Faces of U of T Medicine: Varuna Prakash

It takes more than a talent for writing and editing to lead the University of Toronto Medical Journal (UTMJ). As Co-Editor-in-Chief Varuna Prakash explains, it takes financial acumen, project management abilities and really good people skills to produce Canada’s oldest student-run medical journal. We spoke to the second year medical student about her experiences.

Name: Varuna Prakash

Program/year: Medicine, Second Year

Role/position: Co-Editor-in-Chief, University of Toronto Medical Journal

Tell us about your experience co-editing the University of Toronto Medical Journal.

Working on UTMJ over the past year has been a really fulfilling — and challenging — experience. The Journal is Canada’s oldest student-run medical journal and is currently in its 92nd year, so we have a long and rich history behind us. As with any publication, there are a large number of people involved, so teamwork and communication really are the Journal’s lifeline. My wonderful co-Editor-in-Chief (Ilyse Darwish) and I steer the ship: we work closely together to set themes and directions for the Journal, oversee a staff of 60+ students who shepherd submissions through the peer-review process, see issues through production, and oversee the day-to-day financial, management, and longevity planning components of the Journal. It’s a lot like running a business, with all the attendant hiccups and challenges and triumphs along the way.

What do you find most exciting about your work? 

I think the ability to set a vision at the start of the year and then see it through to completion — to a finished product in your hands — is terribly exciting. Each issue of UTMJ is a labour of love that involves so many people (everyone from Artwork to Copy Editing) that it’s very gratifying to see it come together. I also find the content of the Journal itself really interesting — we are lucky to have interviews and commentaries with world leaders on various topics, which I think really speaks to the caliber of content that we aim to achieve.

I love thinking about operations and efficiency and teamwork, so I personally find the management challenge of UTMJ really exciting. As the nature of print media changes, and as the publication process itself evolves, so must the Journal — which means that Ilyse and I are constantly thinking about where the Journal needs to be in the future, how we need to completely revitalize our web presence (coming soon!), how to set realistic production schedules, how to navigate setbacks, and how to do better in terms of managing a team that mostly consists of extremely busy medical students.

What do you hope to accomplish?

I hope that we’re able to produce high-quality issues that our readership finds interesting. This year, our themes are on Medical Technology, Medical Education, and the Microbiome — all highly relevant and timely topics. In the future, I’d love to be able to spark more communication and interaction between the student body and the Journal. We’ve made a start this year, with several of our students publishing op-eds on really important medical/social issues, and I hope we can do even more of that moving forward.

How has this experience influenced your long-term career plans?

Working on UTMJ — and spending time in the fantastic LEAD program here at U of T Medicine —  has certainly reaffirmed a lot of my interests: I enjoy management, teamwork, and working on complex problems with lots of moving parts. I love the art and science of medicine, but I also really love thinking about “big picture” management/policy/politics problems, and I definitely intend on combining these various interests in my future career.

What's your favourite thing about the Faculty of Medicine?

I love being surrounded by so many inspired and inspiring people. When everyone around you is passionate about something, be it a hot-button political issue, or an advocacy campaign, or a new technological innovation, or leadership, or the medical humanities…it wakes you up and makes you want to do more, and do better. There’s no room for lassitude or inertia here. I love that I’m constantly learning and constantly being challenged.

Faces of U of T Medicine introduces you to some of the interesting men and women studying in the Faculty of Medicine. From advising political leaders to providing care to Toronto’s most vulnerable populations, our students are making an impact on communities at home and around the world. Do you have an interesting story to share? Send us an email at medicine.communications@utoronto.ca.