Public gets introduction into medical school

Joanna Bhaskaran, staff

On March 12, the University of Manitoba introduced the mini medical school, a program that started with the intention of familiarizing people to the world of medicine. Joining over a hundred medical schools in North America that currently offer the mini medical school, the U of M’s will offer a series of lectures to increase awareness about many of today’s hot medical topics, such as asthma, heart health and viruses.

The six-week school is being conducted by the professors and teachers from the Faculty of Medicine who are chosen by medical students. The lectures are on a similar level to those received by first-year medical students.

Lenore Chipman, the program’s co-ordinator, said, “So far, 88 people have registered for the course . . . this has been along the lines of the numbers we expected.”

The registered include seniors aged 65 and older, interested adults, and students both from high school and university hoping to catch a glimpse of the atmosphere of medical school.

The lectures are conducted every Wednesday evening on the Bannatyne campus. There is time allowed for questions at the end of each lecture. There are no final exams for the lessons.

Participants of the program are informed about various health issues and also about the symptoms, diagnosis possible treatments, and management of the health problems.

Zeel Shah, a first-year University 1 student at the University of Manitoba hoping to enter medicine, said, “It seems really interesting, and I would have definitely attended. . . . It seems like a very good option for hopeful med students to get a feel of the subject.”

The course is already underway, but registration is still open. Seniors and students receive a discount on the course fees.

Chipman said that plans for future medical schools can be expected.

“We would like to start up another [school] . . . probably in the fall.”

Mini medical school course lectures

Fad Diets, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly!
Competing claims from weight loss “gurus” often leave patients and health care providers at a loss regarding what works and what doesn’t for weight loss.  In this presentation, popular diets will be evaluated using an evidence-based approach.

Obesity
This presentation will explore Medicine’s role in the fight against obesity from two perspectives: a) how physicians and patients can work together towards individual weight goals and b) the roles of medications and surgery in weight loss.

The Heart
This evening’s presentations will look at how the different components of the heart work to pump blood throughout the body, and what can happen to derail this mechanism. The factors that contribute to heart disease will also be discussed.

Not all dementia is Alzheimer’s
This presentation will focus on the aging brain and the different diseases that can lead to cognitive decline.

Depression: More Than a Sad Mood
This presentation will review the symptoms of depression, causes of depression, and various approaches to the treatment of depression.

From official website: http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/medicine/units/minimed/minimedlect.html