CHHM Trainee Accolades: 2nd Annual Trainee Poster Day
The 2nd Annual CHHM Trainee Poster Afternoon was held on Friday, March 06, 2009. The goals of this event were twofold: 1) academic - to have trainees prepare and present a poster and give and receive feedback, all contained within a safe and supportive environment and 2) social - to foster an environment of discussion and collaboration for trainees, associates, and fellows.
The event began with a keynote address from Dr. Heather McKay and a round of introduction by participants over lunch. All attendees who registered received a gift bag which included the schedule and feedback forms, an event CD compiling trainee posters, and UBC stationery.
Poster presentations were divided into two one-hour sessions in which trainees delivered separate presentations about their poster to their peers and mentors. Poster presenters receieved feedback from their peers about their posters as well as from the CHHM committee. A total of 17 posters were presented. At the busiest time of the event, there were almost 50 attendees. Dr. Anne Wallis and Ian Kerr provided details about the CHHM operations and future directions before Dr. Heather McKay closed the event with some final words. Attendees also enjoyed coffee, tea, and treats during the 15 minute socialization breaks between the poster sessions and pizza and beverages at the social which capped the event.
Feedback from the event was extremely positive. Trainees commented that it is certainly worth the time committment and learning about the projects of other trainees was very helpful and interesting. The feedback from the event will help in the development of next years event as well as other smaller workshops for trainees.