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OTTAWA, May 19, 2010  —  The 2010 Ceremony of Professional Engagement and Convocation of the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Medicine takes place today, May 19, 2010, at 7 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Museum of Civilization (100 Laurier Street, Gatineau).

This year's Convocation highlights the accomplishments of 147 new doctors. The graduating class is made up of 94 women and 53 men.

The University’s medical program also features two streams, English-language and French-language. This year, 38 graduates are from the French-language stream.

As for the military program, which opened in 2002, one graduate comes from the French-language stream this year, while four others are from the English-language stream.

There are six Aboriginal students in this year’s graduating class, the second cohort since the inception of the program, whose goal is to graduate 100 Aboriginal students by 2020.

The new doctors of the class of 2010 will relocate to communities across Canada to pursue training in their chosen specialties, 51 of them will do their residency in Ottawa.

The family medicine residency welcomes most of our graduates, followed by internal medicine and psychiatry.

A glimpse at the class of 2010

The iron will of Sylvianne Clément
Emergency medicine and family medicine are two fields in which Sylvianne Clément already has an expertise as a trained military nurse. She is a graduate in nursing of the University of Ottawa and has worked full-time “in the field” while completing her education to become a doctor. A member of the Gee-Gees women’s rugby team, as well as a hockey player, Sylvianne manages to balance school and sports while receiving a number of awards. Since 2000, she has been a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, uOttawa chapter, and has received an award of excellence for her rotation in the emergency ward in her third year. However, it is her two boys that make her the proudest. Alternating short nights and long days of work and studying, she maintains a stable family because she has a will of iron. Sylvianne will do her residency in family medicine at Montfort Hospital and will continue to work for the Forces.

The art of overcoming obstacles – Jessica Dunkley
For every student, completing the medical program is already an accomplishment in itself. For Jessica Dunkley, it is an extraordinary achievement. From the beginning of her academic career, she received an incredible amount of support from doctors who believed in her and who did not see her deafness as a handicap. As a deaf child raised by deaf parents, she used her strength and willingness to incite her to compete against her peers. Her passion for surgery and her willpower have had a great impact on the people she has befriended throughout her medical studies. Not only is Jessica a physiotherapist, but she is also a sports trainer, volunteer, mentor and has always devoted her time and efforts to deaf people, especially to the youth and aboriginal communities. Jessica will be the second doctor to use two sign languages, Quebec and American Sign Language. She starts her residency in dermatology in July at the University of British-Colombia. Jessica plans on doing a surgical fellowship to complete her expertise. She is part of the six Aboriginal students to obtain their degree today.

The travelling doctor – James Andrew Makokis
The highlight of James’ four-year program would be his trips to Brazil where he accompanied the Governor General Michaëlle Jean as a representative of the Youth Engagement Delegation. Or, it could be the one he made in Peru with Dr. “Patch” Adams, as one of eighty clowns from around the world.
James has received many prizes and awards. For one, he is the recipient of a scholarship from the Betty Ford Center’s Summer Institute for Medical Students in the United States. For seven years in a row, he won the Health Canada Aboriginal Health Careers Program Scholarship from Health Canada. In 2007, he was the official national spokesperson for the National Aboriginal Role Model Program of the National Aboriginal Health Organization. On a personal note, James is an accomplished athlete: he has run many marathons and triathlons such as the Winterman in 2009. He is also learning the Cree dialect Nehiyawewin, and gets involved in cultural events of the Cree Nation. James will do his residency at the Aboriginal Family Medicine Program in Victoria. He is among the six Aboriginal students to graduate today. He already holds a Master’s in Community Nutrition in Health Sciences.

Endurance in the world of medicine – Long Truong
To avoid the political conflicts in this home country, Vietnam, Long Truonggrew up in a refugee camp with his parents.But it was during this time that Long Truong discovered his passion for medicine. In Vietnam, he developed a high level of respect for humanitarian aid and medical teams. As an electro-optical systems engineer for the Canadian Forces, Long has a willingness to help others that just does not diminish. Since he is a trainer and himself an athlete in endurance sports such as distance running (marathon, ultra-marathon) and triathlon, the simple fact of sharing and pushing his limits reinforces not only his courage, but also his endurance, all while sharpening his interest for the complexities of the human body. It is through the Canadian Forces and their Medical School’s Military Medical Training Plan that he comes to be a student at the University of Ottawa. He holds very good memories of his four years of intensive studies and is proud to be able to make a difference in the athletes he trains. Finding the balance between sports, volunteering, community involvement, family life and studies was a real challenge, which he was able to overcome with success and humility. Long will continue his studies by doing his residency in family medicine at the University of Ottawa.