Back to School 2021

Learning about the multiple facets of health through my education in kinesiology, I knew I wanted to positively impact patient experiences and health outcomes. Medicine stood out to me as an amazing path to do just that. As an Indigenous student, I was also inspired to pursue this program to cultivate my skills and knowledge and be in a position to address inequities in the healthcare system that marginalized patients and families face.

Born and raised in the Lower Mainland, I have both family and friends within B.C. and am excited to be close to them over the next four years. In addition to these connections, I was drawn to UBC as it offers a holistic MD program, which emphasizes the context surrounding patient and community health while providing a strong base of education in medicine.

After being away in Ontario for my undergraduate degree at Western University, first and foremost I want to get reacquainted with Vancouver and B.C. I am also excited to meet new classmates and friends, and learn more about my future profession and practice.

As a child, my favorite thing to do was to sit beside my cousins while they practiced piano. I remember listening and being fascinated with how the sounds changed when I cupped my ears or turned away. I was always curious about things, especially the complexities of human anatomy and physiology. Exposure to neuroscience and how we process sounds made a large impression on me. It fueled my interest in the intricacies of communication, and having been witness to hearing loss, I became determined to make it my life’s work to encourage continued monitoring, learning and rehabilitation.

The School of Audiology and Speech Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC is a comprehensive program that provides students with a great theoretical foundation as well as practical experience. Having understood this, choosing UBC was an easy decision. I also completed my undergraduate studies here. I have many great memories on campus and find comfort in the familiarity.

I enjoy music and there are a handful of artists I would love to listen to live. Wieliczka Salt Mine in Krakow, Poland, is a UNESCO world heritage site and they organize live music events…Yes please!

I wanted a career that I felt gave me a reason to get up in the morning. I wanted a career that would challenge me to keep learning for life and keep up with the body of scientific knowledge that only grows every day. At its core, physiotherapy is all about helping people interact with the world again. Physiotherapists work in many different disciplines and this means that we have the freedom to choose where we practice. That’s what drove me to apply to the program.

I was born and raised in B.C. and I really wanted to attend UBC because it would give me a perspective that is centered around British Columbia. From rural health to rapidly growing city populations, the health care challenges we face here in this province are unique, so I am glad I am here at UBC as they have faculty devoted to working on health care issues keeping British Columbians at the forefront.

Watching Manchester United live at Old Trafford. COVID rules permitting!

I am fortunate to work as an Education Manager for UBC Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which brings together educators, administrators, and clinicians to design and implement various programs to support health care providers across B.C. and beyond. My educational background is in business administration, so I was attracted to the inter-professional Master of Health Administration (MHA) program primarily as a way of deepening my understanding of Canadian health systems as well as clinician perspectives.

I was particularly interested in the UBC MHA program because I know people who have been through the program and found it to be valuable. Also, you can’t beat learning in your hometown, which also happens to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Right now, like many others, I am dreaming about travel. I have a fifteen-month-old son and I look forward to being able to show him the wider world on a family vacation.

Growing up playing different sports and experiencing a number of sports injuries always motivated me to learn more about human anatomy and rehabilitation sciences. After experiencing two anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions, other major injuries and having to go through the rehabilitation process myself, I know how vital physiotherapy is for the re-establishment of a patient’s quality of life.

UBC’s Master of Physical Therapy program is well known across Canada. I also did my undergrad in kinesiology at UBC and enjoyed my time here. When I learned about the UBC Master of Physical Therapy – North program, I realized that it would be a great opportunity for me to live in northern B.C. and learn and work in rural communities. Also, I was privileged to do a placement in a small town, which provided me with an opportunity to learn more about Indigenous cultures and better understand some of the health care challenges that are unique in rural areas.

Going to Qatar 2022 World Cup to watch the games and collaborate with all the team’s physiotherapists.

Throughout my undergraduate degree, I really struggled to find a career that excited me. I had considered careers in medicine, teaching, and counselling, but none of them seemed to be the perfect fit for me. In fourth-year I learned about genetic counselling and I was instantly sold. It was the perfect blend of everything I loved about medicine, teaching and counselling. Ultimately, I really wanted a career that would continue to challenge me and that would make a difference in people’s lives – genetic counselling is exactly that.

Prior to entering the program, I had the privilege of volunteering with some genetic counsellors in Vancouver. They provided me with incredible mentorship and gave me the tools (and the courage) to apply to genetic counselling programs. Witnessing first-hand how supportive the community is of its students, UBC was a clear choice.

Like many people, once this pandemic is over, I am so excited to travel again. I would love to explore the Nordic countries!

I found out about speech-language pathology (SLP) in my second year during a linguistics course. I had never heard of the career before, but it seemed like a perfect fit. My heart was set on the profession when I went to Belize and observed SLPs working on speech, language, feeding, swallowing disorders and more. As a Vietnamese-Canadian from an immigrant family, I saw my parent’s frustration when they struggled to communicate in English. I want to help other bilingual families as well. Communication is a basic human right and I want to help advocate for my clients.

I went to UBC for my B.A. in Speech Sciences. I grew up in Vancouver and loved UBC so much that I returned for my master’s. I decided to continue my education with UBC for their SLP program because of the faculty and convenient location. I had worked as a research assistant for some faculty members within the School of Audiology and Speech Sciences and I realized that they were all very knowledgeable in their respective fields and I wanted to learn from them as my professors. One professor even uses a simulation mannequin in her classes to let students practice treating and diagnosing swallowing disorders.

Ever since the start of COVID-19, my top priority has been to travel. My top bucket list would be to travel to Japan and taste a hot bowl of ramen.

In the last six years, I completed my residency and fellowship training in pediatrics and pediatric nephrology at UBC. I was exposed to clinical research through journal clubs, research courses, and my own reading and studying. I also had research projects that I led and collaborated on that stimulated my interest in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. I pursued the Master of Public Health (MPH) program and the UBC Clinician Investigator Program concurrently to pursue in-depth research and specialized training.

I have completed all of my training through UBC. It is a great environment to learn, work, and live. Looking through courses and electives at the School of Population and Public Health, I felt the MPH program offered a great variety of courses in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics that would augment my research skills. Working in a specialized area of medicine, I felt it was also important to refocus and broaden my understanding of the “big picture” of global health, Indigenous health, and health care policy offered through UBC’s program.

I am working with Dr. Dina Panagiotopoulos and Dr. Cherry Mammen in the Department of Pediatrics. We are studying renal outcomes in pediatric type 1 diabetes, and we are particularly interested in how kidney function changes over time for children as compared to adults with type 1 diabetes.

Top of my bucket list is to travel again! Provided it is safe for everyone, I hope to do some more exploring next summer.

The diverse range of scientific disciplines as well as the experimental and hands-on opportunities that the Medical Laboratory Science program offers intrigued me when I went to the information session. The chance to learn about pathology and laboratory medicine in a small classroom setting as an undergraduate student sealed the deal for me.

I chose UBC because of its beautiful campus and its location with seemingly unlimited places to explore nearby. I love the combined sense of independence and community that this school is able to offer as I get to pursue my own interests and academics without being far from home.

To adopt a pet from the animal shelter!

My lab does research to understand how exercise, physical activity, and physical therapy can improve cancer survivors’ quality of life and wellbeing. Growing up, several of my family and friends had cancer. Seeing how much their lives were affected made me want to pursue a career path to help those living with and beyond cancer. This goal, in tandem with my background as an athlete and undergraduate degree in kinesiology, drew me to the combined MPT/PhD program, which presents a great opportunity to bridge clinical practice and research. The exercise oncology field has grown a lot over the past decade or so, and it has been really exciting and motivating to be part of that progress. I’m constantly learning from those around me (both in my lab and in other labs) and challenging myself, which is everything I could have asked for in a graduate degree.

I completed my Master of Science degree at UBC in 2020 and chose to pursue further graduate work here due to the caliber of my peers and faculty, positive and supportive atmosphere of my lab and program, and beautiful location of the university.

My PhD research involves understanding how best to deliver physiotherapy for people who have received treatment for breast cancer, with a goal to help prevent and treat any shoulder and arm issues they may be experiencing. More broadly, I’m interested in using physical activity and exercise to improve the quality of life, function, and wellbeing of those living with and beyond cancer, especially regarding how to move this evidence into practice.

Learn to surf and climb a fourteener – a mountain with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet – in Colorado.

As is the case for so many, it’s tough to focus in on one specific factor or moment that inspired me to pursue medicine. I have always been passionate about studying medicine, but it’s a long and difficult road—not only getting into medical school, but everything that comes after too. With that being said, I have spent the last few years working extensively in Indigenous health and education, much of it focused on improving safety and reducing barriers for Indigenous people trying to access the healthcare system. The initiatives, programs, communities, and people that I have had the privilege of working with over the years have inspired me to continue along this journey. I feel incredibly grateful as an Indigenous person to contribute to this work thus far and, with the love and support of my family, I’m looking forward to taking this next step in my educational journey and continuing this work. In the past few years, my family and I have been blessed with seven nephews and two beautiful nieces. It’s important to me that we all continue the work of improving the safety and accessibility for Indigenous people.

I chose UBC and the Island Medical Program specifically because I was born here on Vancouver Island. Most of my family lives on the island and, having spent so many years away from them during my undergrad and professional life, it was important for me to come a little closer to home. I’m not a particularly stoic person and need to feel connected to loved ones so that I can contextualize the work a little bit. It’s easy sometimes for me to get lost in my studies and forget the real world beyond our next set of learning objectives and what’s going to be on the final exam. Being connected to family and to communities I cherish helps me to maintain perspective.

Watching a Premier League game, preferably against Liverpool or Man City at Old Trafford.

I was initially inspired by my desire to help others. I knew that I wanted to work in a profession that had versatility, that incorporated a team environment, and that focused on a strengths-based recovery model rather than an illness-centric view. As soon as I discovered occupational therapy, I realized this was the program I needed to pursue. I have seen first-hand how occupational engagement can make a big difference in someone’s life. My grandmother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) more than thirty years ago. I have watched the progression of her disease but I have also seen the power of her involvement in her chosen occupations such as painting and swimming. Having meaningful jobs gave her opportunities to feel strength and joy and, I believe, slowed the progression of the MS. I wanted to pursue a degree that could help enable others to engage in jobs that are important to them, and to provide the tools, advocacy, and resources to make that happen.

I chose UBC because of the smaller class sizes, the prestige of the program, and the beautiful location. I grew up on Vancouver Island and am so grateful for all of the opportunities the West Coast provides: the hiking, the mild climate, and the eco-centered way of living. I was also drawn to the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program at UBC because of the emphasis they put on life-long learning (which is a core value of myself and my family), and the department’s vision of “health and participation for all.” My goal is to provide care for diverse peoples and to help build a society that puts inclusion at the forefront, and I wanted to be part of a program that shares this view.

I am very excited to be able to travel again. Travelling to Iceland is at the top of my bucket list because there is so much to explore. From geothermal pools, to glaciers, caves, and even newly active volcanoes. I would love to see it all and experience the local culture and cuisine. I think that since the pandemic began, we have all been yearning for a little travelling. I am hopeful that within the next few years we might be able to do that safely again.

My inspiration to pursue medicine comes from a combination of a few things. I’ve always been interested in sciences and passionate about health and wellness. My interactions with many physicians not only through personal/family illness but also through many, many sports injuries have helped me better understand the huge impact a good physician can have on someone’s health outcomes. Medicine also combines so much of what I love, including continuous learning, problem solving, teamwork, building connections with others and advocating for health. At the end of the day, I just want to support, encourage, and stand up for others and be a part of their journey towards improved quality of life and wellness.

Moving to Canada at a young age, I was very lucky to have grown up in our beautiful province of B.C. Part of the reason why I chose UBC is because I wanted to stay in the province and be able to live in and contribute to the communities I grew up in. I also appreciate how UBC has distributed sites for the medical program, which allows students more flexibility in which location they want to study.

Everyone at the Southern Medical Program is so supportive and I’m very excited to meet and connect with all my classmates as well as the faculty, staff and other students. Coming from the Island, I haven’t spent much time in the Okanagan so I’m also looking forward to exploring Kelowna and the surrounding areas.

A big reason I wanted to be in Kelowna was the proximity to so many good ski resorts. I’m really into snowboarding so I’m excited to hit up the mountains. I’ve been told it’s the best powder in B.C. and I’m sure it will hold up to expectations.

Ever since I tore my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in high school, I’ve been fascinated by the application of basic mechanical theory to the complex and wondrous system that is human physiology. UBC allows me to explore such concepts in an innovative way using advanced research methods. I really like the interdisciplinary nature of biomedical engineering at the Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanics Group lab I work in as I get to learn from mechanical engineers, orthopaedic surgeons, and computational experts on a regular basis. Applied research is important to me and the potential to improve people’s lives while solving problems creatively is something I feel privileged to have the opportunity to pursue.

I actually hadn’t given much thought to earning a PhD before seeing a position for my thesis project posted on an international biomechanics forum while I was job hunting. It happened to be in a program at UBC, which I knew little about at the time. The more I learned, however, the more it appealed to me. The applied nature of my project combined with being supervised by experts in the field at a globally renowned institution was definitely attractive. The Vancouver location sealed the deal for me in terms of the proximity to nature, the West Coast lifestyle, and the chance to live in Canada!

My research involves exploring novel designs to develop an orthopaedic device to prevent hip fracture, which is the leading cause of injury-related death in the elderly. The device will be implanted surgically inside of the femur bone to strengthen it against forces experienced when someone falls to the side, the most common way this injury occurs. I plan to test the efficacy of this device using a previously developed test rig that simulates a sideways fall, and will travel to Switzerland to learn how to run computational models to optimize designs and predict fracture at the Swiss Federation Institute of Technology in Zurich. I aim to supplement the existing test rig with a custom high-speed x-ray system, allowing a hip fracture to be visualized as it occurs for the first time in such a realistic model.

I would love to visit all seven continents during my lifetime – and yes, that absolutely includes Antarctica. Earning a patent would be cool too.

It all started when my dad gifted me a toy microscope for my 5th birthday. I’ve always had a curious mind and thrive well on sociability, adventure and snacking, which are aplenty in medicine. My family immigrated to Canada when my sister and I were young, in hopes of providing a better life and brighter future for us. Becoming a doctor will not only fulfill a life-long dream of mine, but it is my way of giving thanks to my loving family for the sacrifices they made to help me become who I am today.

The summer I graduated from McMaster University, my amazing sister planned a surprise West Coast trip for us, which included touring the remarkably beautiful UBC campus, and I’ve been in love ever since. When choosing a place to pursue my medical degree, UBC highlighted important factors that support mental and physical wellness, and I am incredibly grateful to have begun this journey in one of Canada’s most exquisite (and breathtaking) cities.

I love researching ways to improve patient care and health outcomes, and some of my work includes assessing factors associated with patient adherence in neuro-ophthalmology and glaucoma. My other research interests include pioneering innovative technologies to advance medical education, including the use of virtual reality and online learning in medical school to help foster knowledgeable, confident future physicians.

This is a tough one as I’m eager to try so many new things! My list includes learning how to surf in Australia/New Zealand, travelling again with my sister (once the world returns to somewhat normal), and witnessing a retina surgery in a live OR.

I decided to pursue medicine when I was working as a medical laboratory technologist at the South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, British Columbia. I encountered amazing physicians who are dedicated to providing excellent care for everyone in the community and they inspired me to want to do the same.

I chose UBC because of their dedication to rural medicine. I grew up in a rural community, so I know the struggle people can face trying to get adequate healthcare. I love how UBC created the distributed sites and specific seats for rural students to address that issue.

I would love to go to Italy! I love to travel, and I love Italian food, so right now, Italy is at the top of my bucket list.