Julie Zhao

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.