At the 2025 annual meeting of the American Osler Society (AOS) in Pasadena, California, McGill University medical students delivered award-winning presentations, underscoring the growing significance of medical humanities in medical education. Three students—Meygan Brody, Paris Dastjerdi, and Reda Hessi—participated, continuing McGill's strong tradition in this field. Paris Dastjerdi won first prize for her presentation "Restoring Avicenna's Tomb: A Historical Analysis of William Osler's Efforts," while Meygan Brody received third prize for "Justifying Judgment: How Canadian Temperance Textbooks Use Medicine to Teach Morality." Reda Hessi presented on "Harold Griffith and Sir Robert Macintosh: Untold Stories of Curare's Journey to the Operating Room." Since the inception of the Best Medical Student Presentations awards in 2023, McGill students have won six of nine prizes, including first prize all three years.
The meeting also highlighted the impact of the Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship Program, established in 2024 on behalf of Faustino Bernadett and his family. This program provides funding for students to pursue medical humanities research in the United Kingdom. Reda Hessi, one of the two recipients, completed a four-week research project in London titled "The Reception of Curare in Medicine and the Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry." Hessi expressed gratitude, stating, "This exceptional opportunity to engage with rare collections in the UK will deeply enrich my research and broaden my perspective." The scholarship program expands opportunities for medical students to explore historical and ethical dimensions of medicine, fostering a deeper understanding of the field.
McGill alumni also made notable contributions. Brendan Ross, a psychiatry resident at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, served as both presenter and session chair, while Ali Fazlollahi, a recent graduate and previous Molina award winner, participated. Annmarie Adams delivered the McGovern Lecture, entitled "Maude Abbott: A Life in Ten Spaces," exploring Abbott's pioneering studies on congenital cardiac disease and her enduring relationship with William Osler through a spatial biography approach. The lecture emphasized the importance of preserving and analyzing the contributions of historical figures in medicine.
The 2025 AOS meeting successfully highlighted the intersection of medicine and the humanities, with McGill's participation playing a pivotal role in advancing this mission. The support of the Osler Library Board of Curators and the Montreal community was instrumental in enabling students' attendance. The Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship Program, detailed on the American Osler Society website, represents a significant investment in the future of medical humanities. For more on Faustino Bernadett's philanthropic work, visit bernadett.org. The continued success of McGill students at the AOS meeting underscores the value of integrating humanities into medical training, preparing future physicians to think critically about the history and ethics of their profession.
