Milcah Sutanto and Sornnujah Kathirgamanathan

Milcah Sutanto and Sornnujah Kathirgamanathan are students in the Master of Health Science Medical Genomics program within the Department of Molecular Genetics. They have recently taken up the role of Medical Genomics representatives within the Molecular Genetics Graduate Students Association (MoGen GSA) and are using this platform to foster a sense of community between the Medical Genomics professional program and the Molecular Genetics MSc / PhD research program.  

Their role as Medical Genomics representatives is centered on three principles - student outreach, engagement, and advocacy. They launched a student ambassador outreach program to provide prospective Medical Genomics students with a personable resource that can help address their questions or concerns. Milcah and Sornnujah have also realized the importance of instilling a sense of community between cohorts in the MedGen program and have implemented several activities in compliance with COVID-19 regulations to bring students together. Additionally, they have established strong relationships with program faculty to advocate for student concerns and suggestions. 

Coming from a professional program, Milcah and Sornnujah are excited to provide a focused perspective on professional development with the Molecular Genetics research-stream students. Working together with the MoGen GSA, Milcah and Sornnujah are spearheading a new professional headshot event to help develop Molecular Genetics students’ portfolios. The goal of this initiative is two-fold. First, they wish to bridge the gap between the professional and research-stream students within the department and foster MoGen and MedGen student connections. Second, this initiative serves as a starting point for students to think about their careers and begin to establish a professional development plan to achieve their goals.  

Milcah and Sornnujah believe that university is what you make of it and in a leadership role, it is important to understand the needs and concerns of the people they represent. This is why they believe in student-guided initiatives that are informed by the opinions and ideas of the Medical Genomics community. They wish to provide a platform for those who otherwise would stay quiet and inspire students to step out of their comfort zone.