Doctors-in-training arrive at UBC’s Okanagan campus

The doctor is in.

The inaugural class of the Southern Medical Program (SMP) has begun studies as part of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine’s “Class of MD 2015.” In January, SMP students will transition from Vancouver to the new Health Sciences Centre (HSC) at UBC’s Okanagan campus for the rest of Year 1 and Year 2.

The new $32-million centre will be the primary home for SMP learners during their first two years of study. This 4,266-square-metre centre includes high-tech classrooms and lecture theatres, small-group teaching rooms, research and teaching laboratories, administration and faculty offices and linkages to campus infrastructure.

“The introduction of the Southern Medical Program (SMP) will enhance the supply of health professional education and training in the province of British Columbia,” said Dr. Allan Jones, Regional Associate Dean. “Through the delivery of a highly-advanced learning environment and a well-structured support network, SMP learners will attain the same education and depth of learning experiences as their regional counterparts throughout UBC’s distributed MD Undergraduate Program. Ultimately, each SMP learner will obtain a UBC medical degree.”

Students will also receive clinical skills training at the Clinical Academic Campus (CAC) at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH). Years 3 and 4, the clerkship years of the SMP, will be delivered at KGH and distributed sites throughout the B.C. Interior including Kamloops, Vernon, Penticton, Trail, and Cranbrook.

“The Southern Medical Program has bolstered a community of over 400 academic and clinical faculty members who are excited and enthusiastic about the teaching prospects with the program.  The intimate class size of 32 learners provides a more personalized learning environment and substantial patient exposure during clinical skills training.”

-- Dr. Allan Jones, regional associate dean

To find out more about the Southern Medical Program, visit: www.smp.med.ubc.ca

New faculty

Dr. John Falconer, course director, Foundations of Medicine, is a neurologist who completed his medical degree, neurology residency, and a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at UBC. Falconer was in general and then neurologic practice from 1986 to 2008. He has been active in educating medical students and has coached residents in family practice and various internal medicine programs.

Dr. Gayle Klammer, course director, Family Practice/Doctor, Patient, & Society, is a community-based family physician in Kelowna and a clinical instructor in the Department of Family Practice. She completed her medical degree and family medicine residency at the University of Alberta. Klammer is the chair of the Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice and has practiced as a family physician in Kelowna for the past eight years.

Dr. Connie Hull, assistant dean, Student Affairs, is a family physician, associate staff with Vernon Jubilee Hospital in addition to a clinical associate professor with the UBC Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family Practice. She completed her medical degree and residency training at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Over the past six years, she has helped in developing the Year 4 electives program and provided leadership for the Year 3 integrated community clerkship programs.

Dr. Olusegun Oyedele, basic science instructor, is an anatomist and new faculty member to the UBC Faculty of Medicine. He completed his medical degree at Olabisi Onabanjo University prior to obtaining a Master’s degree in anatomy at the University of Ibadan, both in Nigeria. He also holds a PhD in neurodevelopmental biology. For the past 15 years, he has taught basic and clinical human anatomy at the university level in South Africa. Oyedele, as basic science instructor, will teach gross anatomy and histology to Year 1 and 2 SMP students.

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