Mentorship Program

Call for 2024 Indigenous Student Mentors

The Indigenous Students Health Sciences Mentorship program invites interested learners to apply to be mentors for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Each year, Indigenous learners are recruited from all areas of the Faculty of Health Sciences and related health programs to be Mentors. The ISHS Mentorship program intends to support Mentors with professional development opportunities and linkages with Indigenous and non-Indigenous professional organizations.

Mentors are also part of our recruitment and outreach events and activities such as Come Explore Health Careers, which helps Indigenous youth learn about career paths in health sciences. It is often the highlight of the year when we can bring students to McMaster and explore future pathways!

Interested learners are invited to apply to the ISHS Mentorship program by emailing the Learner Services Coordinator at LSCIHLL@mcmaster.ca and let us know you are interested!

Dr. Josiah Butt

HBSc, MD

(Saddle Lake Cree)

Biography

Curtis Sobchak is an Internal Medicine Resident at McMaster University. Curtis is of Mohawk background and was born in St. Catharines, Ontario. He attended the University of Toronto, where he completed a double major in physiology and global health and a minor in classical civilization, before completing medical school also at the University of Toronto. During this time, Curtis also pursued research projects at the Hospital for Sick Children and Women’s College Hospital regarding lung and GI physiology and psoriatic arthritis.

Throughout medical school, Curtis has been a strong advocate for both Indigenous and marginalized communities. He was a member of the Indigenous Student Application Program (ISAP) of MD Admissions, created the Indigenous Student Handbook, coordinated the Varsity Docs afterschool program, and has volunteered within the Native Child and Family Services of Toronto.

Now in residency, Curtis has set his sights upon subspecializing in rheumatology. He hopes to combine his interests in rheumatology and Indigenous health, addressing clinical issues such as the lack of specialists available to marginalized and Indigenous communities, while also investigating the relationship between these communities and higher disease burden. Curtis looks forward to incorporating Indigenous values and health into his training and hopes to continue to advocate for improving diversity in medical professions.