Montreal, QC – January 15, 2015 – Sanofi Canada is proud to support a conference that will kick-start the careers of Quebec’s future generation of medical professionals on Saturday, January 17, 2015.
The Bench to Bedside Conference for Youth was developed to explore the synergetic relationship between medical research (the "bench") and patient care (the "bedside"), and will seek to educate participants about career possibilities in both fields. The conference program will connect over 150 Secondary 5 and CEGEP students from across Greater Montreal with leading professionals in medicine and medical research.
The conference is organized by a group of exemplary science and medical students who are passionate about helping their peers explore future academic and career options. Organizers include David Drouin, a medical student at Laval University; Eunice You, a student in the Honours Health Science program at Marianopolis College, and fellow Harvard undergraduates William Cho and founder Kian Sani, who led the organization of a Vancouver edition of the event in 2013.
"The Bench to Bedside Conference for Youth offers students the opportunity to understand the relationship between the bench and the bedside, and the career options they could one day pursue," said Mr. Sani. "The event targets pre-university students because they are faced with challenging decisions about their career trajectories, and my team and I wanted to help them understand the variety of extremely rewarding biomedical careers.”
Also participating in the conference are some of Quebec’s and Canada’s leading medical doctors, researchers and healthcare executives, who will give inspirational presentations. All presenters commended the conference’s mission to motivate, inspire and educate students by giving them the rare opportunity to interact with professionals in medicine and medical research.
The conference will welcome a slate of esteemed special guests from the healthcare community, including Sanofi Canada’s Franca Mancino, Vice-President of Medical and Regulatory Affairs, and Diane Lafontaine, Associate Director of the Clinical Studies Unit; Dr. Rolando Del Maestro, Professor in the Division of Neurosurgery and Oncology and Director of the Brain Tumour Research Centre at the Montreal Neurological Institute; Dr. Ariane Marelli, adult and pediatric cardiologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at McGill University, and oncologist Dr. David Mitchell.
“We’re thrilled to sponsor the student-led Bench to Bedside conference once again,” said Franca Mancino, Vice-President, Medical and Regulatory Affairs, Sanofi Canada. “We believe in the future of our youth and now is an important time to engage the future generation of Canadian-trained researchers to keep the country healthy and at the cutting edge of biomedical research.”
As well as attending presentations from the participating medical professionals, students will experience hands-on learning opportunities designed to expose them to different facets of the medical field. Workshops will be led by student volunteers from the McGill University Faculty of Medicine, and will include physical medical exams, biotechnology techniques, robotic surgical simulation, CPR and more.
In addition to Sanofi Canada, the conference is made possible by support from sponsors PerfectMIND, 3M and 4imprint, along with the collaboration of the McGill University Faculty of Medicine. All sponsors share a major commitment to helping advance careers in science and medicine amongst high school and CEGEP students.
The Bench to Bedside Conference for Youth will take place at the McGill University Faculty of Medicine (the New Residence Hall at 3625 Avenue du Parc and the Arnold and Blema Steinberg Medical Simulation Centre at 3575 Avenue du Parc, suite 5640) from 8:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday, January 17, 2015.
Complete information about the event, including the biographies of the organizers, is available at http://www.adayinthelifeofmed.com.
About Sanofi:
Sanofi, a global and diversified healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients’ needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and the new Genzyme. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).
Sanofi companies in Canada include Sanofi Canada (pharmaceuticals), Sanofi Pasteur (vaccines), Sanofi Consumer Health (health and beauty), Genzyme (rare diseases) and Merial (animal health). Together they employ more than 1,700 people across the country. In 2013 Sanofi companies invested $129.1 million in R&D in Canada, creating jobs, business and opportunity throughout the country.
About A Day in the Life of Medicine:
Founded by Kian Sani in 2013, A Day in the Life of Medicine aims to engage youth interested in the field of medicine and medical research by organizing community events where they can learn from and interact with medical doctors and medical researchers. The Bench to Bedside conference is an initiative of A Day in the Life of Medicine. For more information, visit www.adayinthelifeofmed.com.
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For further information:
Kristin Gable
NATIONAL Public Relation
TEL.: 514-843-2378
EMAIL: kgable@national.ca
Nadia Rahman
Communications, Sanofi Canada
TEL : 514-856-8754
EMAIL : nadia.rahman@sanofi.com