This year, over 250 students will graduate as UBC MDs. 195 of these are from the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program. Some of this year’s grads have been kind enough to share a little bit about themselves, their UBC MD experience and plans for the future. In the video above, Sally Ke (MD 2014), describes how a rural learning experience in Prince Rupert inspired her to become a family doctor.
Name: Tara Dawn
Hometown: Penticton, BC
Undergrad University and major: Trinity Western University, BSc. Biology
Why did you want to become a doctor?
Pursuing medicine came from a combination of a childhood dream and experiences serving and learning the stories of individuals living in underserved communities, locally, in Northern BC and, internationally, in Ghana. I saw an opportunity to seek an education that was academically interesting to me, but also an avenue to influence those around me. Having been raised in a small community, I witnessed how one individual can use medicine to positively impact their neighbours.
Are there any individuals who you look up to or aspire to be like in the medical field?
As I have studied medicine, clinical rotations have introduced me to ‘IMG’ colleagues who were trained in foreign countries and now are completing the requirements to practice in Canada. Their dedication and passion to complete the extra months, years, and even decades to practice in Canada is an inspiration to me. I feel privileged to work beside these doctors, who remind me that medicine often requires MUCH sacrifice and dedication, but that at the end of the day we get to be doctors and it’s all worth it.
What has been the best part of your experience as a UBC medical student?
Without hesitation, the highlight of my time as a UBC medical student has been all the time and energy so many wonderful doctors from BC have taken to invest in my education. These are individuals with multiple academic, clinical and personal responsibilities, yet they have taken the time to teach me and invest in my future as a doctor. From the lecturers who traveled out to UBC to share their expertise, the attending physicians who came down to review patient problems on the wards..., or the rural practitioner who divulged pearls of wisdom during a busy clinic, UBC has an incredible group of faculty and staff who have enriched my education and shaped my future as a physician.
What’s next for you? Where will you be doing your residency?
On March 5th, I discovered where I ‘matched’ for my Family Practice residency. I matched to Family Medicine in Red Deer at the University of Alberta.
What excites you the most about your future as a doctor?
I am excited about how many doors a career in medicine, and my desired specialty of Family Practice leaves open for my future. Although my husband and I dream of settling down in Northern BC to serve communities lacking primary care physicians, I am confident that I will be able to take my medical education and skills from UBC to serve medically internationally or in an urban centre.
Hometown: Steveston, BC
Undergrad University and major: Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Why did you want to become a doctor?
Because I couldn’t make a living as a professional soccer player. Well that’s part of it but in all seriousness I was drawn to a profession where I would be able to share moments with human beings of all ages and backgrounds and hopefully play a powerful role in problem solving their health care issues and empowering them to live happier and healthier lives; helping them navigate disease, illness and the medical system.
Are there any individuals who you look up to or aspire to be like in the medical field?
Yes, many! I feel fortunate to have had many positive experiences over the last four years and hope to incorporate a piece from all of the various mentors in my future practice some of which include…
Dr. Pressey – for her passion, energy, commitment to medical students and medical education and her leadership role as a female physician and sub-specialist surgeon.
Dr. Warf and the Adolescent Medicine team at BCCH for their dedication to the bio/psyco/social/spiritual health of youth and young adults where they are making profound impacts on the trajectory of lives.
Dr. Chris Looke and Dr. Fitzgerald for their creativity in problem solving complex social medicine issues and their commitment to providing medical care for underserviced and vulnerable children in Vancouver.
What has been the best part of your experience as a UBC medical student?
My favourite part of being a medical student at UBC has been the people I have met and experiences I have shared with my classmates and colleagues.
What’s next for you? Where will you be doing your residency?
I will be completing my residency with the UBC Family Medicine Aboriginal Program. I will be based in Vancouver at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver Native Health Clinic and Sheway.
What excites you the most about your future as a doctor?
The opportunity we have to make a difference in lives of our patients, our communities and the medical system as a whole.
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Undergrad University and major: UBC BSc. Integrated Sciences: International Health
Why did you want to become a doctor?
My undergraduate studies were rooted in the broader perspectives of health: how nutrition, political circumstances, country of origin or residence, cultural practice, and biological factors all integrate together to create a state of health or illness for individual people, communities, and countries. What brought me into medicine was the idea that health is bigger, broader than just one factor or one hospital, and I wanted to gain expertise in medicine to complete the picture of health and illness on the international scale I am interested in.
Are there any individuals who you look up to or aspire to be like in the medical field?
I have been so fortunate to truly stand on the shoulders of giants, benefiting from so much mentorship and guidance along this journey. I was especially fortunate to have done my clinical training at Kelowna General Hospital, and to all the docs there I owe a lot of my success. ER physicians especially were role models and mentors as I found my own passion and interest in the field. I hope to, one day, work with them as colleagues and emulate their kind bedside manner, their passion for medicine, their clinical acumen and especially their sense of humor and collegiality. One of my long-time mentors was actually my high school math teacher, who then went back to school to study medicine. Dr. Adjudani is now an R1 in Pediatrics at UBC! He’s always been a supportive friend and mentor, and taught all his students the value of hard work, commitment to a dream, and to always do your best in whatever task you have at hand. I hope to be an extraordinary teacher like he was for us in high school, and continues to be as a resident.
What has been the best part of your experience as a UBC medical student?
I have met some of my closest friends at UBC Medicine and even though we were separated at different sites, we went through all the highs and lows of this training together. It really is the people that make this journey so sweet, and be it long nights studying in the library, morning coffee breaks, or impromptu on-call run-ins in the halls, we supported each other through it all. These are friends I will keep forever. It’s a source of great pride to see my friends and classmates find their passions and achieve their dreams—I can’t wait to refer patients to them as colleagues in a few years! Knowing these people as well as I do, I really believe the future of medicine is in great hands.
What’s next for you? Where will you be doing your residency?
I definitely found my place in the pace, rigor, and excitement of the ER, and am so excited to be starting my residency training in Emergency Medicine. I’m going to be heading to Toronto and training at some of the biggest hospitals in Canada. Beyond the ER I’m looking forward to learning more about inner-city health, global health, and social media in medicine; I am excited to not only train in “the big city,” but also to expand my knowledge and expertise in a variety of areas in and around Emergency Medicine. I’ll definitely miss living in beautiful BC!
What excites you the most about your future as a doctor?
Emergency Medicine really feels like a great fit for me. I have a broad array of interests, including global health, inner city health, addictions medicine, health advocacy, and social media. The Emergency Department is the frontline in combating suffering and inequity; you can tell so much about a community by looking at the people in the ER and the circumstances that bring them there. The ER is where people’s social circumstances—like hunger, poverty, safety—and their health needs intersect, and it is where the social and community issues affecting individuals and families really become a part of a person’s care. I am drawn to Emergency Medicine for the opportunity to think in parallel--to provide acute care medicine in the context of healthcare innovation and social change. Medicine, especially Emergency Medicine, is extremely portable, and there are so many ways to apply my training in countries and communities around the world: I hope to take what I learn in residency training locally, and make an impact here in Canada, and globally.