We were honoured to have Dr. Agnes Wong present our Keynote talk on "Lessons you might not learn on your path to becoming a doctor" as she spoke about her journey in becoming a physician-chaplain and how medical learners can lead a healthy and compassionate life.
Students rotated between 5 resident-run workshop stations where they learned basic ophthalmology skills surrounding glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology and indirect ophthalmoscopy. Notably, many students were excited to get their first experience practicing intravitreal injection on simulated eye models.
The final part of the symposium consisted of resident-run mentoring sessions where students rotated through a variety of PGY1-5 residents to have open and transparent discussions surrounding their unique journeys to the field of ophthalmology and seek advice where needed.
The COS Foundation took a significant step forward by introducing the inaugural "COS Foundation Medical Student Grant." This grant was specifically designed to alleviate the financial burden of the early-bird conference registration fee. Open to ten medical students, the grant application process underwent careful evaluation by a prestigious committee composed of COS Foundation ophthalmologists and CCOR resident physicians.
The selection process considered both the applicants' financial needs and their scholarly achievements, ensuring a fair and comprehensive assessment. In addition to the grant, the fortunate recipients were honoured with a certification of receipt during the day of the medical student symposium at the COS Annual Meeting.
