CaRMS Prep Series
Saturday April 18th 2026
The CFMS is excited to offer CMSC attendees with our highly popular CaRMS preparatory series, back by popular demand! This year’s iteration will be hosted by multiple final year medical students and residents to reflect the multiple specialties and their unique requirements. As in previous years, this will be a large group series with opportunities for questions and mingling after the event. This is a great opportunity to meet some current and soon-to-be residents and ask all of your questions regarding residency!
Session 1: Succeeding in Clerkship and Electives (1 hour)
Starting clerkship can be an intimidating step in your medical student journey. This session will cover ways you can go above and beyond, get started early on building a strong CaRMS application, and get a strong reference letter. We will also discuss how to plan your electives and how to stand out during electives, especially when taking on a rotation in an unfamiliar environment.
Session 2: Creating a Strong Personal Letter and CV (1 hour)
Building your story through the curriculum vitae (CV) and personal statement will be the foundation of your CaRMS application. Join us for this session where we will look at samples from successful applicants to highlight how to build a strong CV step-by-step and craft a unique message through your writing. In this session, we will also discuss how to approach well-roundedness through the many sections of the CV, including research, leadership, awards, extracurriculars, and more!
Session 3: Acing the Interview: Tips and Tricks (1 hour)
This session will cover the structure and themes of residency interviews. We will cover broad strategies catered to different specialties including how to start preparing your own answers and some sample challenging interview questions. This session will also cover some tips and tricks on speaking confidently and how to phrase answers to be as strong as possible.
There will be an additional 30 minutes remaining after this session dedicated to informal Q&A with our featured residents and networking with peers.
Featured Resident Panelists
Host: Jun Kim
Undergrad: Honours Specialization in Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences at Western University
University of Manitoba
Medical School: University of Manitoba
Residency: Internal Medicine at University of Toronto
Jun Kim is a final year medical student at the University of Manitoba who is eager to be moving to Toronto for Internal Medicine! He was previously the Director of Global Health for the CFMS and now serves as the Associate President. Jun has never shied away from an opportunity to speak, being an invited speaker to give seminars at the Teacher’s College at Western University and at CMSC for the CFMS. He was the former Canadian Parliamentary National Debate Champion and is a public speaking coach. The places you’re most likely to see Jun are out and about on a run, at home enjoying a game of Catan, or at his computer frantically playing bullet chess.
Meera Chopra
Undergrad: Bachelor’s of Health Sciences
Medical School: University of Toronto
Residency: Internal Medicine at the University of Calgary
Meera Chopra is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Toronto and is thrilled to be moving to Calgary for Internal Medicine residency! She is currently the Director of Student Affairs with the CFMS (previously, she was one of the CFMS’s newsletter editors!). Meera’s work centres on creating supportive and welcoming learning spaces - from co-leading an interdisciplinary conference on social accountability in healthcare to contributing to national policy recommendations on student health and wellbeing. She is actively involved in medical education, facilitating workshops for both HOSA Canada and the University of Toronto’s Interprofessional Education curriculum, and contributing to curricular design initiatives at the University of Toronto to facilitate education on inclusivity in medicine. Outside of medicine, you can usually find Meera out on a run (with Jun), learning how to pickle, and shopping at her local Winners (with Jenny).
Jenny Xinye Hu
Undergrad: Masters of Science in Global Health, Bachelor’s of Health Sciences (Honours)
Medical School: McMaster University
Residency: Internal Medicine at Western University
Jenny Xinye Hu is a final year medical student at McMaster University who is excited to finally join the Mustangs at Western for Internal Medicine! Previously the Associate Global Health for the CFMS, she now serves as the Director Global Health where she also leads the Canadian delegation to the International Federation of Medical Student Associations. Passionate about global health education, Jenny is a founding member of the original Trans Health Bootcamp, supports PGME courses in global health, and facilitates undergraduate modules in disaster health. She is a former competitive debater and continues to work in youth public speaking. On any given day, you’ll find Jenny running around with her camera, finding an excuse for a sweet treat, or heading out for a late-night bowl of pho with Meera Chopra.
Mark Garabedian
Undergrad: Neuroscience at Western University
Medical School: McGill University
Residency: Orthopaedic Surgery at University of Toronto
Mark Garabedian is a final year medical student at McGill University. He’s thrilled to be returning to his hometown of Toronto to pursue orthopaedic surgery! He has served as the CFMS Quebec Regional Director for the last two years and took on the role of executive vice-president this year. As cofounder of the sports medicine club at McGill and captain of McGill Med’s hockey team, Mark’s a sports fanatic through and through. You can often find him playing beach volleyball, tearing up the slopes, or strategizing his fantasy football team. Mark also hosts the Royal College’s Specialty Café Podcast to help medical students explore careers in medicine.
Sam Alatorre
Undergrad: Bachelor’s of Health Sciences
Medical School: University of Calgary
Residency: Family Medicine & Public Health, PGY1, University of Calgary
Sam Alatorre is a first-year FM-PHPM resident at the University of Calgary. He served as President of the CFMS in 2024-2025, leading the CFMS through the development of their 2025-2030 Strategic Plan and advocating nationally for a fair and equitable match process! He now serves in his advisory role as Past-President. Sam holds a Masters of Public Health in Public Health Policy and has had the privilege of working with non-profits such as Heart & Stroke and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) as a policy analyst, experiences that inspired him to pursue FM-PHPM. The places you’re most likely to see Sam are on the Tennis court flexing his one-hand back hand, sharing laughs over dinner with his fiance and family, or trying to beat Jun at bullet chess.
