AYM Trainee Begins MD Program at the University of Toronto
Congratulations to Linda Duong for her acceptance into medical school at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine! Linda will begin her first year in the MD Program in August 2025.
Linda currently holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc; Honours) with a specialization in Child Health from McMaster University.
Linda Duong joined the AYM team in 2021 as a research assistant, supporting various projects and communications initiatives. From 2022 to 2024, she held three BHSc Program Summer Research Scholarships, which she leveraged to lead an independent project using secondary data from the ONPATH study and to take a leadership role within school mental health research. In 2024-2025, she completed her senior thesis (HTHSCI 4C12 – Thesis in Child Health) examining discrepancies between caregiver and youth reports of parenting behaviours and their relationship to youth mental ill health. Her thesis formed the foundation of a successful CIHR CGS-M application at the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph before she ultimately chose to pursue medical training.
As Linda takes the next step in her academic journey, Linda reflects on her experiences at McMaster University and with AYM:
“I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to train with the AYM team—a group committed to high-quality evidence that is rooted in the real needs of children and their families. As my first introduction to research, the team has instilled in me the value of equity-oriented thinking, methodological soundness, and translating research in a timely way to inform decisions at various levels. Beyond the work that we do together, I’ve found a real sense of community. The culture of approachability, mentorship and mutual respect within the team (and more broadly across McMaster) has been incredibly meaningful to me. I am so excited to carry these principles with me as I begin medical school, where I hope to balance my research in the health of children, youth, and their families with broader clinical training.”
Congratulations, Linda! We wish you all the best at the University of Toronto.
General, Our Team
