As part of our Back to School 2025 coverage, we asked our graduate students to share their experiences of studying Family Medicine as they begin their new academic year.
Name: Yun Winda Hao
Degree: Master student in Family Medicine听
Supervisor: Isabelle Vedel &听Claire Godard-Sebillotte
Hometown: Yichang, China & Toronto, Canada
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What inspired you to pursue graduate studies in Family Medicine?
I am passionate about family medicine within the large domain of healthcare, since I think it鈥檚 the discipline that helps improve the holistic wellness and quality of life for people. Family medicine allows us to understand patients and their needs directly, so that we can then make responsible and impactful changes to the healthcare system, that will help their health in meaningful, lasting ways, while meeting their emotional and spiritual needs.
What areas of primary care or research are you most passionate about?
Through academic and hospital research, I would like to further the healthcare system鈥檚 policies towards developing plans that meet the needs of the aging populations from marginalized backgrounds.
Do you have any goals for your time here that you hope to achieve?
My goal is to be a responsible, helpful, and dedicated student and research assistant towards my supervisors, and successfully complete my thesis project. I would also like to learn from fellow classmates about the various trends and interests in family medicine, and hope to foster new and innovative ideas that will help this field flourish, while making real impact that will help people.
What are you most excited (or nervous) about as you begin this new chapter in your graduate studies?
I am most excited to meet my classmates and professors, to learn from them and their research, and communicate ideas to help further the family medicine discipline.
What would you like to do after you graduate/ what are your career goals?
I would like to continue in research and policy in academia and hospitals, to help create lasting changes that meet the needs of the different populations in primary care.
What are your first impressions of Montreal?听
Montreal is an extremely student-friendly city. It鈥檚 a very multicultural and vibrant city, where people from different backgrounds can get along and learn from each other. A lot of good restaurants, caf茅s, and parks to check out!
Do you have any Back to School hacks?
I love to organize my schooling and research using program management tools, such as Trello. The Kanban board method (i.e., Doing, To-Do, Done) helps me organize and break-down my tasks so that things are easy to follow and manage.
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Best of luck听Yun!
