Members of the LGBTQIA+ community often face stigma when they are seeking healthcare services. It is our duty as future physicians to make sure we are knowledgeable about their specific healthcare needs and equipped to provide them for their medical needs. We should advocate for their right to access to healthcare and support our colleagues who are a part of the community.

Every individual regardless of their sex, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status should have safe access to reproductive health services. Stigma against people living with HIV, access to safe abortion and contraception are some of our focuses.

Mental health is an important topic for both patients and healthcare providers. Medical students face a lot of mental health issues due to their learning and working environments. We aim to raise awareness about this and counteract stigma against mental health issues. You can find the documentary we did in collaboration with EHSAS here.

We want to put a human face to the issue of refugee health. It is very easy for some of us to assume that the only time we will get the chance to meet and treat refugees is if we are in a place in Africa. It is high time we open our eyes to refugees; we will encounter them as our patients and it’s our responsibility to take into consideration their unique health concerns, including mental health problems related to trauma or violence they might have faced along the way. We want to bring those issues to life, to be sure refugees are not a forgotten population to medical students.