Creativity and innovation took centre stage earlier this month as Ottawa-area students, including several from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, presented unique ideas for collaborating with the city in tackling key health challenges.
Algonquin College opened its doors on April 2 for CityStudio Ottawa’s 2025 HUBBUB competition, hosting the celebratory end-of-year student project showcase and networking event.
The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine and Career Development and Experiential Learning Office co-lead CityStudio Ottawa (CSO), a partnership between the City of Ottawa, uOttawa, Algonquin College and Carleton University, bringing students, faculty, municipal staff and community members together to tackle regional challenges.
The trust-based partnership focuses on the City of Ottawa’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan and its Term of Council priorities (as outlined in the City of Ottawa Strategic Plan 2023–2026) in order to address social challenges and improve the safety and well-being of the city’s residents.
This year, 976 students from across all three institutions—including 684 from uOttawa— participated in projects as part of the experiential learning initiative. CityStudio placements now represent about 20% of Community Service Learning (CSL) placements for undergraduate medical education students.
Students were invited to submit their projects for judging by a panel, with 17 projects selected to be showcased at the event, including eight from uOttawa.
All selected students had the opportunity to pitch their project and share their experience with CSO during the moderated pitch segment. Dr. Claire Kendall, associate dean of social accountability at the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine, was one of two travelling moderators for the project pitches.
Ottawa Deputy Mayor and Councillor Marty Carr was joined by other city councillors, city staff, as well as faculty members from the partner institutions as learners presented their solutions for a healthier city.
Two projects by Faculty of Medicine learners were presented, including:
- Title: Substance Use Health and Stigma
- Student lead: Kyran Sachdeva
- Community partner: Ottawa Public Health and Families for Addiction Recovery
- CSWB plan priority: Mental well-being
- View the project's poster, objectives and potential for impact
- Title: Rapid Response, Real Impact: Improving Emergency Care in the Byward Market
- Students: Hollie Davies, Catherine Song, Hiba Alami Chentoufi
- Partnership with the Ottawa Paramedic Service
- CSWB plan priority: Integrated and simpler systems
- View the project's poster, objectives and potential for impact
Each year, CityStudio Ottawa recognizes the top project from each postsecondary institution. The award for the winning project from uOttawa was presented to MD student Kyran Sachdeva.
Kryan says that participating in this project has given her the tools to approach substance use health with greater empathy, understanding, and professionalism, ultimately improving the quality of care she can provide to her future patients.
“The project profoundly reshaped my understanding of how stigma affects patients’ willingness to seek care,” she explains, “and how I can refine my language and knowledge of supportive services in Ottawa to become a more effective health care provider for individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs).”
One of the biggest challenges she faced was approaching a conversation with her case study patient about their substance use health, struggling between a direct and clinical approach versus a more patient-centred method which allows individuals to open up at their own pace.
By working through the challenge, Kyran feels much more confident in her ability to engage in such conversations in real-world clinical settings.
“Listening to personal stories and learning about individuals' journeys with substance use—some of which involved significant challenges or substance use disorders (SUDs)—inspired me to actively support Ottawa Public Health’s efforts to combat stigma against people facing these issues,” she says.
“The project profoundly reshaped my understanding of how stigma affects patients’ willingness to seek care.”
Kyran Sachdeva
— MD student at the Faculty of Medicine, award winner for top project for the University of Ottawa
The second project from uOttawa focused on the ByWard Market Advanced Care Paramedic Response Unit (ACP PRU), a pilot initiative intended to address the rising demand for paramedic services in the ByWard Market and provide proactive, community-based emergency medical care in one of Ottawa’s busiest and most vulnerable areas. Students collaborated with the Ottawa Paramedic Service to evaluate the pilot project, develop a comprehensive scope document to guide potential implementation of similar initiatives, and identify opportunities for program improvement through data analysis, environmental scanning, and strategic recommendations for future deployment or expansion.
For the academic year of 2024–2025, City of Ottawa staff led 41 projects, which were matched with students and faculty members from all three institutions. At uOttawa, 27 projects were on the go involving 684 students, 13 city staff, and 15 professors across 20 courses and five faculties.
The creative solutions showcased at HUBBUB reflect the fresh, diverse ideas of the city’s youth, who gain real-world experience while supporting CityStudio Ottawa’s commitment to a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable Ottawa.
View a selection of HUBBUB projects over the years.
Visit the CityStudio Ottawa HUBBUB standing exhibit at Ottawa City Hall from April 14 to 28, 2025.
Learn more on the CityStudio Ottawa website.
Main photo: Student presenters at HUBBUB, including the top winner from uOttawa, Kyran Sachdeva (5th from left). Credit: Angel Torrella Reyes, City of Ottawa