July 2025 Newsletter

In this issue:

  • 11th Annual Weight Stigma Conference: Share Your Experience!

  • Call for Student Collaborators: Tackling Weight Bias in Medical Simulations

  • Save the Date: AWSIM Fall Symposium

  • Find AWSIM on Instagram

Are you attending the 11th Annual International Weight Stigma Conference? We want to hear from you!

6-7 JULY 2025 GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA & ONLINE

The 11th Annual International Weight Stigma Conference is just around the corner, and we’re thrilled to see our med student community continue pushing the boundaries of weight-inclusive research, practice, and advocacy on a global scale.

Are you attending? Are you presenting? Are you following any of the conversations online? We want to feature your experience in our next issue of the MSSI newsletter!

If you are a medical student attending the conference this year in any capacity, we’d love for you to share:

  • Photos from the event

  • Research highlights or key takeaways

  • Personal reflections or stories

  • Summaries or recaps of your favourite sessions

  • Or anything else you’d like to share!

We'd love to feature your reflections, highlights, and stories in the next MSSI newsletter. You can submit as much or as little as you like — whether it's a photo, a standout research presentation, or a brief recap of your experience.

Call for Student Collaborators: Tackling Weight Bias in Medical Simulations

Are you passionate about improving medical education?

MSSI faculty advisors Dr. Anna Whelan and Dr. Cathryn Williams are partnering with faculty and standardized patient (SP) educators at UMass Chan to evaluate and address weight-biased language and framing in early clinical learning experiences (ECLs) and OSCEs.

We're looking for MSSI students interested in joining this initiative to help identify areas for improvement and contribute to creating more inclusive, equitable learning environments. If you're interested or want to learn more, we’d love to connect! Let us know at [email protected].

Save the Date: AWSIM’s Fall Symposium (Virtual)

We’re so excited to share that AWSIM’s first official symposium is happening this fall!

Mark your calendars for Friday, October 24th, 2025, from 12–4pm EST, live on Zoom. 

The theme this year is “Building community – Supporting patients and each other.”

Find AWSIM on social media!

This newsletter was authored by MSSI member Sophie Lalonde-Bester (University of Alberta).