On May 27, ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ’s 192nd graduating medical class was celebrated at the MDCM Class of 2024 Graduation Awards Ceremony and Luncheon at the McIntyre Medical Sciences Building. Hailing from the Montreal and Outaouais medical campuses, the grads-to-be came together, for the first time ever, to mark this important milestone in their academic career in the presence of mentors, faculty and administrative staff.
Faculty leaders and Class Presidents share remarks
Mélanie Mondou, MDCM, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME), emceed the event, and Sabrina Fallavollita, MDCM, Assistant Dean of UGME, led the awards distribution at the ceremony. Leaders from both campuses shared their congratulatory wishes and words of wisdom with the Class, including Lesley Fellows, MDCM, DPhil, Vice-President (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences; Danyèle Lacombe, MD, Vice-Dean and Director of Campus Outaouais; and Marion Koch, MD, Program Director of UGME at Campus Outaouais.Ìý
Class Presidents Abed Baiad and Mahmoud Moustafa, from the Montreal and Outaouais campuses respectively, shared some fond memories and uplifting words with their peers, garnering a round of applause from the crowd.ÌýÌý
Recognizing outstanding students and facultyÌý
During the graduation awards ceremony, more than 20 student prizes and awards were distributed to recognize excellence in various fields. It was also an opportune moment to honour the recipients of three faculty awards. Clerkship Component Director Sonia Macfarlane, MDCM, Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, received the 2024 MSW Wellness Award for Teaching – a student-voted award given to a clinical teacher who best models a commendable life-work balance through expert professionalism, clinical competence and exemplary self-care.  Maxime Labelle, MDCM, Faculty Lecturer, Department of Internal Medicine, Campus Outaouais, and Gabriel Venne DO, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Montreal Campus, received the 2024 Osler Awards for Outstanding Teaching. These Convocation awards are given to professors who, in the opinion of the graduating medical students, have made the most outstanding contribution to their medical education.  
The awards ceremony was followed by a luncheon hosted by VP-Dean Fellows. Smiles, laughter and proud faces illuminated the event, one of the last formal celebrations for the Class of 2024 before Convocation the next day.
Celebrating sustainably
As a further feather in our cap, we are pleased to announce that the MDCM Class of 2024 Graduation Awards Ceremony and Luncheon was awarded, for the first time ever, Silver Sustainable Event certification by the ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ Sustainable Events program run by the ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ Office of Sustainability. This certification, which encourages environmentally responsible practices, promotes diversity of programming and participants, and increases accessibility by reducing barriers, highlights the FMHS’ commitment to ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ University’s Climate & Sustainability Strategy and our efforts to move towards a better future for our local and global societies.Ìý
Photos from the event can be viewed on .
Photo: Graduating medical students from the Montreal and Outaouais campuses come together, for the first time ever, to celebrate at the MDCM Class of 2024 Graduation Awards Ceremony and Luncheon. Credit: Owen Egan and Joni Dufour