It is with great pleasure that we announce the re-appointment of Dr. Namta Gupta as Assistant Dean, Student Affairs, Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME), Faculty of Medicine, McGill University. Dr. Gupta has held the position since 2009, dedicating herself to leading the Student Affairs Office in initiating and offering services that promote wellness, resilience and professionalism within the Faculty of Medicine learning environment.
During her first two terms as Assistant Dean Dr. Gupta has helped to introduce a number of initiatives aimed at student wellness. Most recently, she collaborated with her colleagues Dr. Paola Fata, Assistant Dean, Resident Affairs and Ms. Deborah Friedman, Assistant Dean, Student Affairs (Schools), to ensure the availability of evening counselling appointments for students. Other services offered by Dr. Gupta and her team include on-site academic, career and personal counselling, and cultural and financial support. In addition to advocacy and advising, her office organizes a number of information sessions and workshops to address the challenges and opportunities on the road to becoming a doctor.
In 2011, Dr. Gupta oversaw the establishment of the MedWell Office, a space devoted to the wellbeing of medical students and residents. In 2015, it was renamed the WELL (Wellness Enhanced Lifelong Learning) Office and its mandate was expanded to include students from the three professional Schools of the Faculty of Medicine: the Ingram School of Nursing, the School of Physical & Occupational Therapy and the School of Communication Sciences & Disorders. The WELL Office, which Dr. Gupta co-directs with Dr. Fata and Ms. Friedman, now serves some 3,500 Faculty of Medicine students.
Dr. Gupta is the founder and Director of the Longitudinal Wellness Course in McGill’s new medical curriculum. In 2014, she developed an Online Code of Conduct/Wellness Module for second year medical students. She was a member of the New Curriculum Committee during transition to Fundamentals of Medicine and Dentistry (FMD) and Transition to Clinical Practice (TCP). She is a key presenter to all faculty levels regarding the learning environment and the Faculty Code of Conduct and is also responsible for liaising with the Medical Students’ Society executive team and the Fédération médicale étudiante du Québec, among other relevant groups. Additionally, Dr. Gupta serves as the Faculty’s Ombudsperson for UGME.
Dr. Gupta received her MD from the University of Manitoba in 1993 and completed her residency training in Family Medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital Center in Montreal in 1995. She became a Fellow of the College of Family Physicians in 2009 and in 2015 became an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine. In addition, she is past Chief of Teaching and a faculty member at the CSSS de la Montagne.
Dr. Gupta has been involved in teaching at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in our Faculty, with a particular interest in women’s health, health promotion and mental health. An empathetic and effective advocate for student wellness, in 2012-13 she was the recipient of a Mary H. Brown Endowment Award, which funds health and mental health initiatives for students.
We offer our sincere congratulations to Dr. Gupta on her re-appointment, and wish her every continued success in this key area of our educational mandate.
Vice-Principal (Health Affairs)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Vice-Dean, Education
Le 1 juin 2018