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.
About 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 communicate national medical education issues of importance to medical students and facilitate communication and connect medical students among member schools.
2. To provide services that support the needs of member medical students.
3. 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.
The following board positions are available for election for the 2019-2020 academic year:
- Director of Global Health
- Atlantic Regional Director
- Quebec Regional Director
- Ontario Regional Directors (2)
- Western Regional Directors (2)
Nomination Process
Interested individuals must complete this online form by Thursday, September 19, 2019 at 18h00 if running for Director of Global Health and Friday September 20, 2019 at 19h00 if running for a Regional Director Position. Nominations will close strictly at this time. Unsuccessful Director of Global Health candidates are eligible to run for a Regional Director position.
Note the form requires an interested individual submit their name, email address, a photo, as well as brief biography/letter of intent (no more than 250 words). If a candidate 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 St. John’s, NL, which runs from September 20st-22, 2019. Director of Global Health elections will be held on the afternoon of Friday, September 20, 2019 with the elections for the Regional Director positions to occur the afternoon of Saturday, September 21, 2019. Candidates may apply for Director of Global Health and a Regional Director position at the same time. However, candidates may not run for multiple Regional Director positions. Votes will be cast by medical student society representatives and members of the CFMS Board of Directors, as detailed in the CFMS By-laws.
Immediately upon the close of nominations, the General Assembly will have access to the candidates’ 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 followed by a three (3) minute question period. Speeches may be delivered either in person or by proxy. Please note that video or webcast speeches are not permitted. Should a candidate be absent from the meeting, they will be voice-called into the meeting to field questions. Designated time constraints must be respected.
Candidates must notify [email protected] by September 13, 2019 if they wish to deliver a speech by proxy.
Term Details
Newly elected board directors, including the Portfolio Directors and President, elected at SGM 2019, will commence their roles at the conclusion of the CFMS AGM 2019. Each position is for a one-year term.
Any student member of the CFMS, over the age of 18 years, 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 by-laws 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, Henry Annan 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.
Sincerely,
Henry Annan, MD
Past-President, Board Chair & Chief Returning Officer, Canadian Federation of Medical Students
Available positions
Director of Global Health (One-year term)
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 (IFMSA March Meeting 2020 in Rwanda; IFMSA August Meeting 2020 in Uganda) 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 Michelle Quaye for more information at [email protected].
Regional Directors (One-year term)
Six positions are currently held for regional representation to the CFMS Board of Directors. Regional Directors are voting members of the Board and ensure that the Board is updated on developments at all of the member schools. Regional Directors serve as liaisons between the Board and the medical society representatives and presidents. Each regional director serves as an attaché to one CFMS portfolio, as per the Dyad model, under the direction of the President to ensure communication between the Board and medical societies. Regional Directors 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 Dax Bourcier at [email protected].
- For more information on the Quebec Representative position, please contact Adel Arezki at [email protected].
- For more information on the Ontario Representative position, please contact Debbie Brace and Rishi Sharma at [email protected].
- For more information on the Western Representative position, please contact Wendy Yao and Fatemeh Bakhtiari at [email protected].