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Wpg Free Press: U of M producing more diverse doctors

July 31, 2019 — 

As the Winnipeg Free Press reports: 

During her first year of medical school, Brooke Cochrane received a diagnosis of her own: imposter syndrome.

Cochrane, a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation, said being an Indigenous medical student comes with its challenges. However, her Indigenous mentor and classmates made her feel comfortable carrying a stethoscope.

More than half of the class of 2021 is made up of women; about 10 per cent identify as Indigenous.

Each one of those students would have supplied information on ancestry when they applied for medical school, among a series of questions, some deeply personal, about their family history, economic status and sociocultural determinants.

The U of M added the step to its application process in 2015, to ensure the faculty’s student population better reflects patients in the province.

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