Welcome to Mini Medical School at the University of Ottawa!

What is Mini Medical School?

Mini-Medical School is a popular and ever-growing concept being offered all over Canada and the United States for the public. It is an innovative and entertaining series of lectures on medicine and health that are 'just like going to medical school' (but without the long hours and hard work!). You won’t get a license to practice medicine, but you will learn a tremendous amount and leave a more educated consumer of the health care system.

The University of Ottawa launched this program in 2004 and over 2200 people have now "graduated" from our Mini Medical School.

Each series is designed to stimulate and satiate your curiosity about the human body and the many health issues we face as a society. It combines the basic sciences (anatomy, physiology) with clinical cases in each lecture so participants can experience ‘being a doctor’.

Come and join our expert presenters as they highlight their expertise in their informative and entertaining lectures.

Listen to a radio interview with past speakers and participants on CBC Radio - All in A Day with Alan Neal

person selecting medical icon opening more healthcare elements

Upcoming Series

Fall 2025 Series

Thursday Evenings from 18:00 - 20:00
September 18, 2025 - October 23, 2025
The Ottawa Hospital - Norman Paterson Amphitheatre
1053 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4E9

Session Highlights

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medicine
  • I Own The Operating Theatre! Surgery Vs Anesthesiology
  • Real Life Stories from the Real 'Pitt' - Emergency Medicine
  • Parkinson's Disease

Scroll down for more session information!

Course Presentations

To ensure course participants receive the most up-to-date information and to lessen the environmental impact of our events, all available course materials will be posted to our participant website as soon as they become available. Printed course materials will not be available onsite.

We cannot guarantee that all course materials will be posted on the website.

Registration

Registration for the Fall 2025 is now open: REGISTER TODAY

2025 RateStudent Rate (14+)Adult RateSenior Rate (65+)
Early Bird Registration*$175 + HST$215 + HST$195 + HST
Regular Registration$195 + HST$235 + HST$215  + HST

*Early Bird registration valid until August 28, 2025.

Please subscribe to be added to the mailing list for future series.

Mini Medical School - Fall 2025 Series

Agenda (all lectures will be presented in English only)

  • Week 1 (September 18, 2025)
    • Tales from the life of a rural surgeon (Dr. Colleen Haney)
    • Parkinson's Disease: history, hype and hope (Dr. David Grimes)
  • Week 2 (September 25, 2025)
    • Inspiring lessons learned from inspiring kids (Dr. Marc Zucker)
    • Life of a urologic surgical oncologist (Dr. Rodney Breau)
  • Week 3 (October 2, 2025)
    • "I own the operating theatre" Anesthesiology vs Surgery (Dr. Richard Waldolf & Dr. Adam Garber)
  • Week 4 (October 9, 2025)
    • Life of emergency room physicians: Real life stories from the real "Pitt" (Dr. Jennifer Leppard & Dr. Jean Chen)
    • Gender affirming care and gender diversity (Dr. Taunia Rifai)
  • Week 5 (October 16 2025)
    • AI in Medicine: perspectives of a maternal fetal medicine specialist (Dr. Mark Walker)
    • Advances in allergy and immunology (Dr. Derek Lanoue)
  • Week 6 (October 23, 2025)
    • Geriatric Medicine: Lessons of empathy and resilience from a physician leader (Dr. Ed Spilg)
    • Life of a military physician (Dr. Ajiri Ikede)

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