McGill University medical students achieved remarkable success at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Osler Society in Pasadena, California, reinforcing the university's established reputation in medical humanities research. Three students participated in the gathering of physicians, researchers, and students focused on the history of medicine and its contemporary applications. Paris Dastjerdi earned first prize for her presentation "Restoring Avicenna's Tomb: A Historical Analysis of William Osler's Efforts," while Meygan Brody secured third prize for "Justifying Judgment: How Canadian Temperance Textbooks Use Medicine to Teach Morality." Reda Hessi also presented his work titled "Harold Griffith and Sir Robert Macintosh: Untold Stories of Curare's Journey to the Operating Room."
Since the Best Medical Student Presentations awards were introduced in 2023, McGill students have claimed six of the nine available prizes, including first place in all three years. This sustained achievement highlights McGill's dedication to incorporating humanities viewpoints into medical training. The event also featured contributions from McGill alumni, including Brendan Ross, a psychiatry resident at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, who served as both presenter and session chair, and Ali Fazlollahi, a recent graduate and previous Molina award recipient. Annmarie Adams delivered the McGovern Lecture, "Maude Abbott: A Life in Ten Spaces," which examined Abbott's groundbreaking research on congenital cardiac disease and her lasting connection with William Osler through a spatial biography framework.
The Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship Program, founded in 2024 in honor of Faustino Bernadett and his family, offers funding for students to conduct medical humanities research in the United Kingdom. Reda Hessi was one of two awardees, completing a four-week research project in London called "The Reception of Curare in Medicine and the Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry." Hessi acknowledged the opportunity, noting it would enhance his research and widen his outlook. Program details are accessible at https://www.americanosler.org/content/awards-scholarships/international-medical-student-scholarship-program, while information about Faustino Bernadett's philanthropic efforts can be found at https://www.bernadett.org/.
The 2025 American Osler Society meeting effectively underscored the convergence of medicine and the humanities, with McGill's involvement being crucial to promoting this objective. Support from the Osler Library Board of Curators and the Montreal community was essential in facilitating the students' attendance. This occasion emphasizes the rising significance of historical and ethical viewpoints in medical education, as organizations acknowledge that comprehending medicine's past can guide improved practices and policies moving forward. The growth of scholarship initiatives like the Bernadett program indicates increasing commitment to developing medical professionals capable of critically examining the social and historical aspects of healthcare.
