Hi everyone!

Please see below for an opportunity to get involved with a new association, the Medical Students' Association of the West (MSAW). This organization aims to represent and connect all medical students across Western Canada. The MSAW task force is currently recruiting 2–4 students from each Western medical school, including the University of Manitoba. If you’re interested in helping shape this new initiative, I highly encourage you to apply!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or Carolyn Horwood with any questions.

Sincerely,

Annie Jiang (she/her) Vice-Stick External Jr. | Manitoba Medical Students' Association (MMSA) Max Rady College of Medicine University of Manitoba jianga@myumanitoba.camailto:jianga@myumanitoba.ca

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hello!

My name is Carolyn Horwood, one of your Western Regional Directors with the Canadian Federation of Medical Students. I am reaching out to share an exciting opportunity to get involved in joining the implementation team for the novel Medical Students' Association of the West (MSAW)!

What is MSAW?

MSAW is a student-led initiative out of the Western Regional Director portfolio of the CFMS. Although there exist unifying student organizations in Ontario (OMSA) and in the Atlantic (CAMSA), there exists no unifying medical student association representing the Western medical schools. Western Canadian medical schools face unique challenges in geographical spacing, political climate, and access to educational opportunities at other medical schools.

Why create MSAW?

The mission of MSAW is to create a student-led representative organization by, and for, medical students studying in Western Canada. Ultimately, this organization hopes to decrease barriers for engagement and educational opportunities, equip advocacy skills, and provide benefits for Western medical students specifically. Further, the unifying body will act as a strong advocacy pillar in approaching student advocacy at the annual Western Dean's Conference.

What are we recruiting for?

This project is looking for motivated, interested, and engaged students from all of the representative Western medical schools to join the MSAW Implementation Team. Interested applicants should meet the following criteria:

* Current student at a medical school in Western Canada (UBC, UofC, UofA, UofS, UofM) * Able to contribute approximately 3-5 hours of volunteer labour per week until the end of June 2026

Students with any the following experiences or interests are encouraged to apply:

* Student governance and/or leadership * Equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in the context of learning environments and/or healthcare * Organizational/constitutional design and implementation * Obtainment of sponsorships/discounts * Indigenous health and representation in medicine

What positions are we looking to fill?

We are looking to recruit 2-4 students per Western medical school, including the University of British Columbia, the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta, the University of Saskatchewan, and the University of Manitoba.

If you are interested in supporting the implementation of a collective, student-led governance and advocacy body, you are encouraged to fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/JoLZ4fmXs1dxBqqH9

The deadline to complete this form is September 14, 2025.

Thank you for your interest!

With warmest wishes,

Carolyn

[Image] Carolyn Horwood (She/Her) Western Regional Director | Directeur Régionaux de l'Ouest Canadian Federation of Medical Students | Fédération des étudiants en médecine du Canada [Image] western@CFMS.orgmailto:western@CFMS.org [Image] www.cfms.orghttps://www.cfms.org/ [Image] 267 O'Connor Street, Suite 401, Ottawa, ON, K2P 1V3 

[facebook]https://www.facebook.com/CFMSFEMC/ [twitter] https://twitter.com/CFMSFEMC [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/cfmsfemc/

We acknowledge the CFMS office is located on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People.

Annie Jiang (she/her) Medical Student | Class of 2028 Max Rady College of Medicine University of Manitoba jianga@myumanitoba.camailto:jianga@myumanitoba.ca