Health Mentors: Cohort 15 Underway!
This year, 174 students from 11 programs are learning in small interprofessional teams with 48 Health Mentors who live with chronic conditions or disabilities, or who are caregivers. We launched Cohort 15 with three orientations—Vancouver and Prince George (in person) and Kelowna/Victoria (virtual). (Prince George is featured in the next story.)
On September 29, we gathered at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. Despite heavy rain, the room was warm and bright as 142 students joined 40 Health Mentors, along with faculty, staff, and student volunteers. After a mentor pre-meeting, Dr. Angela Towle opened with a land acknowledgement, introductions, and HMP’s guiding principles: partnership, reflection, and learning from lived experience.
Carmen Golnaraghi, a kinesiology student from Cohort 13, shared how the program shaped her studies and career focus:
“My mentor, Cameron, taught me invaluable lessons about strength and perseverance in the face of adversity. He opened my eyes to the realities, challenges, and complexities of living with a disability, inspiring me to focus many of my studies on spinal cord injury, disability, and inclusion. I’ll carry his support and wisdom into my studies and future career.”
John Dub, a Health Mentor since 2020, welcomed Cohort 15 with these words of wisdom:
“The Health Mentors Program is collaborative and mutually beneficial for learner and mentor—respectful, reciprocal, and enjoyable. Trust the process!”
As students met their mentors in small interprofessional groups, conversations quickly filled the room and teams began building trust and curiosity.
On October 7, a virtual orientation connected 18 students from Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech-Language Pathology with five mentors across Kelowna and Victoria.
As Cohort 15 begins its nine-month journey, we look forward to another year of shared learning that shapes the hearts and minds of health-professional students and celebrates the expertise of our community educators
