Educating medical students on Vancouver Island

Dr. Oscar Casiro, Regional Associate Dean, Vancouver Island and Head, Division of Medical Sciences at UVic was inducted as the new President of the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) following the annual meeting held on October 18 to 20, 2009. 

The MCC, along with key stakeholders such as medical regulatory bodies, universities, medical students and members of the public, develops and implements tools and strategies to evaluate physicians’ competence.  The MCC maintains the national registry of physicians in Canada and provides the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada, one of the requirements provincial and territorial medical regulatory authorities use to grant a license to practice medicine within their jurisdiction.

Dr. Casiro first joined the MCC in 1999 as a representative from the University of Manitoba. In 2007, he was reappointed to the MCC by UBC and served as it’s Vice-President in 2008.  Dr. Casiro has long been a champion of the organization, actively promoting the MCC’s goals and initiatives and communicating the MCC’s work to his colleagues.

This new appointment with the MCC has personal meaning for Dr. Casiro.  As an international medical graduate arriving in Canada in 1980, his first contact with the Canadian medical community was with the MCC.  Now, almost 30 years later, he has been named as its new president.

Faculty, students and staff of the Island Medical Program congratulate Dr. Casiro on this honourable achievement!