Learner Advisory Committee Member Shares Aspirations for School of Medicine

Tiffany Deng, an inaugural member of the School of Medicine's newly appointed Learner Advisory Committee and fourth-year Biomedical Physiology major at SFU, delivered a speech at the B.C. Government announcement on July 9 at SFU Surrey. Here is a transcript of her speech:

Good morning, everybody. My name is Tiffany Deng, and I am a fourth-year student at Simon Fraser University majoring in Biomedical Physiology and minoring in Psychology. I am honored to speak with you today as an inaugural member of the SFU School of Medicine Learner Advisory Committee and am especially excited to share our vision and role in shaping this innovative program.

I would like to begin with a territorial land acknowledgement. The SFU Surrey Campus resides on traditional, unceded, and stolen territories, including the Semiahmoo, Katzie, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Kwantlen, Qayqayt and Tsawwassen Nations. I am overwhelmingly grateful for the privilege to speak on these lands today, as Canadian universities, such as SFU, have been long rooted in a colonial history and a colonial present, with respect to education. That being said, the SFU School of Medicine's commitment to embedding Indigenous Knowledge Systems in its curriculum as well as fostering community partnerships, including with the First Nations Health Authority, is a promising step towards addressing these issues that are often overlooked, particularly in the field of medicine.

Furthermore, the Learner Advisory Committee focuses on prioritizing patient-centered care, promoting primary care education, and fostering community-based learning. I recently had the opportunity to meet my peers, which include fellow undergraduate students, medical school students, and current residents, and I can proudly say that this is a team filled with diverse perspectives and experiences. This is a team that is deeply committed to ensuring that the SFU Medical School’s curriculum meets the needs of the British Columbia healthcare system.
Growing up, I saw firsthand the impact of having dedicated family doctors in our community, inspiring me to pursue this exact path myself. Throughout my academic studies, I learned about the value of humanizing people and how this can shape others on a holistic level. I hope to shed more light on this in regard to improving the medical journey as a whole, whether for patients, doctors, or the community.

Future students of this school should be excited about the program's potential to revolutionize medical education in BC. In particular, SFU aims to embed education and training within communities, providing doctors of tomorrow with invaluable experience and inspiring them to pursue careers in primary care across the province. In time, my hope is that this program will graduate doctors who are compassionate, culturally aware, and well-prepared to serve BC’s diverse communities. This curriculum will equip students with the critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills necessary for a rewarding and empowering medical career.

I look forward to the unprecedented impact this new medical school will have among us, on both the healthcare landscape and the well-being of our communities. It is an exciting time for medical education in BC, and I am eager to be a part of this transformative journey.