Ajay Grewal, a first-year medical undergraduate student in UBC’s faculty of medicine, has been named the first recipient of the Doctors of BC Presidential Scholars Award in Medicine.
This endowment created an entrance award for outstanding students in the MD undergraduate program which will cover tuition, fees and textbooks for the entirety of one student’s medical education. It’s the result of a $1.75 million pledge made by Doctors of BC in November 2018, with match funding from UBC’s Blue & Gold campaign.
Ajay Grewal
Ajay’s volunteer work over many years was instrumental in securing this award. He divided his time between Abbotsford Regional Hospital, the Cancer Society and the Tabor Home Society while in high school. As a UBC undergraduate student, he donated his time to UBC Hospital’s Ambulation Program, assisted in clinical research with UBC’s department of psychiatry, and volunteered as a research lab technician in the department of cellular and physiological sciences.
However, it was his time volunteering as a Crisis and Suicide Line Responder with The Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of British Columbia where Ajay felt he could make a significant difference.
“This volunteer work was something that I was searching for when I came to Vancouver,” he says. “Even though I had three months of intense training, it was scary to hear that phone ring for the first time. I felt that these were real conversations, something that people go through every day. If I could improve their life by listening just a little bit, then I was able to make a difference. It motivated me to volunteer for more than five years.”
The award came as a surprise to Ajay, who received the news when he received an unexpected telephone call. “I answered the phone to a person who said they were the Assistant Dean of Admissions. My heart started to race,” he said, “I thought that I had done something wrong!”
Dr. Shahin Shirzad, the Assistant Dean in question, quickly put any fears to rest.
“It’s always a pleasure to deliver good news to students and on these special occasions I think it is important to pick up the phone and make a personal call,” he said. “Ajay is an exceptional student and very deserving of this prestigious award. It was an honour to be the one to inform him.”
Ajay is an exceptional student and very deserving of this prestigious award.
Shahin Shirzad
Assistant Dean, Admissions
Ajay comes from a hardworking family, and he says that Doctors of BC has lifted an enormous weight from their collective shoulders.
“We feel blessed to be in this position,” he said, “We’re sincerely grateful for the generosity of Doctors of BC and UBC, which will allow me to focus on becoming the best version of myself on my way to becoming a physician.”
In October, Doctors of BC President Dr. Kathleen Ross, introduced Ajay at the Representative Assembly meeting held on UBC campus.
“The recipients are selected not only for their academic achievements and leadership; their community involvement and volunteer work in healthcare is also taken into consideration,” said Ross, adding, “It was these aspects about Ajay that set him apart from the other applicants.”
Ajay is the first student to receive this support from Doctors of BC. By year four, the award will fund four talented scholars per year who, just like Ajay, recognize the importance of supporting their communities.