UBC Health Mentors Enters its 14th year

On October 7th, the UBC Interprofessional Health Mentors Program held its 2024-25 in-person Orientation at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. 150 students from 11 programs (Audiology, Dentistry, Dietetics, Genetic Counselling, Kinesiology, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Speech Language Pathology) joined with 44 Health Mentors to learn in small groups about patient-centered care from patients and caregivers. The Health Mentors program continues for 9 months throughout the school year and provides rich discussions that are transformative for students and mentors.

Carmen Golnaraghi, a student from cohort 13, shared some of her program experiences (see next story) and long-time Health Mentor Karen Firus welcomed cohort 14 with an inspirational address to kick-start the year.

“I love being a Health Mentor! It completely transformed my life, my sense of self, and my confidence. After years of struggle, becoming a health mentor gave my life incredible meaning and a sense of purpose. To be able to take four decades of lived experience with an invisible, complex chronic illness, to take a bleak life and health situation and turn it into a powerful, uplifting story, to mentor, to inspire, motivate, and encourage UBC Health students…well wow….that is exhilarating!” said Karen.

A virtual orientation for the online Health Mentors program was held on October 10 with three groups of mentors and students from distributed sites across the province. We look forward to another powerful year of the Health Mentors program, shaping the hearts and minds of health professional students in our endeavour to bring team-based learning, patient centered care, and the expertise of community educators to the forefront of UBC health professional education!