Second-year Southern Medical Program (SMP) students Marc Jutras and Sydney White are the 2016 recipients of the Reichwald Family Foundation Southern Medical Program award. The annual award provides $10,000 each for two SMP students who have demonstrated excellence in academics, leadership capabilities, and community service. Congratulations to both Marc and Sydney on their awards and their outstanding contributions to the program and the community.
Marc Jutras
Born in Saskatchewan and raised in Abbotsford, Marc Jutras earned a Bachelor of Business Administration at Simon Fraser University with a joint major in Psychology prior to beginning his medical studies with the SMP. During first year, he received funding through UBC’s Summer Student Research Program (SSRP) to participate in a research project at the BC Cancer Agency in Kelowna entitled Development of Ultra-High Resolution CT for Differential Diagnosis of Lung Nodules found using Low-Dose CT, a project he remains currently involved with. In addition to his research, Marc serves numerous student groups including SMP Site Representative for the Student Interest Group in Neurology, Treasurer for the SMP Stem Cell Club, Executive for the SMP Ultrasound Interest Group, as well as a staff writer for the UBC Medical Journal. He also serves as one of the Histology Block representatives for the MD class of 2018 and volunteers as a content developer for the website www.teachingmedicine.com.
Sydney White
Prior to entering medical school, Sydney White lived and worked in Revelstoke as Paramedic with the BC Ambulance Service and Ski Patrol at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. She earned a BSc. Honours in Biochemistry from UBC Okanagan during which time she participated in numerous Alzheimer’s research projects. Now with the SMP, Sydney serves as student representative from the Aboriginal Health Initiative, Emergency Medicine Interest Group, and Wilderness Medicine Society. She is Co-Chair for the Mass Gathering Medicine Club working with regional event organizers to connect medical student learners with events such as the BC Winter Games and BMO Marathon. Through funding from UBC’s SSRP, Sydney hopes to make a broader impact through her research by examining ways medical care at music festivals can improve safety and reduce facilities. She has also established an annual Ambulance Ride-Along Program for second-year students to experience pre-hospital care in emergency settings.