OMSA Medical Student of the Month of April 2016 - Brandon Tang
Meet Brandon Tang (University of Toronto), our student of the month for April 2016!
I have known Brandon Tang as a colleague and friend for twelve years. Over this time, I have seen him develop and mature as a leader. Brandon’s sense of awareness and adaptability make him a unique leader; he is able to derive inspiration from his experiences and help others develop their own visions. He leads through accepting challenges, inspiring creative thinking, and engaging in mentorship.
With the University of Toronto Undergraduate MD curriculum undergoing a monumental change, Brandon has accepted the challenging role of VP Education. He has established trust among students and faculty as their medium of communication. He has developed surveys to obtain student feedback on pilot case-based learning experiences. Faculty and students have praised his ability to effectively communicate student concerns and recommendations in a constructive and applicable way in order to refine curriculum. He has also recruited students and placed them in positions of influence on committees to collaborate with faculty on curriculum design.
Brandon has been instrumental in the creation of a curriculum that advocates for the best educational experience; he caters to our learning, professional and personal development, mental health, and social endeavors.
Brandon consistently reflects on his experiences as a teacher and student to develop novel solutions. As a teaching assistant, Brandon identified a need for the Shoulders program to help high school students find mentors and better prepare for transition to post-secondary education. For high school teachers, he has initiated the Teaching Resources section in the Journal of Student Science and Technology as a platform to share teaching strategies and promoting educational reform. Both of these platforms have been designed to allow for others to be leaders and mentors for their peers, creating a stronger community.
Brandon and a colleague have contributed significantly to student wellness by creating a mobile app called "Univore". This app can be used to generate recipes based on what you have in your fridge, which is extremely useful for medical students with very busy schedules.
Brandon’s many leadership roles and accomplishments are a testament to his dedication to education innovation. He understands that leadership is a skill that he needs to cultivate and that innovation is achieved through collaboration. Concurrent with MD education, Brandon is one of nine student leaders chosen for the LEAD program. He seeks to build new partnerships with colleagues from diverse fields in health policy, public health, and business. He has also engaged with the OpenLab group at University Health Network to learn about technology applications, programming, and entrepreneurship. This effort and dedication is admired by his peers and mentors. Brandon’s personality and leadership invite others to seek his support and help. As a leader in medical education, he was requested by peers to co-write a CFMS position paper to advocate for an organ donation curriculum in MD programs across Canada.
A strong leader is willing and able to tackle challenges, inspires change through collaboration, is committed to mentorship and advocacy, and has the drive to always learn more. Every day, Brandon inspires his peers, students, mentors, and community to strive for a better tomorrow; Brandon Tang is a catalyst for positive change.