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» Home » Student Profiles » Stephen McCarthy

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Stephen McCarthy

By jwong | August 24, 2017

Program: MDUP – Vancouver-Fraser Medical Program
Year in program: 1st year
Hometown: Peterborough, ON

What inspired you to pursue your program?
In 2014, during the height of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, I modified my PhD research on HIV to collaborate with clinicians and researchers investigating novel drugs to inhibit Ebola. I very much admired their bravery, courage and commitment to patient care in a tumultuous time when success was less than assured in Guinea or Liberia. It is from this experience, coupled with volunteering in the LGBTQ community to reduce the spread of HIV in Toronto, that I chose the UBC MD program to become a future clinician scientist in infectious disease.

What are you looking forward to most this upcoming year?
As first year approaches, I am eager to learn more about clinical activities at the BC Centre of Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and research at the Immunodeficiency Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital. I am also excited to meet the 96 first-year medical students enrolled at the other three distributed training sites (Victoria, Kelowna and Prince George) and learn as much as I can about BC culture. As a recent transplant from Ontario, I want to learn more about traditional Indigenous medicine and First Nations culture in British Columbia.

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I find it relaxing to juggle with bean bags, bowling pins and rings. The most I can juggle are five objects, and I have yet to try juggling flaming torches.

Best piece of advice:
As a recent PhD graduate, I recommend being aware of the signs of impostor syndrome. It affects many students leaving undergrad who are entering thesis-based or professional degrees. Sustaining strong friendships outside of your program can help maintain a healthy perspective, achieve work-life balance, and minimize tunnel vision during challenging moments.

What superpower do you wish you had?
I wish I had the ability to communicate with anyone across time. Imagine all the conflicts we can resolve as a species if we could speak with past and future visionaries, inventors, political leaders or philosophers!

Where in the world would you like to get lost?
I would like to get lost in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. I had a great time camping in Yellowstone with my Dad twelve years ago, and would love to go back. The park is filled with unearthly terrains, beautiful forests, meandering bison and thermal features like geysers and hot springs.

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