With T-shirts and certificates in hand, the first class of the University of Toronto’s mini-medical school has officially convocated.
The six-week public lecture program ran from October to mid-November and covered topics ranging from cancer to dementia to basic anatomy, with lectures given by some of U of T’s most popular medical professors.
“The class was more eager and more attentive than we ever hoped for,” said Kimberly Pavan, administrator of the mini-med school.
“We’ve received lots [of] feedback from the participants, people calling just to tell us how much they were enjoying the program.”
The theme of the program was the responsibility each individual has for their own health. The participants all expressed their pleasure with the way the program was structured and the knowledge they gained.
One woman said she now feels more confident about discussing health matters with her doctor and knows where to find additional information. A group of high school students said the lecture series had cemented their desire to pursue an education in healthcare and made them more aware of the daily advances being made to improve all aspects of human health.
The press coverage over the course of the program was extensive, with a weekly column in the Toronto Star and articles in the Globe and Mail, the National Post, Metro and Canadian Living.
As a result of the media coverage, the spring session beginning in February has a full waiting list. The upcoming session will cover the same topics as the fall session did, while a new program with new topics begins next fall.
