VP Student Affairs
As VP Student Affairs, we oversee all matters related to student health and wellness, student mistreatment and career counselling. We work closely with the MD administration including the Learner Affairs office, the office of Learner Experience, the CAP curriculum leads and advocate for the needs of the student body across all four years and the MD/PhD classes.
Aro Bhattacharjee
VP Student Affairs Sr.
About Me
Hello! My name is Aro Bhattacharjee and I am excited to serve as your VP Internal Affairs Sr. for this school year. I look forward to expanding and improving support systems for students and helping make sure that everyone is getting the support they need. Prior to med school I was doing my undergrad at the University of Guelph in Biomedical Sciences. While doing my undergrad, I had various leadership roles in student wellness advocacy. I hope to expand on those experiences to better serve my new community.
I want to compile a list of wellness resources so it is easier for students to access and navigate when they are in need. I also would like to try facilitate an annual survey on student wellness.
Year Plan and Goals
Reasons to Contact Me
1. Any concerns with student wellness
2. Difficulty contacting wellness resources
3. You just want to talk!
Project Pods
Wellness Pod (Chair)
Alexander Bailey
VP Student Affairs Jr.
About Me
Hello! My name is Alex and I’m thrilled to be your VP Student Affairs, junior officer, for the 2023-2024 year! I’m a graduate of Concordia University (BSc honours Psychology/Behavioural Neuroscience), and McGill University, where I completed my MSc thesis on exploring the relationship between markers of structural integrity in the deep grey matter nuclei of the brain to cognition in Parkinson’s Disease.
In my spare time, I'm an avid book collector, a music fan of the greatest hits of the 1960s-1990s, a definite foodie, and the co-creator and co-host of an accessible psychology and neuroscience podcast called, BrainStorm: Exploring Minds and Behaviours.
During my master’s studies at McGill University’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience, I initiated a chapter of a graduate student-led mentorship program for undergraduate neuroscience students, where I advocated for holistic student wellbeing and provided my mentees with dependable emotional, academic, and social support. As the Vice President Social (2021-2022) and then the President (2022-2023) of the Graduate Student Association for Neuroscience, I actively encouraged compromise, led policy changes that resulted in several successful constitutional updates (that made student government more representative, inclusive, and ensured a balanced budget!), initiated long-term collaborations, developed a series of successful food tours, and organized accessible social events (including an end-of-year charity event in partnership with McGill graduate students in Music in support of holistic student wellness) to further help foster a sense of community. I am now extremely psyched to be a part of the MedSoc team to lend a hand!
Year Plans and Goals
My goal is to foster a strong sense of community by earnestly representing students’ interests, staunchly defending students from mistreatment, and advocating for equitable policies that support holistic wellness by collaborating with my fellow MedSoc members, the Office of Learner Affairs, and the Directors of Learner Experience.
I envision further enhancing popular MedSoc VP Student Affairs initiatives such as having a peer support program as well as having Personal Days, while simultaneously introducing new engaging events dedicated towards fostering a culture of support such as Jeopardy nights and monthly walking/food-tours in different neighbourhoods (e.g., Harbord Village, Kensington Market, Little Italy) to introduce medical students to the sights, sounds, and tastes of Toronto. I also seek to develop a survival guide that provides students with consolidated academic, financial budgeting, and wellness resources from older medical students.
I am also working with my Senior VP Student Affairs to create accessible and inclusive hybrid (i.e., combined in-person and online) townhall events for wellness, where student concerns can be heard, noted, and addressed!
I also imagine developing larger-scale events for the medical school community including: a special Winter Holiday concert/talent show that showcases the combined talents of medical students; creating indoor movie nights; and a relaxing year-end Wellness Café for its members.
Lastly, I hope to work closely with the MedSoc team and student clubs (i.e., SHINE) to promote wellness initiatives at both the St. George and Mississauga campuses (e.g., animal therapy and meditation sessions) that serve to support and advocate for the holistic wellbeing of our student body.
Reasons to Contact Me
Please do not ever hesitate to reach out should you:
1. Need help or want to learn more about accessing student wellness resources
2. Have an idea for a new initiative/would like to participate in taking a wellness initiative off the ground
3. CRUCIALLY: Need someone to talk to regarding any questions, concerns, or fears regarding your wellbeing; if there's anything that you encountered over the course of your medical journey that just felt off, please don't hesitate to ever reach out!
If my colleague and I cannot answer your question/concern, we'll do everything in our power to find out and guide you towards the person/resources that can!
Project Pods
Wellness Pod