In the service of others
Motivated by his strong family ties with Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, Dr. Rahul Sharma, MD’14, spent his time at the School reaching out to youth interested in the medical profession.
With a parent and two siblings connected to Schulich Medicine – his father is a faculty member and his sisters are current residents – Dr. Sharma had excellent resources and guidance to encourage his decision to attend medical school.
His own decision to pursue medicine wasn’t as clear-cut, despite the family legacy.
Dr. Sharma completed his undergraduate degree in biology at Western University in 2010. “Growing up, I was always the science guy,” he said. “That interest aligned nicely with medicine.”
But it wasn’t just science and medicine that appealed to him. Dr. Sharma also had a major interest in politics and sought out hands-on experiences in both fields. “I didn’t want a career based on ideas alone,” he explained.
One such experience took him to New York City for an internship with a mayoral campaign.
“It was incredibly exciting working in politics,” he said. “But I didn’t find it as professionally fulfilling as I thought I would.”
The humanitarian aspect of medicine is ultimately what encouraged Dr. Sharma to reconsider the field and apply to medical school. “I’ve always been interested in the idea of being at the service of others and being able to lend a hand at moments when others are most vulnerable,” he said. “Much of the extracurricular work that I’ve been involved with has been with that principle in mind.”
This humanitarian principle motivated Dr. Sharma throughout his studies with the Windsor Program.
He completed terms as the Windsor Program class president in 2011 and as the VP Windsor for the Hippocratic Council in 2012.
During his third year, he assumed the role of Director of Services for the Ontario Medical Students Association (OMSA), organizing member privileges, equipment contracts and the annual Lobby Day in Toronto. Dr. Sharma also planned the inaugural OMSA Wellness Retreat, which led to subsequent student wellness opportunities with the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) and the Canadian Conference of Physician Health.
In fourth year, he served as co-chair of the OMSA, which involved regular travel that took Dr. Sharma out of Windsor three weekends each month. “It was a small inconvenience compared to the many opportunities the role has given me,” he said. “If you involve yourself in activities you’re really excited about, it doesn’t feel like added work.”
He recognizes that not everyone has this kind of access to the medical profession, and throughout his time at Schulich Medicine he has worked to support and mentor youth in the Windsor community interested in exploring careers in medicine.
As part of the Altitude Health Care Mentorship Program, developed at the University of Toronto, Dr. Sharma provided outreach to 12 local high schools in the city and presented monthly seminars on topics such as financial aid, summer opportunities and study skills.
Dr. Sharma credits his classmates and fellow volunteers with keeping him motivated and enthusiastic. “If you’re working with a group of very talented people, it feels easy,” he said. “I felt well supported.”
In recognition of his innovative contributions to the School and the community, Dr. Sharma received a CFMS-RBC Medical Student Leadership Award for the 2013 year. Only one student from each of the 14 member schools of the CFMS is chosen for this honour.
This July, Dr. Sharma will begin a five-year residency program in Ophthalmology at the University of Ottawa. He hopes to continue with a fellowship in a sub-specialty, such as glaucoma, after completing the program.
“It’s bittersweet,” said Dr. Sharma. “I’m looking forward to future opportunities, but I’m also going to miss my time here.”
He lists charity basketball games, which he helped organize, Tachycardia and the London – Windsor Integration Weekends among his favourite memories from his four years at Schulich Medicine.
“I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Schulich Medicine & Dentistry for bringing me to where I am today,” he said. “All of the accomplishments that I’ve had or that other students have had are with the support of Schulich Medicine.”
To celebrate the end of medical school and the beginning of a new educational chapter, Dr. Sharma is embarking on a travel adventure with friends overseas.
The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry congratulates Rahul and the entire Medicine Class of 2014 on their achievements during the past four years and on their graduation.
