Medical Students Support
For medical students that need some support – whether it be mental, physical, or otherwise – please consider the following resources.
For one, we strongly encourage you to join the BMSAC and reach out to our ever-expanding network if you need advice and support from fellow Black medical students.
Important Organizations:
Black Physicians of Canada (BPC) – supporting Black physicians & trainees throughout the country
Black Physicians Association of Ontario (BPAO)
Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) – representing over 9,000 medical students to the federal government as well as national and international organizations.
Chapter Funding
Chapter Fund
- The BMSAC is proud to support local chapter initiatives and offers grants through our Chapter Fund. These funds aim to assist chapters in covering operational costs and organizing activities that will benefit Black medical students.
- Chapter Fund grants are reviewed continuously, for more details, please contact our Director of Finance at finance@bmsac.ca.
Regional Medical Students Associations – e.g. the Ontario Medical Students Association (OMSA) or Fédération médicale étudiante du Québec (FMEQ)
Local Black Medical Students Associations:
- Black Medical Students’ Association of Canada provides support to local BMSA chapters throughout the nation. Composed of dedicated Black medical students, local chapters spearhead a wide range of initiatives, aiming to create inclusive and supportive environments. By fostering collaboration and empowering its members, the association strives to make a lasting impact on the medical community and beyond.
- If you are looking for support at your institution, here is the contact information for local Black Medical Students’ Associations (BMSAs):
| Medical School | BMSA President | President email | Chapter email |
| McGill University | Rebecca Aberra | rebecca.aberra@mail.mcgill.ca | bmsa.mcgill@gmail.com |
| Universite de Montreal | Roseline Racicot and Cloée Mupesse | roseline.racicot@umontreal.ca Cloée.Mupesse@umontreal.ca | N/A |
| Medical School | BMSA President | President email | Chapter email |
| University of British Columbia | Mariam Eji-Lasisi | ejim@student.ubc.ca | ubcbmsa@gmail.com |
| University of Alberta | Safaa Bashir | sjbashir@ualberta.ca | bmsa@ualberta.ca |
| University of Calgary | Ife Adedipe | ifeoluwa.adedipe@ucalgary.ca | bmsa.calgary@gmail.com |
| University of Saskatchewan | Ope Adelugba and Lydia Onasanya | ooa419@usask.ca / mlo101@usask.ca | uofs.bmsa@gmail.com |
| University of Manitoba | Vatineh Magaji and Aisha Haji hussein | magajiv@myumanitoba.ca; hajihusa@myumanitoba.ca | uofm.bmsa@gmail.com |
| Medical School | BMSA President | President email | Chapter email |
| NOSM | Brieanne Olibiris | bolibris@nosm.ca | N/A |
| Queen’s University | Mudia Iyayi | miyayi@qmed.ca | qmed.bmsa@gmail.com |
| Western University | Gelila Alemayheu | gelila_ace84@hotmail.com | N/A |
| McMaster University | Nicole Asamoah and Tariq Atkin-Jones | Nicole.Asamoah@medportal.ca Tariq.Atkin-Jones@medportal.ca | N/A |
| University of Toronto | Cheikh Tchouambou and Bethel Samson | cheikh.tchouambou@mail.utoronto.ca bethel.samson@mail.utoronto.ca | uoft.bmsa@gmail.com |
| University of Ottawa | Amani Kane | N/A | ottawa.bmsa@gmail.com |
| Medical School | BMSA President | President email | Chapter email |
| Dalhousie University | Jacqui JnBaptiste | Jacqui.jnbaptiste@dal.ca | dalbmsa@dal.ca |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | Dami Adekunle | dami.adekunle@mun.ca | N/A |
Mental Health Resources
For Students, As part of our commitment to your wellness, volunteers with the BMSAC’s Wellness Committee maintain a list of mental health providers across Canada who are either Black or an ally. We understand that some Black medical students may feel more comfortable with a Black mental health provider, or knowing that their mental health provider practices from an anti-Black racism perspective. We also understand that for some of you, this is the very first step you’ve taken towards accessing mental health services, and we would like to be here to support you.
The providers listed here have not been vetted or verified by the BMSAC. We encourage all students to review the included profiles and other available information access online (such as licensing and reviews) to decide independently whose services they would like to access. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement of the listed credentials or services provided, but rather serves as a starting point to help Black medical students find care.
If, in your encounters with any of the providers included on this list, you encounter behaviour that would endanger the safety and wellbeing of your fellow medical students, please feel free to let us know by contacting studentaffairs@bmsac.ca.
For Providers
If you are a mental health provider who identifies as Black or is an ally and who would like to be included in this resource list, please fill out this form.
For any questions, concerns, feedback, or requests to change information, please contact advocacy@bmsac.ca.
Mentorship Program
In 2022, the Black Medical Students Association Canada started its nationwide mentorship program for Black medical students. The BMSAC National Mentorship Program is a one-year program where Black residents or staff physicians (who’ve been in practice for less than 5 years) will be matched with a medical student to support during the year. The aim of this program is to support the personal and professional development Black learners by addressing the many complexities in the field of medicine. We recognize navigating through medical school can be challenging for Black learners, so this mentorship program is meant to create space for honest conversations about being Black in medicine.
Mentees will have the opportunity to view a list of mentors and select their top 3 based on speciality/academic interests. From there, we will match each mentee to one of their selected mentors and email both parties to set up an initial meeting. Application forms will be available here in the Fall.
In addition to the mentorship program, we are launching our first nationwide CaRMS support program for Black medical students. This program will run prior to and during the CaRMS interview season, and we will be matching medical students with Black residents or staff physicians in their desired specialties. Students can expect to receive support regarding their CVs, personal statements and/or interviewing. Application forms will be made available later this year.
Advocacy Toolkit (coming soon)
A resource for learning about advocacy and how we can be better advocates
Scholarships and Bursaries
BMSAC acknowledges that the cost of medical school is prohibitive for many racialized students. We aim to alleviate the burden of searching for scholarships and help reduce the financial burden of a medical education.
APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP
- Black Business and Professional Association National Scholarship Program (NSP) https://bbpa.org/bbpa-scholarships/
- Black Physicians of Ontario Scholarship – please contact our Director of Finance at finance@bmsac.ca