Convocation 2016: Meet the 1T6 Valedictorian Louai Musa
“You come in to medical school with all these expectations – then you have the experience. The first time you talk to a patient, you realize you’re part of something bigger.”
Louai Musa, 1T6 valedictorian
The valedictorian of the 1T6 graduating class is Louai Musa. Chosen by vote by his class, he will give the valedictorian address at convocation. “Louai It is someone who the class as a whole admires, and feels can best articulate our collective sentiments on this momentous occasion,” explains Erik Yao, who is the Medical Society’s 1T6 Co-President, along with Sandra Huynh.
Musa describes his cohort as diverse and inspiring. “We have people from different academic and career backgrounds. Everyone brings their strengths, and you learn from everyone. That’s one of the best things about med school. We all inspire each other to be better. It’s an honour to be chosen to represent my colleagues and friends. I hope I will represent them well.”
One of the first students to be a part of the U of T Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LInC), Musa says that his experience was unforgettable. “Clerkship is a lot of work,” he admits. “But I would definitely pick LInC again because of the relationships I got to develop, with my preceptors and especially with my patients. It was incredibly rewarding.”
Musa has also been part of several advocacy projects during his time in the MD Program. He’s especially proud of being part of a student group led by 1T7 student Philip Gregoire that advocated for the change of the Toronto Police Department’s reporting practices regarding the sharing of information about mental health incidents. “Even when there was no harm to others– such as in a suicide attempt – if the police were involved, that information would be included in records that were accessible to the U.S. border police,” he says. “I could see the impact of this during my psychiatry rotations. Patients were sometimes unwilling to discuss their mental health issues because they were fearful of the police being told and having this permanent mark on their record. It was important for me to do something about it.” The students distributed a petition to their classmates which was signed by 215 students in support of a report by Ontario’s privacy commissioner Ann Cavoukian, with whom they met. The Toronto Police changed their policy to align with Cavoukian’s recommendations 2015.
“When it comes to advocacy, there’s only so much you can do by yourself. That’s why I’ve tried to be as involved as possible with many different initiatives,” he says. For Musa, advocacy is also a personal matter. “My family is originally from Palestine,” he explains. “I think about people who are just as smart, just as hard working, but didn’t end up where I did. When I think about those inequities and injustices, I know it’s my responsibility to give back.”
Following graduation, Musa will complete his family medicine residency in Abbotsford, BC, and then plans to practice inareas that are under resourced. “I want to help build better health care systems in Canada and abroad,” he says. “I want to go to the places where people aren’t heard, and help them.”
