Physician-leader encourages new med students to stay curious, be open to experiences

The associate dean of admissions at the Max Rady College of Medicine told UM’s newest medical students to bring their unique strengths and experiences with them on their health-care journeys.  

“We do need diversity in our collection of physicians,” said Dr. Sara Goulet in her Alan Klass Memorial Address at the Max Rady College of Medicine’s Inaugural Day Exercises and White Coat Ceremony held at the Centennial Concert Hall on Aug. 19.  

“We need all of you to bring those strengths that you’ve already collected along your path into our physician group.”

Since being appointed associate dean of admissions seven years ago, Goulet has worked to foster diversity, enhance admissions processes and explore ways to support pipeline projects to increase the number of under-represented medical students at UM.  

Goulet, a member of the UM Medicine Class of 2005, told the students to stay curious and open to all experiences over the next four years.  

“Even if you haven’t imagined yourself being an obstetrician-gynecologist, show up to that rotation. Have fun and deliver babies because you’ll probably never get to do that again,” said Goulet, a member of the Métis community who grew up in the Red River Valley.  

Like her father, a bush pilot, Goulet travels all over northern Manitoba and the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, where she provides primary care to First Nations and Inuit communities. She also provides leadership and support as a medical advisor to the fly-in physicians at Ongomiizwin-Health Services in the Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing.  

“Remember, the competition getting here, I know, was harsh. But it’s over. And really now, your job is to find each other’s unique set of skills and lift each other up and support each other,” Goulet told the students.  

Welcome Class of 2030

There are 137 new students in the Max Rady College of Medicine Class of 2030, and members range in age from 21 to 49. The class includes 11 Indigenous students and 51 students with rural attributes, meaning that they have rural roots or rural work, volunteer or leadership experience. Five French-speaking students are enrolled in the bilingual stream.

The Inaugural Day Exercises included the ceremonial cloaking of the students in their first white coats and the recitation of the Physician’s Pledge.

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The class’s ethnic and socio-economic diversity reflects the Max Rady College of Medicine’s inclusive admissions policy. To remove barriers to participation and more accurately reflect Manitoba’s population, the college advantages qualified candidates from traditionally under-represented socio-economic and socio-cultural backgrounds.

Taylor Tutkaluke, 27, is Red River Métis and was raised in Winnipeg. Tutkaluke just completed her master of occupational therapy at UM, has a bachelor of kinesiology and is a licensed personal trainer. She says her background in rehabilitation and preventative health care has provided context of the health-care system beyond medicine.

Tutkaluke said it was absolutely unbelievable to receive her white coat.  

“It’s truly the biggest privilege and honour of my life, and it’s not something that I take lightly,” she said following the Inaugural Day Exercises.

Amy Gudmundson, 22, is enrolled in the bilingual stream at the UM medical college. Growing up in the small francophone town of Sainte Rose du Lac, Man., Gudmundson was inspired by the family physicians in her community, but none of them spoke French. She saw a need for more French health-care services in rural communities, and she felt she could help provide these services in the future.  

Gudmundson said reciting the Physician’s Pledge was a big moment.  

“I think it’s a really meaningful moment to reflect on the impact that we’re going to have as physicians and the responsibility and privilege we have. I think it’s so great to be able to do that as a class and a team, because we will be working together for the next four years,” she said.  

Toni Fatoye, 24, and Charlotte Kowall, 23, are best friends who met in Grade 10. Ten years later, they are entering medical school together.

“From high school biology and university degrees to the MCAT and medical school interview preparation, we have supported each other through every step,” says Kowall, who was born and raised in Winnipeg. She conducted research in women’s cardiovascular health during her master’s degree in physiology and pathophysiology at UM. The experience gave her a greater understanding of inequities in health care.

Fatoye was born and raised in Winnipeg and is of Nigerian descent. She hopes to work in a medical specialty that helps improve health outcomes for Black people and other racialized people. Fatoye is currently interested in the fields of psychiatry, dermatology and obstetrics, but is keeping an open mind as she enters medical school.

Fatoye said entering medical school is a childhood dream come true.  

“I’m really happy to dedicate my life to something so meaningful and that impacts so many people’s lives,” she said.