by Iciar Iturmendi-Sabater

Graphic design by Jayne Leggatt

If time travel existed, Dr. Mingyao Liu would return to the years when he was a graduate student, without any doubt. Currently the Director of the Institute of Medical Science (IMS), a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, Dr. Liu shares:

“Back when I was a student in China, I was engaged in two pioneering student-led initiatives at the time. First, participating in the summer research programme [as an undergraduate student] developed my passion for research, motivating me to become a graduate student. Then, [we organised] the graduate student research rounds, where students came together in the evening to present their research projects, discussing critiques and suggestions with one another.”

Coincidentally, two weeks after our conversation, the first session of graduate student research rounds had taken place at the IMS. Following this will be the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), which will be happening in the summer months. These are just two examples of the student-focused initiatives that enrich our graduate student experience that Dr. Liu has forged and made a priority since becoming Director in 2015.

Dr. Liu’s journey through the IMS has been extensive: “I became an IMS faculty member in 1997. In the year 2000, when Dr. Ori Rotstein was named the new Director of the IMS, he appointed me as a Graduate Coordinator. Back then, the IMS Students’ Association (IMSSA) was the only student-led group related to the IMS.” After moving on to another leadership role at the School of Graduate Studies, Dr. Liu was recruited back as Associate Director of the IMS by Dr. Alan Kaplan in 2012. When he came back, the IMS Magazine was taking its first steps, and the Raw Talk podcast soon followed. Dr. Liu continues: “In 2014, Alan was promoted to Vice Dean for Graduate Affairs in the Faculty of Medicine. So, I became the Interim Director for half a year. From 2015 onwards I have been the Director of the IMS.”

One person that inspired Dr. Liu to make student life a centrepiece in the IMS was Dr. Catharine Whiteside, who was a Graduate Coordinator before him and became the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. “She really saw the students as the centre of training programs”, says Dr. Liu, who says that “students are the glue that sticks our IMS community together.” Dr. Liu recounts that “In 2018, Dr. Mel Silverman, another former IMS Director, came with me to visit Harvard University’s Division of Medical Science”. They embarked on this trip because, similar to the IMS, Harvard’s Division of Medical Science has about 500 graduate students who are also in teaching hospitals, and 600 faculty members. The visit was an opportunity to learn how to make student life a centrepiece of our IMS program, an initiative that Harvard was already pioneering at the time. “After we came back from Boston, we organised the IMS’s 50-year anniversary celebration. We had a scientific symposium on the subject of graduate education in medical science,” shares Dr. Liu. He encouraged Professor Nicole Harnett, Chair of IMS Curriculum Committee, to develop graduate, for-credit modular courses with the help of students, so that students could begin leading their own training.

Faculty and administrative staff of the IMS have strongly supported the IMS’s goal to make student life the cornerstone of the program. With their support, UofT Talks was developed, an annual symposium hosted by IMS students and alumni where a specific human-health related topic is examined. Last year, UofT Talks dived into the impact of food on human health. Moreover, the Peer-2-Peer Mentorship Program was established, partnering upper-year graduate students with new IMS students to help them navigate through graduate school and promote success. Lastly, the IMS International Community was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic to support and unite our strong body of international students.

In this way, Dr. Liu explains, “the student initiatives were gradually developed in my first couple of years as Director. Dr. Brenda Toner [a Graduate Coordinator at the time] established the Student, Alumni, and Faculty Engagement (SAFE) Committee”. The SAFE Committee now brings together faculty, alumni, and current student representatives from IMS student groups to enhance the graduate student experience. The IMS wanted “student groups to be working together and have good communication. We formalised the terms of reference for each student group and gave the Committee a budget to adjudicate among the student groups transparently. This was a critical transformation for student group management. Dr. Samantha Anthony and Sarah Topa did a great job further developing the SAFE Committee,” says Dr. Liu.

Looking ahead, Dr. Liu shares that there are new initiatives the IMS is working on. For example, the Individual Development Plan (IDP) programme has recently been introduced, aimed at ensuring that all IMS students are supported in fostering professional goals for post-graduation, and that their graduate training elevates each student to their future career success. “We are going to hire one particular faculty member to continue the development of the IDP programme,” shares Dr. Liu. The IMS will also focus on knowledge dissemination by further supporting UofT Talks, and by expanding the Health Care Innovation Challenge. The Health Care Innovation Challenge is a competition for IMS students, founded by former IMS students Serena Peck and Kayvan Aflaki, that gives an opportunity for students to find and design applicable solutions to pressing health-care problems. “We think the Health Care Innovation Challenge is a platform not only for our students to contribute to healthcare innovation, but also an opportunity for them to better understand the intricacies of the healthcare system”, comments Dr. Liu, who firmly believes this initiative really helps students in their career development.

Future plans do not stop there, says Dr. Liu, adding that “another thing we have to do is hold a welcome celebration for our graduating PhD cohorts. We want to celebrate the success of PhD students not just in the last week of their studies, but really recognise their significant contributions and encourage more students to transfer from Masters to PhD.” Additionally, the IMS wants to further encourage international students to get to know each other by supporting the IMS International Community.

What makes student initiatives flourish at the IMS is a well-knit net of faculty, alumni, students, and staff willing to work together to improve student life. Dr. Liu attributes the success of this network to his support team: “Dr. Reinhart Reithmeier taught me how to become a leader and how to run a graduate program. Doing this would not have been possible without Dr. Lucy Osborne and Dr. Reinhart Reithmeier’s support. Again, Dr. Samantha Anthony and Sarah Topa are really the two secret weapons that turn our ideas into work.”

With admiration, Dr. Liu tells me “I truly feel our students are so great” and recognises that “there are so many wonderful things about working with students” who are motivated to make the most of the opportunities they have at the IMS. Although before our interview, I felt nervous to talk to the IMS Director himself, I ended our video call feeling relaxed and grateful. We, IMS students, are in incredible hands. Promoting student life and building a sense of community at the IMS attests to Dr. Liu’s true interest and care for the wellbeing of each member of our IMS community.