McGill University medical students achieved significant recognition at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Osler Society in Pasadena, California, reinforcing the university's established strength in medical humanities research. Three students participated in the gathering of physicians, researchers, and students focused on the history of medicine and its contemporary applications. Paris Dastjerdi secured first prize for her presentation "Restoring Avicenna's Tomb: A Historical Analysis of William Osler's Efforts," while Meygan Brody earned third prize for "Justifying Judgment: How Canadian Temperance Textbooks Use Medicine to Teach Morality." Reda Hessi also presented his work on "Harold Griffith and Sir Robert Macintosh: Untold Stories of Curare's Journey to the Operating Room."
Since the inception of the Best Medical Student Presentations awards in 2023, McGill students have claimed six of the nine available prizes, including first place in each of the three years. This consistent success highlights McGill's dedicated approach to weaving humanities perspectives into medical training. The meeting also featured contributions from McGill alumni, including Brendan Ross, a psychiatry resident at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, who served as both a presenter and session chair, and Ali Fazlollahi, a recent graduate and previous Molina award recipient. Annmarie Adams delivered the McGovern Lecture, titled "Maude Abbott: A Life in Ten Spaces," which examined Abbott's foundational research on congenital cardiac disease and her lasting connection with William Osler through a spatial biography framework.
The Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship Program, founded in 2024 in honor of Faustino Bernadett and his family, offers funding for students to conduct medical humanities research in the United Kingdom. Reda Hessi was selected as one of two recipients, enabling him to undertake a four-week research project in London titled "The Reception of Curare in Medicine and the Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry." Hessi noted that the opportunity would deepen his research and expand his outlook. Details about the program are accessible at https://www.americanosler.org/content/awards-scholarships/international-medical-student-scholarship-program, and information on Faustino Bernadett's philanthropic efforts can be found at https://www.bernadett.org/.
The 2025 American Osler Society meeting effectively underscored the convergence of medicine and the humanities, with McGill's involvement being crucial to advancing this objective. Support from the Osler Library Board of Curators and the Montreal community was vital in facilitating the students' attendance. This event underscores the rising significance of historical and ethical viewpoints in medical education, as institutions increasingly acknowledge that comprehending medicine's past can guide improved practices and policies moving forward. The growth of scholarship initiatives like the Bernadett program indicates a mounting investment in fostering medical professionals capable of critically engaging with the social and historical aspects of healthcare.
