Since 2018, the program has connected over 1,000 student-mentor pairs with a 94% satisfaction rate.
The Temerty Medicine Alumni Mentorship Program has reached a landmark milestone, having successfully matched its 1,000th student-mentor pair since the program's launch in 2018. The achievement was celebrated at a special reception held at the Faculty Club on the University of Toronto's St. George campus, attended by current and former participants, faculty leaders, and alumni volunteers who have helped build one of the most successful mentorship initiatives in Canadian medical education.
The program pairs current medical students with alumni mentors based on shared interests in specialty, career goals, geographic location, and personal background. Each mentoring relationship is designed to last a minimum of one academic year, though many pairs continue their connection well beyond that period. Mentors provide guidance on topics ranging from residency selection and career planning to work-life balance and navigating the challenges of medical training.
"When we started this program eight years ago, we hoped it would grow into something meaningful. To see it reach 1,000 pairs is beyond what we imagined," said Dr. Fatima Al-Hassan (MD '06), Director of Alumni Engagement and one of the program's founding architects. "What makes this program special is not just the numbers, but the quality of the relationships. Our annual survey consistently shows a 94 percent satisfaction rate among both mentors and mentees, and many participants describe the experience as transformative."
The program's success has been driven in large part by the enthusiasm of alumni volunteers. Currently, over 400 alumni across more than 30 medical specialties are registered as active mentors, with representation from every province in Canada and 15 countries internationally. The program has also expanded to include specialized streams for students interested in academic medicine, global health, physician leadership, and entrepreneurship in healthcare. A new peer mentorship stream, connecting senior medical students with junior students, was introduced in 2025 and has already enrolled 120 pairs.
Looking ahead, the Alumni Association plans to enhance the program with a new digital platform that will use AI-powered matching algorithms to improve the quality of pairings and provide structured resources for both mentors and mentees. The Association is also exploring partnerships with other University of Toronto health science faculties to create interprofessional mentorship opportunities. Alumni interested in becoming mentors can register through the alumni portal or contact the Alumni Engagement office for more information.
