STARS (Students and Trainees Advocating for Resource Stewardship) is more than a medical education program —it’s a launch pad for student leaders like Madeline Kubiseski and Chloé Blackman to expand their local resource stewardship initiatives onto the national stage.

Madeline, with a background in quality improvement and patient safety in long-term care, and Chloé, whose graduate studies in epidemiology and community health ignited her passion for population health initiatives, found the STARS program to be a perfect fit. It offered them the opportunity to champion resource stewardship projects, with support from a network of fellow student leaders, faculty members, and leading experts in the field.

Between 2022-2023, Madeline and Chloé led the expansion of an interprofessional resource stewardship course offered at Dalhousie University. Created by past STARS leaders in 2019/2020, this course has become an integral part of the curriculum, engaging students from 12 different faculties. The course addresses resource stewardship gaps in various health care specialties including nursing, speech-language pathology, health administration, social work, physiotherapy, and pharmacy. Chloé and Madeline are actively exploring the potential of expanding this course nationally so that its benefits could extend to other educational institutions across the country.

While the interprofessional education course was certainly the focus of their year as STARS students, Madeline and Chloé also organized various lunch and learn sessions for students at Dalhousie. These sessions were focused on topics such as resource stewardship in addictions medicine, the emergency department, and an introduction session to the Choosing Wisely campaign.

Chloé and Madeline continue to play active and influential roles within the program as dedicated STARS Advisory Trainee Committee members. In this capacity, they offer valuable mentorship and guidance to the current cohort of students embarking on their resource stewardship initiatives. Most recently, Chloé and Madeline had the opportunity to share their experiences on a panel at the 2023 Fall STARS Leadership Summit hosted by Choosing Wisely Canada.

What’s next?  

Madeline is interested in health care leadership and administration, with a particular emphasis on quality improvement, especially in rural health care settings. Chloé aspires to make substantial contributions through research as a clinician-investigator, with an interest in global health and women’s health advocacy.

Both Chloé and Madeline serve as inspiring examples of the influence that committed student leaders can have on resource stewardship in medical education.