The MBPGSA aims to represent the welfare and interests of each MBP student at UofT, while still planning amazing social and academic events to throughout the year. This includes some of our major events like the Geneva Park Retreat, Annual Holiday Party, James Lepock Memorial (JLM) Symposium and much more!
Information about elections, as well as all of the Council Positions are described below, and information about specific committees can be found in the Committees dropdown in the header.
Elections
Each year, elections take place to form the new Executive Team, and students can apply to committees or other appointed positions. The schedule for elections is roughly as follows:
Late July - Early Aug: Nomination period opens
Following week: Campaign period
Following week: Voting period
If you have any questions, please contact us. Full details can be found in our 2018 MBPGSA Electoral By-Laws.
Elected Positions
These positions require a nomination and are voted upon by all MBP students.
President
One Downtown President and one Uptown President
Must have at least one year previous experience on the MBPGSA, with preference toward PhD candidates. MSc candidates will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the CRO
Advocate for MBP students at faculty and departmental levels
Coordinate and supervise the affairs of the GSA
Sit on the MBP Faculty Executive Committee as the student representative
Attend meetings of the Interdepartmental Presidential Roundtable
Call and preside over meetings of the GSA
Appoint the Chief Returning Officer (CRO)
Coordinate the MBP Open House, with the administration and the CRO
Coordinate the MBP Interview/Orientation Day, with the administration
Downtown Vice-President
Appoint and liaise with the head coordinators of the Geneva Park and JLM Committees
Schedule and coordinate GSU representatives to attend monthly UTGSU meetings
Facilitate the first-year mentorship program, giving guidance to the First-Year Representatives
Assume the roles and responsibilities of the President should the President be unavailable
Act as ombudsperson
Address issues/conflicts raised by students through an ad-hoc feedback committee
In the case there is no fit candidate for Finance Representative, the Vice-President will assume the roles and responsibilities outlined
Uptown VICE-PRESIDENT
Assume the roles and responsibilities of the President should the President be unavailable
Represent and coordinate the financial affairs of the GSA
Keep proper records of financial spending of the GSA and its various committees, in the case of an audit
Manage the budgets of the GSA and its various committees
Ensure the Student Initiative Fund is upheld
FINANCE REPRESENTATIVE
Represent and coordinate the financial affairs of the GSA
Keep proper records of financial spending of the GSA and its various committees, in the case of an audit
Manage the budgets of the GSA and its various committees
Ensure the Student Initiative Fund is upheld
COMMUNICATIONS REPRESENTATIVE
Responsible for the transcription and distribution of the agendas and/or minutes of meetings of the GSA
Responsible for the transcription and distribution of minutes of any town halls called by the Department Chair
Maintain all documentation relevant to the GSA, including but not limited to contact information of council and committee members, the Constitution, and the By-Laws
Maintain the various social media platforms of the GSA and, in the case there is no fit candidate for Webmaster, the GSA website
Coordinate the bi-weekly student newsletter, and any other communications or media initiatives
International Student REPRESENTATIVE
Be the official spokesperson of the international Downtown and Uptown students of the association
Sit on the MBP Faculty Executive Committee as a liaison between the international members of the Association and the faculty of the Department
Coordinate with other Departmental International Student Representatives in the Faculty of Medicine on issues affecting students across the Faculty
SOCIAL REPRESENTATIVES
Maximum 3 may be elected - at least one from both Downtown and Uptown, with a maximum of 2 from either
Act as head coordinator(s) of the Social Committee
Organize monthly social events
Organize the annual MBP Holiday Party, and appoint a separate organizing committee, if necessary
Coordinate sports-related events, including but not limited to intramural teams, viewing events, tournaments, etc.
Represent MBP when organizing collaborative events with other departments
FIRST-YEAR REPRESENTATIVES
Maximum of 2 may be elected
Present first-year interests and concerns to the GSA
Coordinate the MBP Mentorship Program, and any other first-year-related initiatives
Aid in the organization of the MBP Orientation Day with the President
Appointed Positions & Committees
Appointed positions and heads of committees are discussed and decided upon by the Executive Team, based on interest and previous council history. Students can also apply to be members of the committees listed below. If you are interested in an appointed position or becoming a member of one of the following organizing committees, please email the indicated contact.
CHIEF RETURNING OFFICER (CRO)
Must be a currently enrolled student who has previously served as MBPGSA President (at any time), or Vice-President in the case there is no fit candidate
Aids the President in his or her duties in an advisory capacity
Ensure the Constitution and its By-Laws are upheld
Act as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and coordinate the general elections with impartiality, with the aid of the administration and Webmaster
Webmaster
The webmaster may be from either Downtown or Uptown, but must be available by, minimum, email to both Downtown and Uptown representatives
Maintain and update the GSA website
Maintain the various social media platforms of the GSA, if necessary
Integral to maintaining the GSA website’s elections platform during Elections
GSU REPRESENTATIVES
Minimum of 2 must be appointed from the Downtown GSA and 2 from the Uptown GSA
Attend monthly UTGSU Council meetings
Report all UTGSU affairs at meetings of the GSA
Act as liaison between the GSA and the UTGSU
SOCIAL COMMITTEE
Chaired by the Social Representatives, the MBP Social Committee organizes various events to cater to the social needs of MBP students. We plan annual events, such as the FacMed Halloween Party, Movember x MBP, the Holiday Party, and St. Patty's Day, and complement these with smaller, monthly events that are more diverse in nature, such as movie nights, summer patio nights, day trips to explore Toronto, and sports games. Every member is given the opportunity to plan and execute an event on their own, so this is a great opportunity to get involved with the MBPGSA.
JAMES LEPOCK MEMORIAL (JLM) SYMPOSIUM COMMITTEE
The James Lepock Memorial Student Symposium is an important event, which commemorates the significant contributions of the Dr. James Lepock to research and the Department of Medical Biophysics and provides an opportunity for MBP students to present their research in a conference setting. The JLM Symposium is a student-led initiative, which fosters scientific debate across disciplines, streams and institutes. MBP students have the opportunity to showcase their research in the form of either a scientific poster or oral presentation at the Symposium, and best presenters are recognized with merit awards. This event also features keynote addresses from both local and international experts in the field of Medical Biophysics and is attended by more than 150 students and faculty members every year.
The JLM is a day-long event and is open to all graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, summer/co-op students in MBP and all faculty members in the Faculty of Medicine. Each year, the Symposium Committee plans and executes to deliver a successful JLM Symposium.
GENEVA PARK RETREAT COMMITTEE
The MBP Geneva Park Organization Committee plans and organizes the scientific programmes for the annual Medical Biophysics Annual Retreat at Geneva Park. This event occurs over three days and allows for students to meet with faculty members in Medical Biophysics and to learn about their research programmes in a relaxed and bucolic setting. We have a Departmental meeting, keynote talk, spotlight talk, and an award banquet, as well as recreational time. Members of this committee connect with faculty, schedule speaker events, and plan recreational activities for students.
MBP CAREER DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
The Medical Biophysics Career Development Association is a new student-run initiative aimed to connect current MBP students with alumni through panel sessions, workshops, culminating in an alumni reception. Our goal is to offer students with resources to aid in the transition from graduation to employment. Along with our alumni events, we intend to build an online network through LinkedIn to connect the MBP community. We are also collaborating with other graduate career-development associations (Molecular Genetics, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, and Science Career Impact Project) to hold inter-departmental events.
MBP COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE
The MBP Community Outreach Committee is a newly developed student-run initiative with a mission to promote scientific engagement within the Toronto community at large, by bringing together the expertise of MBP students and faculty to educate and inspire future generations of researchers. This will involve creating, and connecting with existing, science outreach events for MBP students to get involved in (i.e. presenting your research to the general public, talking to high school students, etc.) and general volunteer events.
This past year we organized a very successful March Break workshop for upper-level high school students with an expressed interest in pursuing a university education in biomedical sciences. These students were able to attend presentations from MBP graduate students and faculty members; have guided tours through some of our institute’s scientific facilities; and engage in workshops run by MBP graduate students.
More and bigger events are yet to come, so if you’re interested in doing some good and creating/planning community service events for the Toronto community and the MBPGSA, please join!
MBP Podcast Series
The MBP Podcast series is an initiative aimed to strengthen our MBP research community by encouraging students, faculty and alumni to communicate to a diverse audience through podcasts and video. This also allows us to promote our research and department to potential students, PDFs and the general public. Furthermore, the podcast and video series constitutes an interactive way for MBP faculty members to engage more with the general members of our department, fostering a sense of community, and increase awareness on the breadth and quality of research being undertaken at MBP.
Members-At-Large
There is no maximum to the number of people who can sign up to be a member-at-large
Members-at-large can add a helping hand to any of the planning committees as they see fit
Members-at-large will be included in MBPGSA emails and asked to volunteer at any given event