Conference Grants

The Ontario Medical Student Association offers funding for select Ontario medical students presenting at medical conferences.

Eligible conference topics should address an issue in the realm of healthcare and/or medical education thereby contributing to the advancement of medicine. The research may be basic, clinical, epidemiological, or social science related to medicine. Only researchers presenting at conferences are eligible. Please see the eligibility periods and their respective deadlines below.

Funding of eligible expenses up to $250 will be provided to 16 students per round. All applications will be reviewed for completeness and eligibility. Acceptable applications will then be randomized and one winner from each Ontario medical school will be selected. Any remaining awards will be randomly awarded to the pool of remaining applications (i.e. not school dependent).

Applications will be accepted three times per academic year. The deadlines are:

  • Round #1 (Fall): Friday September 29, 2023 (for conferences September 1 to December 31) to offer 16 grants

  • Round #2 (Winter): Friday February 2, 2024 (for conferences January 1 to April 30) to offer 16 grants

  • Round #3 (Spring/Summer): Friday May 31, 2024 (for conferences May 1 to August 31) to offer 16 grants

Eligibility Requirements:

This grant is available to first-, second-, third-, or fourth-year Ontario medical students only. You must be an enrolled medical student at the time of the conference. 

As of September 2021, all grant applicants must be registered/active members of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). This requires both online registration and paid annual dues of $10. Please visit https://apps.oma.org/MyAccount/profile/ and log in to see your membership status. If you have a dues balance of $0.00 then you are considered registered and active! If you have an outstanding balance, please make the appropriate payment by following the prompts. Applications from non-registered/non-active applicants will be disqualified. 

Virtual conferences are eligible for funding, even if your only expense is the cost of the conference registration fee. We will not reimburse costs associated with conferences that have been canceled completely or delayed indefinitely for any reason. Funding will be provided after submission of original receipts.

Submission Instructions:

Part 1: Please read all grant information and instructions on this page (including eligibility, application details, and requirements) BEFORE applying. Note that many applicants have been disqualified for errors in the past.

Part 2: Download the OMSA Conference Grants Application Form HERE. Provide a detailed outline of the conference you are planning to present at, including location, dates, cost, organizing associations, and topics for discussion. 

Part 3: Prepare your application package. Note that the entire package must be anonymized, with no reference to your name, medical school, or city of origin. All identifying information must be redacted or blacked out. Failure to properly anonymize your application package will result in your disqualification. The following documents must be compiled into a single PDF file:

  • OMSA Conference Grants Application Form

  • Confirmation that you will be presenting at the conference

  • Abstract for your presentation

  • Draft budget (including estimates of transportation, registration fees, housing, meals, and any additional sources of funding)

  • Any additional information you think is relevant

Please do not include your name in the file name, simply submit it with the name “OMSA Conference Grant Application”.

Part 4: Submit your application to the Google Form HERE, and follow the onscreen instructions to complete your application.

Please do not email to request confirmation of the receipt of your application or to inquire about the status of your application. All applicants will be contacted when decisions have been made.  

If you are the successful recipient of a conference grant, you will be contacted by the VP Finance to communicate next steps. You will be required to submit original receipts (including boarding passes if applicable). Funding will be canceled if you do not attend the conference. Best of luck!

Previous Conference Grant Recipients

Winter 2023

Daiana Roxana Pur
Pierre-Marc Dion
Levi Burns
Avneesh Bhangu
Sloane Kowal
Ariel (Ruo Chen) Qi 
Jimin Lee
Jamie Thompson

Fall 2022

Jasmine Khan
Penelope Neocleous
Rakhshan Kamran
Sarah Zachariah
Michael Balas
Marc Lawrence
Tommy Han
Surabhi Sivaratnam

Summer 2022

Bahar Entezari
Nikhil Patil
Ryan Sanford
Alana Sorgini
Jean-Louis Parmasad
Shaishav Datta
Amanda Mac
Rahul Mor

Winter 2022

Muneeb Ahmed - McMaster University, Class of 2023
Lewis Han - University of Ottawa, Class of 2023
Aaron Rosenfeld - University of Ottawa, Class of 2023
Adomas Kulesza - Queen's University, Class of 2023
Amy Basilious - Western University, Class of 2022
Cathy Lu - University of Toronto, Class of 2022
Yuri Chaban - University of Toronto, Class of 2022
Zachary Blatman - University of Toronto, Class of 2022

Summer 2021

Alyssa Gaerke - University of Ottawa, Class of 2023
Carl Zhou - McMaster University
Celina DeBiasio - University of Ottawa, Class of 2022
Cindy Lin - Western University, Class of 2023
David Zheng - Western University, Class of 2022
Evan Tang - University of Toronto, Class of 2023
Gurrattan Chandhoke - University of Ottawa
James-Jules Linton - University of Ottawa, Class of 2023
Jean-Paul Salameh - Queen's University, Class of 2024
Nicole Wiebe - Western University, Class of 2023
Priya Dhir - University of Toronto, Class of 2021
Rishi Bansal - McMaster University, Class of 2023

Winter 2020

Andrew Lam - University of Toronto, Class of 2021
Ahmed Shoeib - University of Ottawa, Class of 2023
Airiss Chan - University of Toronto, Class of 2021
Christopher End - University of Toronto, Class of 2021
Claire Fine - McMaster University, Class of 2022
Dion Diep - University of Toronto, Class of 2021
Elena Wolff - University of Toronto, Class of 2023
Gabriele Jagelaviciute - Queen’s University, Class of 2024
Ghazal Haddad - University of Toronto,  Class 2022
Karthikeyan Manickavachagam - Queen’s University, Class of 2022
Kevin Zhang - University of Toronto, Class of 2021
Kimberley Yuen - Queen's University, Class of 2022
Kristina Yau - University of Ottawa, Class of 2023
Lily Xu - McMaster University, Class of 2021
Mohsyn Imran Malik - Western University, Class of 2022
Rachel Trites and Anique Le Roux - Queen's University, Class of 2022
Victoria Lee-Kim - Queen's University, Class of 2022
Yousuf Ahmed - University of Toronto, Class of 2022
Zhao Xun Feng - University of Ottawa, Class of 2021

Summer 2020

Ali Finstad - University of Ottawa,  Class of 2022
Caberry Yu - Queen's University, Class of 2021
Lindsay Cho - University of Toronto, Class of 2020
Yuliya Lytvyn - University of Toronto, Class of 2023