This year, GEM hosted a Careers in Healthcare Panel Event! Medical sciences and healthcare have been of high interest every year with Mentees admitted into the GEM Mentorship Program. This special panel event focused on career development in the healthcare sector andMentees were given the opportunity to learn directly from four senior industry leaders.

We started the event with introductions from our inspiring panelists: Dr. Yasmin Khan (Associate Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Toronto and the Clinical Public Health Division at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health), Nicole Welch (Director of Child Health and Development & Healthy Communities and Chief Nursing Officer at Toronto Public Health), Dr. Jamie Kellar (Associate Professor, Teaching Stream and Associate Dean at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto), and Shelby Fisch (Vice President of Acute and Primary Care Operations at St. Elizabeth Health). Each panelist shared their day-in-a-life in their respective field as a practitioner or in their particular role. Mentees learned about interdisciplinary collaboration and the importance of working with diverse groups.

Then, each panelist shared their educational career and additional requirements for their respective field. Volunteer experience was indicated as a huge asset in the healthcare field.

Afterwards, panelists shared insight on the diversity and the future of their fields. While there is always room for improvement in representation, panelists revealed that there is a shift towards better gender representation in healthcare. They also shared insight on self-care in demanding healthcare fields, especially throughout the pandemic. Mentees learned about the importance to prioritize mental health in order to work in healthcare and techniques on how to maintain wellness.

The panel event ended with a Q&A session. Panelists concluded by encouraging Mentees to build strong relationships and stay motivated, especially when facing fears of failure, throughout their academic and career paths.

Thank you to the Mentees that attended and our four inspiring panelists for an amazing panel event!