting the priorities of the organization, the President acts as the primary contact on important issues for students and external organizations. The President attends many external meetings as the representative of Canadian medical students and will often travel an average of two weekends a month for the duration of the one-year term. Major commitments include Board Director of the Canadian Medical Forum, CFMS representative at the national Physician Resource Planning Advisory Committee (PRPAC), liaison to the Association of Faculties of Medicine (AFMC) Residency Matching and Learner privacy groups, liaison to the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and a multitude of taskforces and subcommittees. The President will often be asked to present at different meetings and speak with media about issues affecting medical students.
The President is also heavily involved in all activities of the executive and works with other executive members to ensure that the priorities of the organization are met. Time on email (internal and external) can exceed 2 hours per day during busy periods. Agendas and planning for executive meetings and teleconferences as well as the three meetings of the CFMS board also fall under this position. Presidential responsibilities also include liaising with the office staff person on a daily basis and ensuring that the infrastructure of the organization is in good order.
The position of President is a one-year post, elected by the board at the Spring General Meeting. Following the end of their term, the president assumes the official role of past-president.
The 2018-2019 President is Capt. Stephanie Smith, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, who may be reached at [email protected].