Advocating for a healthier future

Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Yoshith Perera, Master of Public Health Candidate 2014, witnessed the rights of his fellow citizens ignored and belittled not only within the political system, but also within the health care system.

Convinced of the island nation's potential for greatness, Perera decided he was no longer going to stand by and watch injustice from the side lines. He wanted to be a change maker, with the goal of one day advocating on behalf of marginalized populations and those who lacked the power to speak out for their rights.

With the idea of becoming his nation's Frederick Banting, Perera decided to study medicine in China.

Following graduation from medical school, he returned to Sri Lanka, volunteering with different organizations to better understand how the health care system worked. He began to notice flaws in the health care system, and realized that in order to truly make a difference in his home country, he needed to better himself quicker and faster.

"There is very little impact I could have if I had just stayed in Sri Lanka. It would have taken me a lot of time to come to a position where I could make or influence decisions," Perera said.

Perera's mother, a resident of Canada since 2008, advocated for her son to join her here. Perera liked the idea of Canada, not just because his mother was here, but also because of the way the Canadian health care system was working, a format he believes can work in Sri Lanka.

He arrived in April, 2011 and began volunteering with the Canadian Diabetes Association, Heart and Stroke Foundation, The Salvation Army and Victim Services of Peel, as well as writing his medical equivalency exams. His different experiences with all of these organizations led him back to one idea - making changes to better the lives of others. This led to his pursuit of a Master of Public Health.

"You ask, why public health? To me, public health is not just medicine, it's not just patients, populations, etc. It's about saying, 'you need to address this'. You need to address the people for who they are, not just target populations," he said.

Public health addresses bigger issues and asks big questions, which Perera believes will give him a strong platform to work from to address health care system issues.

Perera was drawn to the program at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry for a number of reasons. "I loved the fact that this program was case-based. In medicine, most of the learning is case-based, whether it is in the classroom or clinics. It really drove me to pick this. The 12-month time frame, the practicum and structure of the course all hit on the important points of public health," he said.

He also enjoys the real-world learning experience the course offers. "It is providing us with the opportunity to build connections, build relationships and really grow into leaders. Sometimes, you're put into situations where you are not comfortable, but you learn to become better in those situations, a better person and a better professional."

Ultimately, Perera wants to work somewhere where change is possible, and making decisions for change is possible, like the World Health Organization. He, however, isn't waiting until graduation to make change.

He and a team of classmates are working on a learning tool to help students and physicians understand the key roles of public health as part of a challenge set out by Public Health Ontario. "There are so many opportunities already for me to do something with the degree I am going to get. I'm already working on things that will be changes I want to make. I'm not waiting until I get my MPH."