St. Michael’s Hospital Research Student Association Events

Our scheduled events will also be posted on the St. Michael’s Hospital Research Events Page and be distributed through the Research Training Centre and SRSA newsletters.

Here is a list of the types of events held by the St. Michael’s Hospital Research Student Association:

Student Life

SRSA Picnic Party 

SRSA would like to host a picnic for all SMH graduate students and trainees to enjoy the beautiful warm weather. We will be providing food and drinks and there will be outdoor activities for everyone to enjoy. Our picnic social will be taking place on June 17, 2022 at the Trinity Bellwoods Park from 5 to 8 pm. Please bring your own towel/blanket to sit on.

 

SRSA Pub Night

SRSA is hosting a Pub Night at the Firkin on Yonge on Friday, April 22nd from 6PM. Don’t forget to sign up on our Eventbrite before spots run out! Appetizers are on us!

 

SRSA Networking Social 

Are you a graduate student looking to network with your fellow peers? Are you interested in research as a career? Are you curious about what avenues you may pursue to achieve your professional goals? Come join SRSA on Feb 23 at 2-4pm for a networking session with your peers and principal investigators. Bring your questions and concerns, and get ready to NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK!

 

SRSA’s Welcome Back Social: Virtual Board Games Night 

Welcome back, everyone! SRSA will be hosting a virtual board games night. Winners will be awarded a gift card!

 

Holiday Social – Pub Night 

SRSA is hosting a holiday social at a bar in downtown Toronto. We will be giving free appetizers for all attendees! Please sign up at the eventbrite link below to secure your spot.

 

Halloween Social: Virtual Murder Mystery 

Come join SRSA for a spooky night of solving murders! Take a virtual tour of a haunted house with us and help us solve a murder! All attendees will automatically be entered for a raffle prize!

 

Academic

SRSA Thesis Writing Workshop – Session 3: The Oral Defense 

Join us for the third and final session of our Thesis Writing Workshop series to learn the ins and outs of a thesis defense presentation. We are delighted to have Dr. Howard Mount give a review on components and requirements of a thesis presentation! You will have the opportunity to ask your questions during the Q&A session at the end.

Dr. Howard Mount is a neuroscientist with the Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, at the Toronto Western Hospital. He is also Associate Professor Emeritus in the Dept. Psychiatry and Graduate Studies Liaison in the Dept. Physiology. Dr. Mount previously served for 12 years as Graduate Coordinator and Director of Education in the Institute of Medical Science. A major part of this role was to demystify the degree completion process and provide guidance to students on thesis preparation and oral exam expectations.

 

SRSA Thesis Writing Workshop-Session 2 

Are you beginning to work on your thesis but are confused on how to actually start writing? Join us for the second session of our Thesis Writing Workshop series! We will have a recent graduate and an experienced PI go through what to include in your thesis and some helpful tips and tricks!

 

Shut Up and Write! SRSA Writing Session 

Having trouble with finding the time and motivation to write? Join our writing sessions as we come together for a couple of hours of pure productivity! The drop-in sessions will follow the Pomodoro technique where there will be a sequence of short sprints of writing with a few breaks in between. Work on your thesis, your next research paper, or you can even use the time to plan out your next project! Join us each week to be entered into our biweekly raffle to win a gift card!

 

SRSA Thesis Writing Workshop-Session 1 

Are you beginning to work on your thesis but are confused how to actually start writing? SRSA invites you to the first session of our Thesis Writing Workshop series on Tuesday, February 22nd from 10-11:30 AM. Dr. Jane Freeman, the founding director of School of Graduate Studies’ the Graduate Centre for Academic Communication (GCAC) will be giving a workshop on how to plan writing your thesis, the resources you may need and other general information of scientific thesis writing. You will have the opportunity to ask questions from Dr. Freeman at the end of the session!

 

Elevator Pitch Competition & Networking Session 

SRSA X RTC are proud to present you the Elevator Pitch Competition and networking event on November 25th from 3-5:30 PM! Come see your peers showcase their research in a fierce 3-minute talk and compete for a cash prize of $150. Audience vote matters so come out and support this year’s contestants!

 

Elevator Pitch Competition: Preparation Session 

Dr. Erica Conte (Director Funding Strategy and Stewardship) and Ana Gajic (Senior Communications Advisor) will be delivering a session on how to present your research to a lay audience! This event is open to everyone but mandatory for all of the Elevator Pitch Competition competitors!

 

Internal Peer Review Program: 

Are you submitting to OGS? The SRSA Internal Peer Review Program provides St. Michael’s Hospital trainees with an opportunity to receive a full peer review of their scholarship applications prior to submitting to the granting agency. Please submit your proposal a minimum of 2 weeks before your departmental deadline!

 

How to Become a Better Reviewer

Dr. Katalin Szaszi and Dr. Janet Parsons from the Research Training Centre will be giving a workshop on how to become a better reviewer. Come learn how to catch and avoid common mistakes in grant and scholarship applications. This workshop is open for everyone but is mandatory for those participating as reviewers for the Internal Peer Review Program.

 

Scholarship workshop with Dr. Eno Hysi 

Do you want to learn how to write a successful scholarship application? Dr. Eno Hysi, a recipient of many prestigious awards and scholarships including OGS, Vanier, Banting and KRESCENT, will be giving a workshop on his experience and advice for writing scholarship applications with a Q&A period afterwards.

 

Community Outreach

De-stress with Therapy Dogs – Fri, June 10th 12-1 PM

Grad school can be stressful so come and de-stress with the St. John’s Ambulance therapy dogs on June 10th from 12-1pm. We have limited space available so fill out the form below to reserve your spot! We will do our best to accommodate your preferred 15 minute time slot.

This event is only for SMH graduate students.
This event was made possible by the University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Wellness Grant.

SRSA Menstrual Product Drive 

SRSA has partnered with the Moon Time Sisters to collect menstrual products for distribution in remote & Indigenous communities throughout Canada where access is limited.

We are accepting donations of menstrual products throughout the month of June on 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor LKSKI.

The #1 requested item is light-weight pads. Open boxes of individually wrapped items will be accepted.
We are currently not accepting menstrual cups.

To find out more about the Moon Time Sisters and their initiative, check out their Instagram @moontimesistersont or at truenorthaid.ca

Fitness Session

SRSA and the University of Toronto Sports and Rec are pleased to present the Big HIIT Fitness Class as a part of our Mental Health Month activities. Physical activity is a great wellness activity and can help improve both physical and mental health. Join us on March 17th at 10AM for a fun and active way to start your day.

 

Do not forget to keep filling out your Mental Health Month BINGO card for a chance to win one of three $30 gift cards! This was made possible by the University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Wellness Grant.

Paint Night

SRSA is hosting a virtual Paint Night on March 17th at 5 PM as part of Mental Health Month. Join us for a fun night of arts and crafts and wellness! All registrants will be able to pick up a supply pack containing all supplies needed for the paint night throughout the month of March!

 

Do not forget to keep filling out your Mental Health Month BINGO card for a chance to win one of three $30 gift cards! This was made possible by the University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Wellness Grant.

Burnout Recovery Workshop 

SRSA and CICMH are excited to present a workshop on Burnout Recovery as a part of Mental Health Month! Join us to get a better understanding of how burnout permeates our lives in diverse ways, as well as a 3-step plan of action in recovering from burnout.

Do not forget to keep filling out your Mental Health Month BINGO card for a chance to win one of three $30 gift cards! This was made possible by the University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Wellness Grant.

 

Winter Clothing Drive

Share the warmth this holiday season! As the days get colder, we need your help to keep our community warm this year. We are now accepting clothing donations of new or slightly-used clothing in support of Yonge Street Mission and Double Take. Donations will be collected until January 20th. Look for the donation bins around 1st, 2nd, 3rd-floor LKSKI!

 

Mental Health in Graduate School Workshop

SRSA and CICMH are excited to present a workshop on graduate student mental health! Join us to get a better understanding of mental health issues unique to graduate students as well as coping strategies to help you succeed in graduate school. All participants will receive a wellness goody-bag!

 

October Food Drive – throughout the month of October
We will be supporting the Daily Bread Food Bank throughout the month of October with urgently required food items. Please drop off any items you may have in the boxes located in front of the security desk on 1st floor of LKSKI or outside the Health Sciences Library on the 3rd floor.

Equity

SRSA Pride Month Workshop: Sexual and Gender Diversity 

Join us for a workshop training session with the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office who will introduce us to some foundational awareness and knowledge related to sexual and gender diversity. Along with reviewing some core concepts and terminology, participants will explore how sexual and gender diversity relate to work with patients in frontline and in research contexts. Further, the training will discuss concrete strategies to make workplace and health care provision settings more inclusive and equitable for sexual and gender diverse people through an intersectional lens.

 

Practicing EDI in Graduate Research

Please join us on Tuesday May 31 from 12-2 PM as we invite Dr. Nicole Kaniki to deliver a seminar on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in graduate research. Dr. Kaniki completed her PhD in Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods and her MA in Women’s Studies and Feminist Research at Western University, where she also acted as Special Advisor to the university’s President on anti-racism. Currently, Dr. Kaniki is at the University of Toronto as the first director of EDI in research and innovation.
The seminar will be in-person at the St. Michael’s Hospital Auditorium, so there will be limiting seating. 

 

Black Excellence in Research Panel 

Join us on Wednesday, February 16, 3:30-5:30PM to commemorate Black History Month! Dr. Lisa Robinson will present a keynote session highlighting her journey, accomplishments, challenges, and current research as a renowned Staff Physician. She is the Vice Dean, Strategy & Operations, and Professor, Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, and serves as the Vice Dean lead for the Faculty’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity. She will be accompanied by two other panelists after the keynote session in which you can engage in discussion and ask questions.

 

Microaggression and Active Allyship Workshop 

Please join us for our second workshop in our equity, diversity, and inclusion series, taking place January 20 from 3-5 pm. Open to students/trainees (MSc, PhD, PDF). Come and learn new frameworks to help identify and address microaggression and racial aggression, and understand the notion behind active allyship. The workshop will be provided by the Temerty Faculty of Medicine Office of Inclusion and Diversity.

 

Preventing Racial Discrimination and Harassment in Work and Learning Environments 

Please join us for our FIRST workshop in our equity, diversity, and inclusion series, taking place November 17 from 3-5pm. Open to students/trainees (MSc, PhD, PDF). Come and learn about your responsibility and role to prevent racial discrimination and harassment at work and in learning environments. Workshop is provided by University of Toronto Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office.